Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)

This is one of my favorite salads. I've both had and made many different variations on this and this is the one I've landed on as my favorite version to make. As with many recipes, I have to go by memory from restaurant versions and then spend a little effort to eventually perfect my own version.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts - butterflied and pounded to 1/3" thick, cut into 4 filets

3 cups of water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup sriracha

3 tbsp sugar

Salad

1 pound of shredded red and green cabbage

1 cup of carrots, julienned

1 large cucumber, thin sliced

6 Thai chiles, chopped

1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, diced

1 large handful of fresh mint, chopped

1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped

1 large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, chopped
3 slices of thick slab bacon, diced
2/3 cup of minced shallot

1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Dressing

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp minced ginger

2 Thai chiles, minced

2/3 cup fish sauce

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Directions

Whisk together the water, soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, and sugar for the chicken in a medium bowl. Place chicken in the marinate, cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to 6 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat as dry as possible with paper towels. Heat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high heat and oil the grates well. Cook chicken for about 4 - 5 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Place chicken on a plate and cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow chicken to cool for an additional 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife and fork, shred the chicken into thin strips.

Cook diced bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until browned. Remove pieces and allow to drain on paper towels. Leave bacon drippings in the skillet and add minced shallot and cook until medium brown and the shallot starts to become crispy. Remove shallot and place on paper towels to drain.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients thoroughly until sugar is fully incorporated. Mix together all salad components including drained and cooled bacon and fried shallots. Pour dressing over salad and toss together liberally. Add chicken and toss again to incorporate. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.