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Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi ga)

A woman butchering live frogs. A platter of pig brains. Buckets squirming with live eels.

These were just some of the intriguing sights that I encountered as I pushed my way through a bustling Hanoi street market during a recent trip to Vietnam.

Hanoi Street Market

I was taking part in a cooking class through Viet Village restaurant. Our instructor, Hà, was guiding us through the market to pick up some fresh ingredients as part of the experience.

My senses were overloaded with the sights, sounds, and smells of everything that surrounded me.

Market in Hanoi

The ingredients we needed for the cooking class were a bit tame compared to other things you could find in the street market. In the end, our creations ended up being delicious.

One of the dishes that we learned how to prepare was Goi ga, a crunchy chicken and cabbage salad tossed in a light, sweet and spicy dressing.

I substituted honey for sugar in the dressing, and garnished with cashews instead of peanuts to keep things Paleo.

How to Make Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Start by spreading about a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast in a single layer in a pot and cover with a few inches of cold water.

poached chicken

Add a large pinch of salt and a few peppercorns. Bring the pot to a simmer then cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken breasts and, once cool, shred them with a fork.

shredded chicken

To make the dressing, combine some water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, minced Thai chili pepper, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until the honey and salt have dissolved.

dressing

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken with some shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, mint and cilantro.

Salad ingredients

Pour in about half of the dressing and toss well. Let everything marinate for 5-10 minutes, then add additional dressing to taste.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Plate the salad and garnish with crushed roasted cashews and lime wedges. Enjoy! I think the end result is just as good as what I learned to make in Hanoi.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi ga)

Course Salad
Cuisine Vietnamese
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 4 cups cabbage finely shredded
  • 1 large cucumber seeded and sliced
  • 1 large carrot cut into matchsticks
  • 1/2 cup onion thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup mint chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • large pinch of salt
  • 6-7 peppercorns

For the Dressing

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 Thai chili seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For Garnish

  • 1/3 cup roasted cashews lightly crushed
  • lime wedges

Instructions

For the Dressing

  • Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until the honey and salt are completely dissolved.

For the Salad

  • Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a medium pot and cover with a few inches of cold water. Add the peppercorns and a large pinch of salt. Bring the water to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165°F.
  • Remove the chicken, allow it to cool, then shred with two forks.
  • Place the chicken and the remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add about half the dressing and toss well. Let the salad stand for 5-10 minutes, then toss again, adding more dressing to taste.
  • Plate the salad, top with the cashews and garnish with lime wedges.
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Goi Recipe - Goi Ga (Chicken And Cabbage Salad) - Taste

Saturday 31st of October 2020

[…] 7. Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi ga) – The Sophisticated … […]

Michele Spring

Wednesday 10th of May 2017

Thanks for making a salad I'd actually eat and not one of pig brains :-) This looks delicious though and super refreshing!

The Sophisticated Caveman

Wednesday 10th of May 2017

Ha! Are you telling me that I should scrap next week's post for Pig Brain Soufflé?