Crunchy cabbage and carrots with ginger-garlic poached chicken, vermicelli rice noodles, crispy shallots, and a dressing that will knock your sock off!
I can’t believe we’ve been in the San Francisco Bay Area for a year already! Which is why I really can’t believe I have yet to go to The Slanted Door, a modern Vietnamese restaurant that I’ve been dying to go to since we arrived. The restaurant is in a prime location, in the Ferry Building overlooking the illuminated Bay Bridge – it’s a place I would love to go to with Mr. HNN. Alas, my hubby has been traveling endlessly for work and when he’s home, he’s usually pulling long nights in front of the computer. Poor guy, I hope a break comes for him soon, I know he’s exhausted.
So until we can get over to dine at the Slanted Door, I’ve brought the Slanted Door to us! I bought their cookbook and I’ve been cooking my way through it. The Vietnamese Chicken Salad was one of the first dishes I made and it’s sensational! I made a few adaptations, adding carrots, garlic to the poaching liquid for the chicken, and making a few measurement adjustments.
The cabbage, carrots, noodles, and chicken create the base for this salad, while the dressing creates some serious flavor! The prominent ingredient in the dressing is fish sauce, and if you’ve never used it before you’re in for a real treat! Ok I’ll be honest, one whiff and you’ll probably want to toss the bottle. But please, I beg you, give it a chance – the smell dissipates once it’s added to other ingredients. And it truly is a magical ingredient, responsible for adding a ridiculous amount of layered flavor to your dishes. If you like Vietnamese, Thai, or other Southeast Asian cuisine, chances are you’ve had it – it’s what makes the food so wonderfully flavorful! So buy, use it, you’ll love it! Ok, I’ll get off my fish sauce soapbox now 😉
You’re going to love this salad – varying flavors, textures… just thinking about it makes me want to squeal with delight! You’re going to wolf-down a salad like you never thought you could. Enjoy!
- Dressing
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Thai chile, seeded and minced
- Chicken Salad
- Kosher salt
- 1 (3-inch) piece of ginger, smashed
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ large head green cabbage, cored and sliced into ¼-inch strips
- 2 cups rice vermicelli noodles, cooked*
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- To make the dressing, combine the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, and water in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the garlic and chile and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- Fill a large saucepan with water and salt as you would with pasta water. Add the ginger, garlic, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the chicken and poach for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and allow the chicken to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.
- Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Once hot, add the shallots and fry until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. (You can reserve the shallot infused oil and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. It’s nice to use as a stir-fry oil or to make an aioli).
- Place the cabbage in a colander and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt. Using your hands, massage the salt into the cabbage. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then rinse very well with cold water. Taste the cabbage - to make sure you've removed all of the salt crystals (it will have a mildly salt taste, but it should not be overly so). Let the cabbage drain while you prep the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl add the cabbage, cilantro, vermicelli noodles, chicken, dressing, and toss well. Season with pepper to taste and lightly toss again. Divide equally among 4 bowls and garnish with the crispy shallots and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately and enjoy!
* Recipe adapted from Charles Phan, The Slanted Door
YUUUMMM! Forget the Slanted Door; I want to come to your house for lunch! I love this kind of salad at restaurants, but I have never tried to make it at home. You have inspired me Kathleen. Thanks for sharing. Pinned!
Thanks, Jackie! I always love salads like this at restaurants too! My husband thinks I’m crazy for ordering salads, but when they’re this good – they’re so worth it!
This was a delicious and refreshing meal. I did use soba noodles (not by choice, but my husband has been on a low carb/no carb diet due to an injury which has him temporarily in a wheelchair which is causing weight gain). I thought it was a good compromise to get my “pasta” fix and give him a little of something he also loves but he would feel better about eating. We so enjoyed these flavors and I can’t wait to make it again with the “real deal vermicelli”. Thanks for sharing!!!
Oh no, a wheelchair? That sounds like a serious injury. I hope your husband recovers soon! Your soba substitution is an excellent compromise – I’m so glad you both enjoyed the dish! Here’s hoping for your husbands speedy recovery and a chance to enjoy the ‘real deal vermicelli’. Hope you have a fantastic 4th, Cherie!
I have the book and going to the restaurant has been on my list forever! Love their recipes. This salad looks amazing! Pinning to try it!
This looks so good, so healthy and I trust your taste. I for one love fish sauce and don’t mind its “aroma” one bit. Beautiful dinner, lucky Mr. HNN. 🙂
Thanks Kevin! I actually like the ‘aroma’ too 😉
The Slanted Door sounds like a great place to enjoy a romantic dinner. So clever that you bought the cookbook and created one of their dishes at home. Your version of the recipe looks fantastic – I really like fish sauce in recipes – it adds such a distinct and lovely flavour!
YES!!! Doesn’t it just add the greatest depth of flavor?! I love the stuff!
Ummm no offense to the restaurant, but who needs the slanted door when we have YOU? 🙂 Especially since I live on the other side of the country, so I will probably never eat there. SO glad you decided to recreate one of their dishes with a HNN twist! This looks beyond delish, girlfriend! I love all the components of this, especially the ginger-garlic poached chicken! I could eat this for lunch and dinner on repeat! PINNED! Cheers, friend!
P.S. Hope your hubster gets a break soon and you two actually do make it out to dinner! xo
Lol! Thanks girl! We’re hoping his schedule calms down next month… but then again, we say that every month 😛 Maybe I’ll see if he can take a ‘sick’ day sometime soon 😉
This looks wonderful, Kathleen. Adding ginger to the poaching liquid=genius! I love the idea, as well as the addition of the noodles to the cabbage and carrots. I’m definitely going to make the chicken so I can have it on hand for lunch salads.
Thanks Marlene! Keeping some of that chicken on hand for various salads is a great idea!