Crunchy, tangy, a hint of spice, and full of umami-flavored goodness. My mom’s authentic Goi Ga recipe that’s light and tasty and sure to satisfy!
There are so many variations of Asian chicken salads out there and it's all so very good. But by far, my favorite is Goi Ga, Vietnamese chicken salad. I love the fresh and crisp cabbage with the addition of herbs that bring a brilliant brightness to the salad. Not to mention, the fish sauce dressing and pickled onions deliver a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the tender chicken. What a mouthful!
Serve it with a savory and comforting bowl of chao ga, a Vietnamese rice porridge!
Salad Ingredients
Chicken - I use chicken legs for this recipe because it's tender and doesn't dry out easily. However, If you can get ga di bo which translates to “walking chicken” in Vietnamese, use it for the salad. It’s fresh free-range chicken. The meat is firm and tender, with a nice chewy bite that perfects this tasty dish. It’s sold at local Asian chicken farms, which I don’t have access to nearby.
Herbs: You can use a variety of herbs, but the most common ones available are mint and cilantro. At most Asian supermarkets you can get rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) or Thai basil. But sticking with mint and cilantro is easy and just as delicious.
Peanuts: I get unsalted, fresh peanuts.
Cabbage: You can use red, green, or both!
Thai Chili (Bird’s Eye Chili) pepper: It comes in red or green. This adds a touch of spice that balances the sweet, umami and acidic, tangy flavor. You can get this at the Asian market.
Pickled Onion: This provides a delicious tangy bite to the salad - an absolute must!
Nuoc Mam Dressing Ingredients
Fish Sauce - I use Red Boat, or you can also use another popular Vietnamese brand called Viet Huong Three Crabs.
Hot Water - You need warm/hot water to dilute the sugar.
Thai Chili Pepper (not pictured): Optional, but recommended for some spice.
How To Make
Goi Ga
Chicken - Approximate cooking time for bone-in chicken legs is 20-25 minutes.
Cooking Tip: To check doneness, poke the thickest part of the chicken thigh with a chopstick. If the juice runs clear, it’s done. If the juice is pinkish or has any rose/red color, it will need a few minutes more to cook. Keep the chicken in the water, when ready to serve, de-skin and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Cabbage My mom insists that the cabbage is thinly sliced. This brings a nice and light crisp to the salad. You can achieve this by using a mandoline with the setting slightly below the ⅛” notch. If you don’t have a mandoline, use a sharp knife to cut into thin slices.
Herbs Wash and De-stem the cilantro and mint, then roughly cut or shred them by hand.
Peanuts - De-shell the peanuts. To toast, heat a pan on medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the peanuts with skin on and stir frequently. Take it off the heat once toasted evenly. When cool, lightly rub the peanuts between your fingers to remove the skin. Use a rolling pin to crush the peanuts.
Pickled Onions
Slice the red onion, then soak with the mixture of vinegar, warm water and sugar. Let it soak while you cook the chicken and prep the salad and dressing.
Fish sauce (Nuoc Mam) Dressing
Boil water and add it to a bowl with sugar, then stir the sugar until dissolved. Stir in fish sauce, lime and garlic. For spice, add diced Thai chili a little at a time. Caution - these chilis are spicy! Taste as you go, adjusting the amount to your spice tolerance.
To Assemble
Add the cabbage, herbs, and chicken. Toss with the fish sauce dressing. Garnish with the onion and peanuts. If you want to bring the heat, add more chili!
*For my son, I dish out a small side bowl and add non-spicy fish sauce.
Tips
- Goi Ga is also served as a side dish with Vietnamese Congee.
- Fish sauce dressing can be modified to your taste. If you like it more sweet, sour, spicy, or salty, add a little more of each ingredient to taste.
- This salad, not dressed, keeps well in the fridge overnight. I recommend dressing the salad when ready to eat.
- Keep the boiled chicken stock for another use, like adding it to baby food or drink it to boost your immune system!
If you enjoyed this chicken salad then try out my Din Tai Fung Inspired Cucumber Salad! Comment and rate below if you want more authentic Vietnamese recipes like this suon ram man dish!
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Authentic Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)
Equipment
- mandoline
Ingredients
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
- 12 ounces cabbage or 1 small cabbage (red, green, or a mix)
- ¼ cup mint leaves loosely packed
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves loosely packed
- 2 bone-in chicken legs approximately 12 ounces
- handful of toasted, crushed peanuts
Pickled Red Onions
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Nuoc Mam Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ cup warm/hot water
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- optional diced thai chili
Instructions
Pickled onions
- Make the pickled onions first. Thinly slice half a red onion.
- Pour warm water into a shallow bowl with sugar. Stir the sugar until dissolved.
- Add the rice vinegar, mix and then add red onion slices. Make sure onions are submerged into the vinegar and water mixture. Set aside.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)
- Bring a pot to a boil and add the chicken. Bring heat to medium and boil chicken uncovered for 20-25 minutes (or until internal temperature reads 165 degrees F). Prep the salad and nuoc mam. When the chicken is done cooking, leave it in the pot until salad prep is done.
- Thinly slice the cabbage to about ⅛" (or slightly thinner) using a mandoline. If you do not have a mandoline, slice the cabbage as thin as you can with a sharp knife. Place cabbage in a salad bowl.
- Wash and de-stem the mint and cilantro leaves. Shred by hand or roughly chop them. Add to the bowl of sliced cabbage.
- Toasting the peanuts. De-shell the peanuts. Heat a pan on medium. When it’s hot, add the peanuts with skin on, stir frequently. Take it off the heat once toasted evenly. When cool, lightly rub the peanuts between your fingers to remove the skin. Use a rolling pin to crush peanuts. Set aside.
Fish Sauce (Nuoc Mam) Dressing
- Add warm water to a bowl. Add sugar and mix until dissolved.
- Stir in fish sauce, garlic and lime juice.
- Add in Thai chili for spice, a little bit at a time.
Mix the salad
- De-skin and shred the chicken with a fork into bite-size pieces.
- Add the chicken to the cabbage bowl and mix together.
- Add fish sauce dressing to taste. Garnish with the pickled red onions and crushed peanuts.
- Optional: add more Thai chili pepper for more spice. Be careful this is really spicy!
Notes
- Cooking Tip: To check doneness of chicken, poke the thickest part of the chicken thigh with a chopstick. If the juice runs clear, it’s done. If the juice is pinkish or has any rose/red color, it will need a few minutes more to cook.
- Fish sauce dressing can be modified to your taste. If you like it more sweet, sour, spicy, or salty, add a little more of each ingredient to taste.
- Add diced Thai chili a little at a time. These chilis are spicy! Taste as you go, adjusting the amount to your spice tolerance.
- The salad, not dressed, keeps well in the fridge overnight. I recommend dressing the salad when ready to eat.
- Goi Ga is also served as a side dish with Vietnamese Congee.
- Keep the boiled chicken stock for another use, you can also drink it to boost the immune system!
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