This Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Salad has tender rotisserie chicken, shredded romaine, fresh mint and cilantro, with a sweet, tangy, and savory dressing.
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I can't remember where I first had this type of salad with the fresh romaine, tangy and sweet dressing, and tender rotisserie chicken, but I loved, loved, loved it. I then tried to recreate it at home and tried several different recipes that I found on Pinterest. After a year or two of tweaking the recipe, I've landed on this.
Why You'll Love It
- Fresh ingredients
- Easy to make ahead of time and assemble at the last minute.
- Travels well! So pack it for a picnic or potluck.
Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Salad is Good for a Group because...
As with many salads, it can be scaled up to feed a large group.
The chicken and romaine pairing makes this a full meal on it's own; but it also works great as a side.
Ingredients
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- Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
- Thinly Sliced Romain
- Fresh Cilantro, Mint, and Green Onions
- Peanuts (optional)
- Fresh Lime and Fish Sauce Dressing
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In short, shred the rotisserie chicken, finely slice the romaine, chop the herbs, make the dressing and toss everything together in a large bowl. Top with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Mix the dressing ingredients. Be sure to use a fine zester for the raw garlic. I like to add all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake the hell out of it.
Add the Romain and chicken to a large bowl, pour dressing on top and gently toss the salad, ensuring the dressing is equally distributed. I like to “lift and turn.” Using one hands I lift up a handful of salad, turn the bowl a little, and drop the salad and chicken mix back into the bowl. But do as you please. You’re the boss in the kitchen.
Add the green onions, mint, and cilantro. Gently toss again, the top with peanuts, if desired.
Serve immediately. It really doesn’t keep well. If you’re taking it to a potluck or friend house, take the dressing separately and toss things together once you get there.
Hint: you can make the dressing up to a week in advance.
Advance Preparation
Advance Preparation - All the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and stored separately. When it comes time to serve the salad, just toss everything together in a large bowl and serve.
Equipment
I use a bowl that is at least twice as large as the salad to prep the salad, then serve it in a low sided bowl.
Tips
I highly recommend using a food processor to shred the carrots. You'll end up with a uniformly shredded carrots without your hands turning orange.
Shredded or chopped romaine stays fresh when stored in either a salad spinner, or in a resealable plastic bag with all the air pressed out.
Hosting Tips
Serve additional dressing on the side! Some people love extra dressing on their salads. Making a double batch of the dressing and then serving the extra dressing on the side is a great way to help your guests enjoy the meal even more.
Cheers!
Susan
FAQ
📖 Recipe
Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Romain Salad Base:
- 3-4 cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken from one chicken
- 1 head Romain thinly sliced
- 3 large Carrots shredded
- 5 Green Onions finely sliced
- 1 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped loosely packed
- 1 cup Fresh Mint, copped loosely packed
Lime Dressing:
- ½ cup lime juice
- 2 Teaspoons Fish Sauce such as Red Boat
- 1 Garlic clove microplane zested
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2-3 Tablespoons Water
Optional
- 1 cup roasted salted peanuts roughly chopped
Instructions
Salad
- Toss the chicken, sliced romaine, carrots, green onions, mint, and cilantro together in a large bowl.
Zesty Lime Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and water until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Toss Salad and Dressing
- Serve immediately after dressing
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