Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải)
Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải) is a light and delicious appetizer that can also serve as a balancing dish in a traditional Vietnamese meal. Like other Vietnamese salads – referred to as ‘gỏi’ in Southern Vietnam and ‘nộm’ in the North – this salad features a harmonious blend of flavours: saltiness from fish sauce, sweetness from sugar, and sourness from lime juice in the dressing. It is paired with the crunchiness of sliced cabbage, carrot, and onion, the tender and naturally sweet chicken, and the aromatic Vietnamese coriander (rau răm).
Vietnamese salads are highly versatile. While this version uses chicken and cabbage, gỏi can be made with shrimp, pork, beef, duck, crab, jellyfish, green papaya, lotus stems, tomato, cucumber, banana flower, starfruit, and more. Regardless of the ingredients, almost all Vietnamese salads share a delicate balance of flavours and textures.
Chicken and Cabbage Salad can be enjoyed on its own or as a side dish for Chicken Porridge (Cháo Gà). Despite the number of ingredients, the dish is easy to prepare. With this detailed recipe, you’ll have a refreshing, flavourful salad that’s perfect for dinner or sharing with friends and family.
Here are a few notes on my Chicken and Cabbage Salad recipe:
- I like to use purple cabbage in addition to white cabbage. While it’s optional, the purple cabbage adds vibrant colour to the salad, making it more visually appealing.
- I highly recommend using free-range chicken for this salad. Its meat is firmer, sweeter, and more flavourful, enhancing the overall taste of the dish.
- The chicken is traditionally prepared by hand-shredding it into smaller pieces, rather than cutting it with a knife. This technique, known as ‘gà xé phay,’ is a distinct characteristic of most Vietnamese salads that feature chicken.
Q&As on Chicken and Cabbage Salad
1. Is cabbage good for you?
Yes, cabbage is highly nutritious and offers several health benefits. It is rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin K, and also provides a good amount of fibre, which promotes healthy digestion. Cabbage is low in calories and packed with antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and support overall immune function. Its high fibre content can also support heart health by lowering cholesterol levels. Additionally, cabbage contains compounds like glucosinolates, which may help protect against certain types of cancer. Eating cabbage, whether raw or cooked, is an excellent way to boost your nutrient intake.
2. Why should I use free-range chicken for this dish?
Free-range chicken is recommended for this dish because it typically has firmer, more flavourful meat compared to conventionally raised chickens. The natural diet and outdoor access of free-range chickens result in a richer taste and better texture, which enhances the overall quality of the Chicken and Cabbage Salad. The firmer meat holds up well in salads, providing a more satisfying bite and complementing the crunchiness of the vegetables. Additionally, free-range chicken is often considered a healthier and more ethical choice.
3. I think this salad might be good for my keto diet, but I’m concerned about the sugar. Can it be replaced with a more keto-friendly ingredient?
Yes, this salad can be adapted for a keto diet by replacing the sugar in the dressing with a keto-friendly sweetener. Options like stevia, monk fruit sweetener, or erythritol can be used to maintain the balance of flavours without adding carbs. These sugar substitutes will still provide the sweetness needed for the dressing while keeping the dish low-carb and keto-compliant. Make sure to adjust the quantity according to the sweetness level of your chosen substitute.
4. What is the purpose of placing sliced onion in cold or iced water?
Placing sliced onion in cold or iced water helps to reduce its pungency and sharpness. This process tones down the strong, sometimes overpowering flavour of raw onions, making them milder and crisper for salads. The cold water also helps keep the onions firm and enhances their crunchiness, which improves the overall texture of the dish.
5. What is rau răm? Is this herb uniquely Vietnamese?
Rau răm, also known as Vietnamese coriander or Vietnamese cilantro, is a fragrant herb with a peppery, slightly lemony flavour and a mild spiciness. It is commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine to enhance the taste of various dishes. While rau răm is not unique to Vietnam – it is also used in other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Cambodia – it plays an important role in Vietnamese cooking.
Some popular Vietnamese dishes that feature rau răm include Balut (Trứng Vịt Lộn), Bún Bò Huế (Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup), Gỏi Gà (Chicken Salad), and Cháo Gà (Chicken Porridge). The herb adds a distinctive, aromatic quality to these dishes, making it an essential ingredient in many traditional recipes.
6. How do you say “Chicken and Cabbage Salad” in Vietnamese, and how do you pronounce it?
Chicken and Cabbage Salad” in Vietnamese is Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải. It is pronounced as:
- Gỏi (salad): similar to “goy” with a rising tone
- Gà (chicken): pronounced “gah,” like “guard” without the “rd”
- Bắp Cải (cabbage): pronounced “bahp kai,” with “bahp” rhyming with “cap” and “kai” like “sky” without the “s”
Altogether, it sounds like: “Goy gah bahp kai.”
Recipe for Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải)
Equipment
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 1 free-range chicken (about 1 kg), cleaned
- 300 grams white cabbage
- 300 grams purple cabbage
- 175 grams carrot
- 2 medium onions (one for cooking, one thinly sliced for the salad)
- 50 grams Vietnamese coriander
- 50 grams roasted peanuts (unsalted), slightly crushed
- 3 tablespoons fried shallots
- 100 grams fresh ginger
For the mixing sauce:
- 5 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Instructions
- Prepare the Mixing Sauce:In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, chopped garlic, and chili sauce. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves, creating a smooth, balanced sauce. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning by adding more ingredients, depending on your preference. Set aside.
- Cook and Prepare the Chicken:In a large pot, place the whole chicken along with two halves of onion and several slices of ginger. Add enough water to the pot to fully submerge the chicken. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer. Allow the chicken to cook until it's tender and fully done, about 30–40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, carefully remove it from the pot and immediately place it into a bowl of cold water. Let it sit in the cold water for about 10 minutes to cool and firm up, which makes shredding easier.
- Remove the chicken from the cold water and use your hands to gently shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any bones. This hand-shredding technique is traditional and helps maintain the texture of the chicken for the salad.
- Pour a portion of the prepared mixing sauce over the shredded chicken and toss well to coat the chicken evenly with the sauce, allowing it to absorb the flavours.
- Prepare the Vegetables:Thinly slice the remaining onion and place the slices in a bowl of iced water. Let them sit in the cold water for about 10 minutes to reduce their sharpness and soften their texture. Drain the onion slices thoroughly to remove excess moisture.
- Thinly slice both the white and purple cabbage into fine strands. Wash the cabbage slices under cold water, then drain them well to ensure the salad isn't watery.
- Peel the carrot, then cut it into thin strands.
- Roughly chop the Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) into small pieces.
- Assemble the Salad:In a large mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced cabbage and carrot. Pour the rest of the mixing sauce over the vegetables, and toss everything well to ensure the sauce evenly coats all the ingredients.
- Add half of the fried shallots and the drained onion slices to the salad. Toss the mixture again to incorporate the onion and shallots evenly throughout.
- Add the roughly chopped Vietnamese coriander to the bowl and continue mixing gently.
- Lastly, combine the seasoned shredded chicken with the vegetable mixture. Toss everything together carefully but thoroughly, making sure the chicken and vegetables are evenly mixed and coated with the sauce.
- Serve:Transfer the completed salad to a serving dish. For a final touch, sprinkle the top with crushed peanuts and the remaining fried shallots, adding a delicious crunchy finish.Your Chicken and Cabbage Salad is now ready to serve and enjoy! For extra flavour, serve it with a side of prepared dipping sauce, such as fish sauce.