Vietnamese Chicken Salad - Goi Ga

I dare you to make this, THEN step on the scale!  This is an incredible shrinking person meal!  

A couple weeks ago I ate at the Triple Door downtown.  I ordered a Vietnamese salad called Chicken Shui.  This salad had all the things I love like cabbage, shredded chicken, cilantro, peanuts, and a tangy lime dressing.  After doing a little research, I discovered the Vietnamese name for this salad is "Goi Ga" pronounced "Go-E Gah".  Easy enough to say right?  So I decided to create my own version. 

Look at all these fabulous ingredients!  There is nothing in this salad that you will feel guilty about eating, and it fills you up! 

Plus a salad like this will keep perfectly in the fridge for a few days.  That's why I love making salads with cabbage, because it doesn't wilt or go bad quickly.   This salad will be even better the next day too once the lime dressing has a chance to marry with the cabbage and veggies!  

You can change up this recipe to suit your needs.  If you have a peanut allergy, then leave them out.  Here's what I did: 

Vietnamese Chicken Salad - Goi Ga

For the salad: 

1 lb. chicken breasts

1 carrot cut into sticks 

1 red bell pepper julianne 

1 yellow bell pepper julianne

1 bunch of green onions chopped

1 cup fresh basil or Thai basil 

1 cup fresh cilantro 

1 cup fresh mint 

1 cup chopped peanuts

1 head small savoy cabbage or green cabbage 

Dressing:

3 limes squeezed

2 garlic cloves minced

1 inch fresh ginger minced

2-3 tbsp. fish sauce (don't skip this- it adds salt and a rich yummy flavor.  start with 1 tbsp. and try it as you go) 

3 tbsp. Asian rice wine vinegar 

1 tsp. sesame oil 

2 tbsp. sugar 

1 fresh thai chili minced 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Salt, pepper, and put a little olive oil on each chicken breast.  Bake 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the breast.  Let chicken cool 5 minutes once you remove it from the oven.  Then with two forks shred the chicken.  I actually had a personal shredder for this!  My FBP did a great job with the chicken.  After shredding with a fork, he then pulled the chicken apart with his hands.  You want the chicken to be around the same size and shape as your julianne veggies.  

Now chop carrot, bell peppers, green onions, peanuts, and herbs. Shred the cabbage.  I do this by quartering the cabbage, removing the core, then slicing lengthwise.  Add all of these yummy things to a large bowl.  Then add the shredded chicken to the bowl.  

To make the dressing add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake shake like you do for Luke Bryan!  ;)  Add the dressing on top of the salad.  Mix together well.  

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

If you want to feel festive, serve with chop sticks!  

This salad is even better the next day once the flavors get to marry, so portion out some for lunch the next day and make all your co-workers jealous!  

My FBP loved this meal too!  It's got all the flavors we love without any of the guilt.  I went back for seconds too!  Yum!