Vietnamese-Style Chicken Salad

Vietnamese-Style Chicken Salad

I am not fond of salads because most of the time, they serve it with a dressing that uses mayonnaise (which I dislike) or something similar. That said, sometimes it is nice to try something different.

This recipe for a Vietnamese-Style Chicken Salad comes from Marions’ Kitchen. She has a video of how she made the salad, as well as the detailed recipe, which is very important for people like me who are more cookbook cooks than instinctive chefs.

This was easy to make and a hit with the family. I will definitely make this again. Thank you, Marion, for the recipe.

I did make a few changes to the recipe, mainly because I have family members who don’t like spicy food. I also prefer lettuce to cabbage in my salads so I switched that out.

Here’s the adjusted recipe, if you want to replicate what I did:

Vietnamese-Style Chicken Salad

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: healthy, salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken I used air-fried chicken thighs
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1/2 head finely shredded lettuce
  • 1/2 small red onion about 1/4 if big onions are all you have
  • 1/4 cup finely sliced spring onion scallions
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar I used white rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce

Crispy lumpia noodles

  • 6 pcs lumpia wrapper cut into strips

Instructions

  • For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Set aside until ready to serve.
  • To make the crispy wonton noodles, heat a small saucepan of oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the noodles and cook for a minute or until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. The noodles will crisp up even more as they cool.
  • Place the chicken, carrot, lettuce, onion, spring onion, and mint, in a large bowl.
  • Chop up the peanuts. I used a chopper but you can use a mortar and pestle too. Just make sure you don't chop too fine. Add these to the bowl with the chicken also.
  • Pour the dressing and mix until well combined. Pile onto a serving plate. Use your fingers to crush the crispy wonton noodles over the top. Serve immediately.

Changes from the original recipe:

The original recipe used cabbage. The lettuce worked better for me because I like my cabbage cooked.
She also included some chilies and shallots. These felt more optional to me but do try it the way she recommended.

Tuna Recipes for Lent Part 2: Vietnam and Thailand

Tuna Recipes for Lent Part 2: Vietnam and Thailand

For the second part of the series, we will visit Vietnam and Thailand and try making some finger food starting with Vietnamese spring rolls.

Vietnamese spring rolls are super easy and require no cooking at all.  Of all the ingredients the most difficult one to find is possibly the rice paper wrapper but most groceries carry it.

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Tuna

Every time I eat at Pho Hoa, I always make sure to order fresh spring rolls for starters.  They are light and tasty and crunchy!  I rarely, if at all eat this as a viand, but it could be.

Fresh Spring Rolls with Tuna

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: spring rolls, tuna
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 can (185 g) San Miguel Del Mar Tuna in Water, drained
  • 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
  • 5 pieces rice paper wrappers
  • 1 piece (100 g) cucumber, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 piece (80 g) carrot, sliced into thin strips
  • 5 sprigs cilantro or basil
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce leaves
  • 2 tbsp Magnolia Real Mayonnaise

Instructions

  • Mix tuna and 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce together. Set aside.
  • Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Dip rice paper carefully until it softens.
  • Lay rice paper on a flat surface and while soft, quickly place 1 to 2 tablespoons of tuna in the center, then add several pieces of cucumber strips, carrot strips, cilantro, and shredded lettuce.
  • Fold the sides of the wrapper inwards, then tightly roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
  • To make hoisin sauce, mix together the remaining hoisin and mayonnaise. Serve with the spring rolls.

Notes

Use a combination of fresh vegetables and herbs in making the rolls such as cucumber, red radish, bean sprouts, bell peppers, zucchini, shredded cabbage, leeks, and mint leaves.
Do not oversoak rice papers in water as it will become soggy and sticky.
Space assembled spring rolls apart to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Hoisin from scratch (about 1/2 cup): 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp peanut butter or black bean paste, 1 tbsp brown sugar, honey or molasses, 2 tsp rice wine or white wine vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 clove garlic minced or 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp hot sauce

Thai Fish Cakes

Thai fish cakes are like seafood burgers.  This is a good recipe for lent.  You could use any fish but canned tuna is an easy solution.

Thai Fish Cakes

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: patty, tuna
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 can (185 g) San Miguel Del Mar Tuna Chunks in Water, drained
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha or preferred chili sauce
  • 2 tbsp chopped green onions
  • 2 tbsp chopped Thai basil leaves or coriander leaves
  • 1 piece Magnolia Brown Egg
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup Golden Fry Palm Oil

Instructions

  • Combine tuna, Sriracha, green onions, basil, egg, and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Break tuna apart with a fork to mix well. Form mixture into 2 tablespoon patties. If the mixture is runny, add more breadcrumbs.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan, fry fish cakes until golden brown. Serve with extra Sriracha sauce.

Notes

Tips:

  • Substitute breadcrumbs with mashed potatoes for a different texture.
  • Chill patties to set before frying.
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