Vietnamese Salad with Chicken and Vermicellilime dressing
Vietnamese noodle salads are distinctive for their clean, fresh flavors and the lightly sweet dressings that gather in the bottom of the bowl. We add marinated chicken and roasted peanuts for a one-bowl dinner that packs tons of flavor!
Ingredients
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Ginger - 1 inch
- Brown sugar - 2 Tbsp
- Vinegar, rice - 2 Tbsp
- Fish sauce - 4 Tbsp
- Limes, juice - 2
- Water - 2 Tbsp
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/2 tsp
- Green onions, green parts only - 2, minced
- Chicken, boneless breasts or thighs - 1 lb
- Honey - 3 Tbsp
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 3 Tbsp
- Rice vermicelli noodles (find these in the ethnic aisle or sub soba or angel hair) - 3 oz
- Carrots, small - 2, grated
- Cucumbers, medium - 1, matchsticks
- Green lettuce, small - 1 head, chopped
- Mint, fresh - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
- Peanuts, roasted & unsalted - 1/2 cup
- Vietnamese dressing with lime (ingredients listed separately) - ~3/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Marinate chicken - Cut chicken into 1” (2.5 cm) cubes. Combine honey and soy sauce and pour over chicken pieces. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Make dressing - Mince garlic. Grate ginger. Combine garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, water and red pepper flakes (if using). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Cook rice noodles - Cook according to package instructions. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Carrots / Cucumbers - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Lettuce / Mint / Green onions - Prep as directed.
Make
- Heat a wok or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add oil. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to hot pan. (Reserve marinade.) Saute until chicken is nearly cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add remaining marinade and cook until marinade reduces and coats chicken, ~2 minutes.
- Whisk dressing and sprinkle green onions over the top.
- Assemble salads by combining lettuce, noodles, carrots, cucumbers and chicken in serving bowls. Top with mint and peanuts. Pour dressing over salad just before serving. Enjoy!
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Reviews
This meal has 47 reviews
The dressing was perfect (caveat, I stopped at 3 Tbs of fish sauce). I loved eating these types of salads in Vietnam and Laos and am glad to be able to make them at home now. I cheated and used already-roasted chicken breast from Safeway - probably would have been even tastier if I'd used the chicken recipe!
Used mock duck instead of mushrooms -- big hit.
The dressing was a bit salty & I should've done a better job draining the marinade from the chicken. A lot of prep, but a great summer meal! (Or 85 in April meal!)
Fantastic. I did miss the lemongrass in the chicken bun from my favorite Vietnamese place, so I may try to play around with the chicken marinade.
So delicious - will for sure do it again. My Vietnamese colleague loved the taste. I added some more lime juice - and the flavor just married each other.
This is going to be a new staple in our house!