I adore a Vietnamese-inspired chicken and cabbage salad with lots of fresh herbs, julienned carrots and lime. I took inspiration for this one from @theurbanposer, but changed it up to make it Whole30 compliant.

Since sugar is part of what makes the salad dressing so tasty, removing it can make it come together in a different way and lose its balance. The trick is inventing something delicious without sacrificing taste. There is a wonderful paleo dipping sauce for Shumai, by @iheartumami.ny. I’ve discovered it’s spectacular as a paleo sauce on anything Asian and we used it as dressing for this salad. I also used my favorite daily roasted chicken recipe to enhance the flavor of this salad.

This was great for the weekend, as we made a large salad, but kept it in the refrigerator in individual bags, removing and tossing in dressing as needed.

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[recipe title=”Whole30 Vietnamese-inspired Chicken Cabbage Salad” print=”true” ]

  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
  • 1 small head Savoy Cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup julienned carrots
  • 6-7 green (spring) onions, thinly sliced long ways
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • Dressing (see below)

(Note: If you have a strong dislike for any of the above herbs, feel free to remove)

Roast 2 chicken breasts (recipe here). Then shred.

Place all the ingredients above, along with the shredded chicken in a bowl. Pour dressing over salad. Toss and serve.

Dressing

  • 2 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp hot sauce (Whole30 compliant, I used Tessemae’s)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger

In a mason jar, combine all dressing ingredients and shack to mix well.

(Note: I absolutely love this Whole30 dressing recipe, but if sugar is not an issue, add some sprinkles to taste)

[/recipe]