Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Chicken

Name: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Ingredients: 4 ounce Dry Rice vermicelli; 3-4 cups Chinese Cabbage (shredded); 1 Cucumber (sliced); 2 medium Carrots (Cut into Julliens); 1 cup Edammame; 1/3 cup Each cilantro, fresh mint, and green onion; 1/2 cup Salted peanuts; 1/2 cup Fried shallots; Lemon wedges for serving; 1 pound Boneless Chicken Breast; 1 cup Chicken Stock; 1/2 cup Coconut Milk; 2 Lemongrass Stalk; 1/2 teaspoon Salt & Pepper; 1 cup Full Fat Coconut Milk; 3-4 tablespoons Fish Sauce; 3 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar; 3 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice; 3 Garlic Cloves; 1-2 Thai bird's eye chillies

This is not your ordinary chicken salad. Vietnamese salad with rice vermicelli noodles, chicken, crunchy veggies, and herbs, all tossed in a nước chấm inspired coconut milk fish sauce dressing that’s punchy, salty, with a hint of sweetness. Salad this good must be in your summer lunch menu.

I have a thing for Asian salads; this Vietnamese salad is no exception—fresh, bright, packed with texture, and Vietnamese herbs, rice noodles, shredded poached chicken, cabbage, carrot, and edamame, topped with mint, cilantro, lots of crushed toasted peanuts, and fried shallots.

And the dressing needs a special mention. Have taken inspiration from the popular Vietnamese condiment nuoc-cham, and made this coconut milk fish sauce-based dressing. The dressing is sweet, salty, garlicky, and has a hint of heat from the chili. When this umami-packed dressing comes together with the salad, it takes it to a whole new level.

Vietnamese salad is a common sight across the country, and you will find different versions of it. With the wide variety of fresh vegetables and herbs used in Vietnamese cuisine, this salad is quite versatile and can be easily customized. It’s such a delight to eat, especially when it’s hot outside. Almost a no-cook recipe, it’s filling, nutritious, and easy to make. Fried shallots and toasted salted peanuts are not just garnish; go easy on these two toppings, and you will thank me later.

I have been making these Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salads almost every week this summer, not only because it’s delicious, but also

It’s a wholesome salad with protein, carbs, and fiber – a complete meal in itself.
Great for meal prep or making it ahead if you are entertaining a big crowd. All the components can be prepped 2-3 days ahead and stored separately.
Quite versatile. Swap and skip veggies as per your preference or availability. You can swap chicken with shrimp or thinly sliced beef.

Ingredients You Need For Vietnamese Chicken Salad

I have divided the ingredient list into three categories, making it easier for you to prep and plan. It might look like a long list of ingredients, but all of them are easily available in big supermarkets.

To Poach Chicken Breast

You can opt for convenience and use rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken(that’s not heavily seasoned). But if making from scratch, then I prefer poaching chicken instead of grilling. Poaching gives succulent, juicy chicken, and coconut milk adds sweetness to it.

You can also go for grilled chicken for this salad. I have this Thai Grilled Chicken with lemongrass that pairs beautifully with the rest of the ingredients.

Boneless chicken Breast– Chicken breast works best for poaching the chicken
Chicken Stock- Low-sodium chicken stock.
Coconut milk- You can skip this if you want and use extra chicken stock instead. But if you have it in hand then I would say use it.
Lemon Grass – Take the white part and slightly crush it. You can also use minced lemongrass to flavour the liquid.
Salt & Pepper – Lightly season the poaching liquid.

Coconut Lime Dressing

Coconut milk- Full-fat coconut milk for a rich, creamy dressing. Light coconut milk will water down the dressing.
Fish Sauce- Without fish sauce, there is no Vietnamese salad. Look for a pure good good-quality one.
Brown Sugar– To balance the salty fish sauce and lime.
Thai Red chillis– Thai red chilies are spicy, so a little goes a long way.
Lime – Lime not only balances the sauce, but also gives a burst of freshness. Keep a few wedges of lime on he side while serving to squeeze on top.

Veggies and Herbs

Rice Vermicelli (also known as bún)- Thin rice vermicelli is available in most Asian grocery stores.
Chinese Cabbage– Gives volume and body to the salad, along with adding crunch. You can use cabbge instead.
Carrot – Cut into julienne.
Cucumber– Sliced into quarters or halves.
Edamame– I use frozen ones. Prepare as per the package instructions and let it cool down completely before adding.
Fresh herbs– Vietnamese flavour is incomplete without fresh herbs. Lots of mint and cilantro. Also chopped green onions.
Fried shallots & Slated peanuts– Every time I make this salad, I have a hard time not munching on these crispy toppings. Trust me, you don’t want to skip on these. Always have some extra to serve on the side.

Making The Salad

Prep noodles and Poach chicken

Rice vermicelli doesn’t need any cooking unless mentioned in the package otherwise. Soak it in hot water for 10-12 minutes and drain.

Poach chicken breast in a mixture of chicken stock, coconut milk, crushed lemongrass, salt, and pepper. For a medium-sized chicken breast ( approx 1/2 pound each), once the poaching liquid is warm, I cook it for 7-8 minutes on low heat. Then switch off the flame and let the chicken rest in the warm liquid for another 10-12 minutes. Remove, cover, and let the chicken rest for another 10-15 minutes or until it’s cold enough to handle.

Poached chicken can be made 2-3 days ahead.

Prep veggies and make the salad dressing

Cut cabbage, carrot, and carrot. You can prep the vegetables and store them 2-3 days ahead.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients. Check the seasoning and add more sugar/lemon as per taste. Fish sauce is a must, and it’s tough to find a substitute. If you can’t

Storing Leftovers

Salad with vegetables in it, once tossed in the dressing, the salt in the dressing draws water from the vegetables, making it soggy. Hence, leftover salads don’t store well.