A good homemade Vietnamese chicken salad will not only leave you satisfied, but it'll keep you healthy at the same time. Here's how to make this great dish.

Few things are better than a beautifully constructed, perfectly dressed Vietnamese chicken salad.

And while that fresh and vibrant flavor might seem complex, it is actually very simple and easy to put together.

Take the Vietnamese chicken noodle salad out of the restaurant and into your home kitchen with this quick and easy recipe.

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How do you make a good Vietnamese-style salad? Let's find out.

A good Vietnamese salad will make you forget that you're eating something healthy because it's just so delicious. With a strange yet vibrant combination of rich saltiness and the fragrance and freshness of lemon and herbs, it's all about getting the dressing and balance right, and that's what we're here to help with.

What do you need to make a good Vietnamese chicken salad?

• A sharp knife
• Chopping board
• A big mixing bowl
• Pot
• Strainer
• A medium jar
• Pan
• Steamer; or:
• Large pot
• Metal strainer
• Lid
• Baking paper
• Measuring equipment

Try not to worry about making things that seem a bit out of your comfort zone. Instead, give things a try, and you'll find that cooking is far easier than it seems.

Few dishes are as straight forward as a salad, but with the right ingredients, you will be able to elevate this dish to the next level. With the right dressing, the right vegetables and the right noodles, this tasty treat almost prepares itself!

Here are the ingredients for Vietnamese chicken noodle salad:

• Rice noodles, 10 ounces
  
• 2 carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red bell pepper
• Half a green or red cabbage
• Bundle of mint
• Bundle of coriander / cilantro
• Chicken breast, half a pound
• Salt
• Pepper
• Peanuts
• Dressing:
• Fish sauce, 2 tablespoons
• Lemon or lime juice, 4 tbsp
• Rapeseed oil, 2 tbsp
• 1 bird's-eye chili
• Thumb of ginger

The process of making a Vietnamese chicken salad is anything but complex. Instead, it is a simple matter of preparing your chicken and chucking your salad together. Where things get a little bit more complicated, of course, is with the rice noodles, which many people find hard to prepare without them getting overcooked, sticky, and hard to deal with.

Step 1: Fill a pot with water, lightly salt the water, and bring it to a rolling boil on the stove top. In the meantime, soak your rice noodles in tap water for at least five minutes.

Step 2: Peel and prepare all of your vegetables (carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, cabbage), either dicing them (recommended for the cabbage) or cutting them julienne style.

Step 3: Once the water is a full rolling boil, drain your noodles and drop them into the pot. Cook for only 3 minutes, unless otherwise specified on the package, and then strain it under running cold water to immediately stop the cooking process, while mixing it to keep it loose.

Step 4: Arrange your ingredients as you like them, placing the noodles on the bottom and then the other vegetables on top.

Step 5: Set up your steamer and bring it up to temperature. Alternatively, place about one or two inches of water at the bottom of a pot, bring it to the boil, then place a metal strainer over it and cover the top with a lid to trap the steam in.

Step 6: Season your chicken with salt and pepper and place it into the steamer, closing the lid after it. Steam for about ten minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Step 7: Take out your chicken and let it rest. In the meantime, place your peanuts into a pan with some salt and lightly toast them until they are golden, and a little bit browned.

Step 8: Prepare your dressing by slicing up the chili and ginger as fine as you can, and then putting all the ingredients in a jar. Close the jar and give it a good shake.

Step 9: Slice your chicken and place it on top of the salad. Season the salad with your dressing and then garnish it with the roasted peanuts and a bunch of mint and coriander.

This is an incredibly easy but also delicious salad that you can be slapped together easily in half an hour or less. It's healthy, tasty, fresh, and will keep everyone happy.

If you want to make your Vietnamese salad vegetarian, it is pretty straight forward – replace or just remove the chicken. Replacing the fish sauce is a bit trickier, so we would recommend going for a different dressing, such as one that's based on peanuts.

Everything else stays the same. Well-seasoned tofu that has been lightly fried in some sesame oil can be absolutely delicious, and a great alternative.

Vietnamese chicken salad is all about being fresh, not about being traditional. As a result, you should feel free to experiment with it in any way that you think would be good. One area of experimentation that could be particularly effective is in the salad dressing.

Alternative dressings for Vietnamese chicken salad:

• Soy sauce, honey, lime juice, canola oil
• Roasted sesame seeds (puréed into a paste), rice vinegar, shoyu, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil
• Satay sauce, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice
• Green shallots, ginger, sesame oil, sea salt
• Sweet soy sauce, ginger, coriander, garlic, brown sugar, chili, chicken stock

Of course, if you are looking for vegetarian or vegan options for your Vietnamese salad, simply choose a dressing with no animal products involved.

There's something incredibly satisfying about the crunch of the cabbage mixed with the delicacy of the noodles and the richness of the chicken. Combined with that tangy and slightly spicy dressing, and the plethora of mint and coriander piled on top of the salad, a good Vietnamese chicken salad has something that is guaranteed to appeal to everybody.

Be creative, though, as a salad like this doesn't need to be super down-the-lines when it comes to the ingredients and proportions. Try out different proteins, different vegetables, and different flavors – keep it healthy, but also interesting!