Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad

Sometimes when it’s hot, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. It’s on those occasions that I turn on the grill. Yes, I know the grill is an open flame and so also quite hot, but at least I’m outside. Still, sometimes grilling up a piece of chicken or beef just isn’t enough. Sometimes on those warm evenings all I want is a salad. I’ve never been a fan of a plain, green salad though. I’m a carnivore so I prefer my salad to have meat. I don’t care if it’s steak or chicken, as long as there’s a grilled protein on top, I’m happy and I have a delicious dinner.

America’s Test Kitchen must know me pretty well because they provided me with this Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad which gave me everything I desire. See, this salad doesn’t just have greens and grilled chicken, it has noodles too. So, it really is the perfect meal. You get vegetables, proteins and grains. The only thing missing is sugars and oils, but thanks to the sweet dressing, you get those as well.

It’s the dressing and marinade that make this salad. Don’t worry you don’t have to make 2 different sauces. As a busy cook and mother I like simple. See, the same marinade is used for the salad dressing; just make sure you split it into bowls, one to marinate the raw chicken and another to dress the salad. (You don’t want salmonella, right?) This simple dressing of fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and garlic gives the salad a nice, sweet flavor while keeping the chicken super moist.

Moist chicken is very important to me. I don’t know about you, but I hate it when chicken is dry. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot off the grill or cold out of the fridge, it needs to be moist.  Moist chicken just tastes better, and when chicken tastes better I (and my children) are more likely to eat it. The key to getting moist chicken is not overcooking it. But you can also achieve tender, juicy chicken by marinating it. The juices and liquids from the marinade seep into the meat tenderizing it while filling it with flavor. I try to marinate my chicken as often as I can not just because it adds those wonderful flavors but because the cooked meat tends to slice easily and melt in my mouth.

While I tend to use soy sauce or olive oil for my marinades, this dish called for fish sauce. Yes, there’s also sugar, lime juice and garlic, but the fish sauce is the key to this marinade. It gives the whole dish a distinct Asian flavor that’s delicious and doesn’t require you to order take out.

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons fish sauce
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 5 tablespoons water
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 8 ounces rice vermicelli
• 2 baby gems, leaves torn
• 1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

Directions:

1. Whisk together the first six ingredients (through the water) in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour half the marinade into a pitcher and set aside. Add the chicken things to the remaining fish sauce mixture in the bowl and turn to coat.
2. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to 350°F.
3. Prepare the vermicelli according to the package directions, drain and rinse with cold water until the vermicelli is cooled. Drain well and set aside.
4. Divide the torn baby gems among four bowls and top with the vermicelli.
5. Oil the grill grates and grill the chicken until lightly charred on the outside and a thermometer registers 165°, about 5 minutes per side. Let rest for about 5 minutes, then slice the chicken crosswise into strips. Place the chicken on top of the prepared vermicelli bowls, sprinkle with sliced almonds and serve with the dressing.