Recipe for Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải)
Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải) is a refreshing and colourful Vietnamese dish that combines tender, shredded free-range chicken with crisp white and purple cabbage, carrot, and fragrant Vietnamese coriander. Tossed in a perfectly balanced dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili, this salad offers a delightful mix of salty, sweet, and tangy flavours. Topped with roasted peanuts and fried shallots for added texture, it can be served as an appetizer or a side dish to complement traditional meals like Chicken Porridge (Cháo Gà). Simple yet flavourful, it’s perfect for any occasion.Please refer to the video instructions at the end of the recipe if you’d like to see how to make Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải) in action.
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.