Gỏi Gà Bắp Chuối (Banana Blossom Chicken Salad)
A crisp Vietnamese chicken salad with banana flower, herbs, peanuts, and a balanced fish sauce dressing.
Jump to recipe ↓
55 mintotal
45 min hands-on10 min hands-off
Prep 25 min · Cook 20 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
Ingredients
Quantities are for 2 servings.
You'll need: Stovetop.
Includes 10 minutes of soaking sliced banana flower.
Method
Soak the sliced banana flower in water with part of the lemon juice while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Poach the chicken breast gently in water with the measured salt until fully cooked through. Let it cool slightly, then shred it.
Drain the banana flower well and squeeze gently to remove excess water.
Mix the fish sauce, remaining lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and chili until the sugar dissolves.
Toss the shredded chicken, banana flower, carrot, onion, mint, and coriander with the dressing.
Let the salad stand briefly so the dressing lightly seasons the vegetables, then finish with crushed peanuts.
How to tell it's done
The salad should be crisp, lightly juicy, and herb-forward, with tender shredded chicken and crunchy peanuts.
Getting it right
Tip
Keep the sliced banana flower in lemon water to reduce browning and keep the texture crisp.
What to serve it with
Serve as a light lunch salad or as a shared starter with plain rice crackers if available.
Common mistakes
- The banana flower turns brown and bitter.
- Get it into the acidulated water the moment it is sliced, and leave it there while you work. Banana blossom oxidises faster than apple and the discolouration brings astringency with it.
- The salad is watery.
- Squeeze the soaked banana flower properly dry before it goes in the bowl. It holds a surprising amount of the soaking water, and it will release all of it into the dressing.
Substitutions
- Banana Flower should not be replaced with cabbage if the dish identity must remain Gỏi Gà Bắp Chuối.
- Boneless Chicken can replace chicken breast if a slightly richer texture is preferred.
- Omit peanuts only for peanut-free serving; the salad will lose crunch and nutty flavor.
- Fish sauce is central to the dressing and must remain allergen-flagged.
Storing and reheating
Best within a couple of hours. Poached chicken keeps two days and prepared banana flower a day in fresh acidulated water. Once dressed, the flower softens and the herbs darken by the next morning.
More Vietnamese recipes to cook
Gỏi Ngó Sen (Vietnamese Lotus Stem Prawn Salad)
A fresh Vietnamese lotus stem salad with prawns, pork, herbs, fish-sauce lime dressing, and roasted peanuts.
Gỏi Đu Đủ (Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad)
A crunchy Vietnamese green papaya salad with prawns, pork, herbs, fish-sauce lime dressing, and roasted peanuts.
Gỏi Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad)
A fresh Vietnamese chicken cabbage salad tossed with herbs, lime, fish sauce, chilli, and crushed peanuts.
Canh Chua Cá (Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup)
A light Vietnamese tamarind-sour fish soup with pineapple, tomato, okra, herbs, and a clean savory broth.
Chả Cá Lã Vọng (Hanoi Turmeric Fish with Dill)
A Hanoi-style turmeric fish dish with dill, spring onion greens, rice vermicelli, herbs, and crushed peanuts.
Chả Giò (Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls)
Crispy Vietnamese fried spring rolls filled with pork, prawns, glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, and herbs.