Beloved chicken salad gets a spicy-funky upgrade thanks to the Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham. Lime juice, fish sauce, alliums, and a flash of heat from bird’s-eye chile are slightly mellowed with a big dollop of mayo. Fold in pulled chicken (a rotisserie bird is ideal, but if you’d rather poach chicken breasts, be our guest) and dinner’s done.
This just-creamy-enough chicken salad is great as a large salad or in lettuce cups, topped with tender herbs and a handful of fried shallots, but that’s only the beginning. Try it on slices of sourdough, alongside cold soba noodles and crunchy veg, or over warm rice with half an avocado. Just make sure to save leftovers for tomorrow’s work lunch to scoop up with your favorite crackers.
More great chicken salads this way: Summer Goddess Chicken Salad; Bob's Chicken and Cabbage Salad; and Fiery Red Curry Chicken Salad.
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk ¼ cup fresh lime juice, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Mix in 1 large shallot, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, and 1 small red Thai chile, very thinly sliced, or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. Let dressing sit at room temperature at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld and aromatics to soften slightly or cover and chill up to 2 hours.
Step 2
Add 3–4 cups shredded skinless chicken meat (from about 1 small rotisserie chicken) to dressing and toss to coat. Taste and add more fish sauce if needed.
Step 3
Arrange Little Gem and/or butter lettuce leaves on a platter and spoon chicken salad over. Top with mint and/or basil leaves and store-bought fried shallots. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Do Ahead: Chicken salad can be made 4 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.
