You know that salad that you crave when its too hot out to cook; that salad that you eat by the heaping forkful with crunch and zing and herbs and succulent bits of chicken? Here is the recipe for that exact thing you are craving. If you want healthy but also delish and many crunchy soul satisfying bites, this is the salad you need to try. I like to make it with boneless chicken breasts that I have marinaded and grilled, but it works fine with shredded rotisserie chicken too. The salad keeps for several days in the frig, so now you’ve already got lunch plans with the leftovers. This recipe serves 4-6 people as a main course.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

4 c. green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 c. purple cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, finely shredded

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 c. chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, mint and/or basil - use your fave combination or use all three)

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced

1/4 c. coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 small minced garlic clove

2-3 c. shredded rotisserie chicken or small diced grilled chicken breasts

Prepare the dressing: in a small jar, place the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and minced garlic. Shake to combine. Prep all the vegetables and herbs and combine in a large bowl; pour the dressing over and gently toss. Add the chicken and peanuts and toss to combine. Add salt to taste. Makes 4-6 main servings.

I marinaded my 3 boneless chicken breasts in this mixture for several hours in the frig before grilling and then small dicing for the salad: thai chili sauce, lime juice, sriracha, soy sauce, a little sugar, garlic and ginger.