Vietnamese Chicken Salad / Goi Ga

Gỏi gà is a popular Vietnamese chicken salad known for its vibrant, fresh flavors. Goi Ga is particularly popular in Southern Vietnam, where the warmer climate produces an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. “Gỏi” refers to a salad that is light, tangy, and often includes a variety of herbs and vegetables, while “gà” simply means chicken. It’s a refreshing, vibrant, and healthy dish typically served at parties and family gatherings, but it also makes for a great appetizer or even a light main dish for any time.

How It’s Made:

Chicken Preparation: The chicken is poached or boiled with aromatics like ginger and onions, then hand-shredded into thin pieces.

Salad Base: Thinly shredded cabbage, carrots, red onions, and herbs like cilantro, green onions, and Vietnamese coriander are tossed together. Protip: Use a Kiwi-branded hand shredder for thin and beautiful ribbons of shredded vegetables.

Dressing: Fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili are mixed to form a balanced and tangy dressing that is tossed along with the salad.

Final Touch: The shredded chicken is combined with the vegetables and herbs, then topped with fried shallots and fried garlic for a delightful texture contrast.

Why You’ll Love Goi Ga:

Healthy: Gỏi gà is a nutritious option, low in fat and packed with lean chicken protein, fresh herbs, and vegetables.

Refreshing: The fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables keep the dish light and perfect for the warmer months.

Balanced Flavors: The dressing’s ideal combination of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy makes each bite exciting.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad / Goi Ga

4.5 from 48 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• Chicken:

• 2 2 Chicken Quarters

• 1 1 Chicken Breast

• Water

• 1/2 1/2 Onion

• 1 1 inch Nub Ginger

• Salad:

• 1 1 Cabbage

• 2 2 Carrots

• 1/2 1/2 Red Onion

• Vietnamese Coriander

• Cilantro

• Green Onion

• Sauce:

• 1/4 cup 1/4 Fish Sauce

• 1/4 cup 1/4 Sugar

• 1 1/4 cup 1 1/4 Filtered Water

• 1 1 Lime

• 4 4 Garlic Cloves

• 2 2 Thai Chili

• Garnishes:

• Fried Shallots

• Fried Garlic

Directions

• Chicken:
• Scrub chicken with kosher salt, and rinse with cold tap water to help reduce chicken odor
• To a pot of water, add chicken, charred onion, and ginger, and bring up to a boil. Skim off any impurities, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let the chicken gently poach for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165F
• Remove the chicken and submerge it in a bath of ice water for 10 minutes to help the chicken retain its juicy texture and tighten chicken skin
• Hand-shred chicken into small pieces
• Salad:
• Thinly shred cabbage
• Peel and wash carrots, then thinly shred
• Cut half an onion into strips along the grain. Submerge in cold water to reduce raw onion bite
• Remove Vietnamese coriander leaves from stems
• Thinly cut green onions and cilantro
• Sauce:
• Combine Dear Mam fish sauce, sugar, and filtered water in a bowl or container. Add minced garlic, thinly sliced Thai chili, and juice of a lime. Mix well until sugar has fully dissolved
• Serve:
• Combine herbs and veggies with sauce in a mixing bowl
• Add the tossed salad to a serving plate, top with shredded chicken, and garnish with fried shallots and fried garlic

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