Vietnamese chicken salad bowls with pickled vegetables and nuoc cham
Sun Basket helps you cool off with this refreshing, paleo-friendly Vietnamese salad, heaped with chicken, crisp pickled cucumber, radishes, and carrots, and umami-rich nuoc cham dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 2 or 3 red radishes
- Sun Basket quick-pickle brine (apple cider vinegar - honey)
- ¼ pound shredded carrots
- 10 ounces flat rice noodles*
- 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound total)
- 1 or 2 cloves peeled fresh garlic
- 2 romaine hearts
- ½ cup roasted cashews
- 6 or 7 sprigs fresh cilantro
- Sun Basket nuoc cham (fish sauce - lime juice - coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat the water for the noodles; pickle the vegetables
In a large sauce pot, bring 6 cups water to a boil for the rice noodles.
- Peel the cucumber, if desired, and trim off the ends; cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then thinly slice on the diagonal.
- Trim the ends from the radishes. Cut them in half, then cut the halves into thin half-moons.
2. Soak the rice noodles
When the water for the rice noodles comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat. Add the noodles and let soak until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water.
While the noodles soak, prepare the chicken.
While the noodles soak, prepare the chicken.
3. Prep and cook the chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel; season generously with salt and pepper.
While the chicken cooks and cools, prepare the remaining salad ingredients and the nuoc cham dressing.
4. Prep the remaining salad ingredients; make the nuoc cham dressing
- Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon.
- Trim the root end from the romaine hearts.
- Coarsely tear the romaine leaves.
- Coarsely chop the cashews.
- Strip the cilantro leaves from the stems.
5. Toss the chicken salad
In a large bowl, toss the chicken and romaine with half the nuoc cham dressing. Season with salt, pepper, and more dressing to taste.
6. Serve
For any paleo diners, transfer their portion of chicken salad to individual bowls and top with the cashews. Toss the rice noodles with the remaining chicken salad, transfer to individual bowls, and top with the cashews. Garnish all the salads with the pickled vegetables and cilantro. Serve any remaining dressing on the side.
Get The Kids Involved!
Kids Can:
- Measure out the garlic.
- Coarsely tear the romaine leaves.
- Strip the cilantro leaves from the stems.
- Toss together the salad.
- Garnish with cashews and cilantro.
