Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Marinated chicken:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenders

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 lime (juiced)

2 tablespoons tamari sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

Nuac cham sauce:

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 lime (juiced)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup tamari sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 red chili (de-seeded and sliced, or substitute 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha)

1/3 cup cold water

Salad:

7 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

Vegetable oil

2 cups bean sprouts

1 seedless cucumber (julienned)

1/4 head green cabbage (finely julienned)

Mint, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Pickled carrots:

3-4 medium carrots , julienned, not shaved (they get soggy if shaved)

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup white sugar

4 tsp cooking / kosher salt

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken thighs/tenders with your marinade ingredients, and marinate in fridge for 1-2 hours while you prepare the other salad ingredients.

Combine all the nuoc cham sauce ingredients and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved into the sauce. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients if desired.

Boil the rice vermicelli noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Set aside in a colander.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, grill pan, or frying pan over medium high heat. Sear the chicken for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Set aside on a plate.

To assemble the salad, combine the rice noodles with bean sprouts, julienned pickled carrots, julienned cucumber and cabbage, mint, and cilantro. Slice the chicken and add to the salad. Serve with your nuoc cham sauce.

To pickle the carrots:

Pickle – In a large bowl, dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. Stir in vinegar. Add julienned carrots – they should just about be covered.

2 hours – Leave for 2 hours until the vegetables are slightly floppy.

Using – Drain well to use, or just take out what you need (no liquid, just the vegetables).

Storing – The vegetables will keep in the fridge for 2 months, in the pickling liquid. Use airtight glass containers or jars (not plastic).

Nutrition

• Calories: 466 kcal
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
• Trans Fat: 0.04 g
• Cholesterol: 108 mg
• Sodium: 2204 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 68 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 21 g
• Protein: 28 g