Goi Ga, Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad (46g Protein)

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Goi ga is a Vietnamese shredded chicken salad built on cabbage, herbs and a sharp lime and fish sauce dressing. This version gives you about 46 grams of protein per serving, all of it from plain poached chicken breast and a small handful of peanuts.

It takes 30 minutes, most of it hands-off while the chicken sits in the pot. It is also one of the few salads that holds up as a real dinner, because the cabbage stays crunchy and the chicken is moist rather than dry.

Why this works

Poaching gently, then letting the chicken finish in the hot water off the heat, keeps breast meat tender. A rolling boil tightens the fibres and gives you the stringy, dry chicken that gives diet food a bad name. Keep the water barely moving.

Shredding by hand, along the grain, makes thin strips that grab the dressing. Cubed chicken just sits on top. Dressing the cabbage first and squeezing it lightly also matters: it wilts the surface slightly so the salad tastes seasoned all the way through, not just at the top.

Ingredient notes

Cabbage: Slice it as thinly as you can with a sharp knife. A mandoline is faster, but a knife works fine. Using some red cabbage adds color and a slightly peppery bite.

Herbs: Vietnamese mint (rau ram) is traditional and has a faint peppery edge. If you cannot find it, regular mint plus cilantro is a good substitute. Use more herbs than seems reasonable.

Dressing: Fish sauce brands vary a lot in saltiness. Start with the amount here and adjust with a little more lime or sugar. For a vegetarian-style dressing swap in light soy sauce, though the flavor will be different.

Fried shallots: Store-bought crispy shallots from an Asian market are the practical choice. Keep the jar sealed so they stay crisp.

Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad)

Vietnamese shredded chicken and cabbage salad with herbs, peanuts, fried shallots and a lime fish sauce dressing. About 46 grams of protein per serving, ready in 30 minutes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 450

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 400 g boneless skinless chicken breast about 14 oz, 2 medium breasts
• 2 slices ginger for poaching
• 1 tsp salt for poaching water
• 300 g green cabbage about 4 cups, finely shredded
• 100 g red cabbage about 1.5 cups, finely shredded
• 1 medium carrot about 80 g, julienned or coarsely grated
• 1/4 red onion sliced paper thin and soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
• 1 cup mixed fresh herbs Vietnamese mint or regular mint, cilantro, Thai basil if you have it, roughly torn
• 25 g roasted unsalted peanuts about 3 tbsp, roughly crushed
• 2 tbsp fried shallots store-bought is fine
• 3 tbsp lime juice about 2 limes
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 red chili sliced, Thai or Fresno, optional

Method

 

1. Put the chicken, ginger and salt in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 2 cm (1 inch). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 more minutes while you prep. The thickest part should read 74 C (165 F).
2. Whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chili in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste it. It should be sharp, salty and sweet in roughly equal measure.
3. Toss the green cabbage, red cabbage and carrot together in a large bowl. Drain the red onion and add it.
4. Lift the chicken out of the pot, rest it for 5 minutes, then shred it with two forks into thin strips, working along the grain.
5. Pour two thirds of the dressing over the vegetables and toss with your hands for a minute, squeezing lightly so the cabbage softens. Add the chicken, herbs and remaining dressing and toss again.
6. Divide between two plates and top with the crushed peanuts and fried shallots. Serve right away.

Tips and storage

For meal prep, keep the three parts separate: shredded chicken, dressed-free vegetables, and dressing. Everything keeps 3 days in the fridge in airtight containers. Toss together right before eating and add the peanuts and shallots last so they stay crunchy. Once dressed, the salad is best within about 30 minutes.

To add more carbs, serve it with a portion of rice vermicelli or jasmine rice. If you like chicken cooked this way, try our Hainanese Chicken Rice, which uses the same gentle poach. For another cold, punchy chicken dish see the Bang Bang Chicken, and for a herb-heavy Southeast Asian salad try the Thai Pork Larb.