Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga)
Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe (Goi Ga) – A light and healthy chicken and cabbage salad that is gluten-free and paleo-friendly!
Vietnamese Goi Ga
I grew up in a city that has a significant Vietnamese population. Therefore, long before I had an appreciation for more popular international cuisines, I loved Vietnamese cuisine.
From noodle soups to noodle salad bowls, and banh mi sandwiches, I haven’t met a Vietnamese dish I haven’t liked… And I crave it above all other national foods.
In college, I made a habit of visiting a particular Vietnamese restaurant once a week with a friend. On my limited student budget, their lunch specials were a bargain!
Each meal came with an appetizer portion of Vietnamese Cold Chicken Salad (Goi Ga), a crunchy chilled salad with a bold zesty flavor, and shredded chicken speckled throughout.
Goi Ga Recipe
Now that we live hundreds of miles away from my favorite Vietnamese lunch spot, I have to make these dishes at home.
Although some Vietnamese recipes are complicated, Vietnamese Cold Chicken Salad (Goi Ga) is extremely quick and simple.
It’s crisp, fragrant, and loaded with veggies, with a tangy-sweet punch from the nuoc cham dressing. Plus, it easily fits into most diet plans!
Make a big bowl of Vietnamese Cold Chicken Salad (Goi Ga) on Monday and take it for lunch throughout the week. Or serve it as a light dinner any night of the week.
You are going to love it!!
Vietnamese Chicken Salad Ingredients
For the Vietnamese Chicken Salad:
- Shredded Napa Cabbage
- Cold Cooked Shredded Chicken (you can use leftovers or a rotisserie chicken)
- Roughly Chopped Fresh Mint
- Shredded Carrots
- Thinly Sliced Red Onion
- Roughly Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- Chopped Roasted Peanuts (you can use cashews to make this paleo-friendly)
For the Nuoc Cham Dressing:
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Water
- Honey
- Fish Sauce
- Chili Garlic Sauce
How To Make Vietnamese Chicken Salad
This recipe is super easy and is full of flavor!
- Prep your ingredients by chopping, slicing, and shredding the ingredients needed for the salad.
- Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the lime juice, water, honey, fish sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl to make the dressing for the salad.
- When you are ready to serve the salad, pour the dressing over the top and toss it well.
Get the Full (Printable) Goi Ga Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is goi ga?
Goi ga is a Vietnamese salad recipe that is crunchy and usually has chicken in it! What makes this goi ga recipe so good is the flavorful and zesty homemade dressing!
How long does this salad last?
The salad mix without the dressing tossed in can last around 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. If the dressing is tossed in and you have leftovers, then I would recommend eating the leftovers within 24 to 36 hours.
Can I add in any kind of meat?
Yes, you can substitute the chicken in this recipe for other meats of choice. Turkey or pork loin would both be a good option for this.
What other dressings would taste great with this salad?
Changing the dressing will make this Vietnamese classic something entirely new. However, feel free to try it with ranch, avocado ranch, balsamic vinaigrette, greek dressing, or lemon aioli sauce.
Other Great Salad Recipes
- Thai Red Curry Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- Vietnamese Bahn Mi Salad Recipe
- The Ultimate Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
- Mexican Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- Southern Chicken Berry Salad Recipe
Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe (Goi Ga)
Ingredients
For the Vietnamese Cold Chicken Salad:
- 6 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken, cold (use leftovers or a rotisserie chicken)
- 3/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts (cashews for paleo-friendly)
For the Nuoc Cham Dressing:
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, water, honey, fish sauce, and chili garlic sauce.
- When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Made this Saturday night and we loved it! So much flavor, crunch and yumminess all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla that I’ll definitely be making this again! Love that the dressing has no fat in it, too. Very healthy!
I made this with a package of tuna instead of chicken for lunch and dinner for 2 days. Was still incredible. Great meal for hot summer lunches.
Yum! My husband and I made this today. We used the crockpot to make the shredded chicken, and added some shrimp. (And accidentally added a whole red onion instead of half. :p) This was delicious, and it came out so pretty and colorful that I sent a picture to my Vietnamese mom! Thank you for the recipe!
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My husband and I thought this was absolutely delicious. We put leftover grilled chicken thighs on it which had been done in a teriyaki marinade. I cut back a tiny bit on the honey and fish sauce, but otherwise followed it exactly. Can’t wait for the leftovers today for lunch. Thanks for sharing this!
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This is an amazing recipe! Made it tonight and it’s absolutely delicious. ?
YUM! this looks fabulous and I’m going to give Paleo a shot for February so this will be perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Loving all the textures!
I always order this at Vietnamese food! SO awesome Sommer!
Love full flavored chicken salad like this!
Love all of the flavours and textures in this chicken salad!
This looks absolutely amazing! I will definitely give your recipe a try next time I’m having friends over for dinner :-).