Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Sweet Lime-Garlic Dressing (Goi gà)

Serves 6

This refreshing salad is an explosion of colors, textures and tastes! You will experience a symphony of tastes ~ spicy, savory, tart, salty and sweet~ all in one dish!  Short on time? Use a rotisserie chicken from your favorite market.

⅓ cup lime juice, plus lime wedges, to serve

3½ tablespoons fish sauce

1½ teaspoons white sugar

2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated

1 small red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

½ medium head green or red cabbage (14 ounces), cored and shredded (about 4 cups)

4 medium carrots, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a box grater (about 2 cups)

3 medium jalapeño chilies, stemmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn

1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

1½ cups roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1. In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and garlic, until the sugar dissolves. Add the onion and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, cabbage, carrots, chilies, basil and cilantro. Pour on the red onion–dressing mixture and toss. Toss in half of the peanuts, then transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and serve with lime wedges on the side.