This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Thai restaurants in LA — Heng Heng Chicken. In this hacky weeknight version of their amazing chicken zaab, I sub out their crispy fried chicken for easy-to-prep grocery store rotisserie chicken. This recipe comes together super quickly and is really flexible. The combination of fresh herbs, tangy lime juice, and fragrant aromatics is unbeatable — I could eat this every day.
Pair it with fluffy coconut rice for the perfect luxurious weeknight meal.
Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad (using Rotisserie Chicken)
Servings: 4 servings
Inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in LA — Heng Heng Chicken — this chicken salad takes advantage of the great grocery store rotisserie chicken to deliver a meal that contains complex flavors but is simple to make.
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Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
For ginger shallot oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 large shallot (or 1/2 a small onion) finely minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and finely minced
- 1/2 cup neutral oil like grapeseed or similar
For tangy fish sauce dressing
- 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or lemon) from 4-6 limes
- 1/4 cup fish sauce plus more to taste
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1-2 Thai or serrano chilies thin slices
For the salad
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved (and smashed, if you'd like)
- 1/4 cup thai basil* leaves washed well with stems removed
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves washed well with stems removed
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro washed and roughly chopped with stems removed
Instructions
Make the ginger shallot oil
- Add minced aromatics to a medium sized heat proof bowl. Heat neutral oil until just barely starting to smoke, then *carefully* pour it over the aromatics. Be careful! It will sputter and splatter. Mix gently and set aside to cool a bit.2 cloves garlic, 1 large shallot (or 1/2 a small onion), 1 inch fresh ginger, 1/2 cup neutral oil
Make the tangy fish sauce dressing
- Add sugar and boiling water to a medium sized heat proof measuring cup or bowl. Carefully mix to dissolve the sugar completely.2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 1/4 cup boiling water
- Add the lime juice and fish sauce and mix to combine, then add the sliced chilies and onions. Set aside for 15-30 minutes.1/2 red onion, 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or lemon), 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1-2 Thai or serrano chilies
- Taste the sauce and add any fish sauce or lime juice to taste.
Assemble the salad
- If your rotisserie chicken is cold, feel free to warm it up in a steamer or in the microwave. Carefully remove the skin and shred the meat, then add it to a medium sized bowl.1 rotisserie chicken
- Add fresh herbs and tomatoes — you can coarsely tear your mint and basil as you add it, if you'd like, and gently toss to combine.1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup thai basil* leaves, 1 bunch fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- Add half the oil and half the fish sauce mixture and toss to combine. Taste the salad and add additional oil or fish sauce to taste. Serve immediately alongside hot coconut rice.
- Salad is best eaten day-of but can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
* Italian basil, while certainly not traditional, will work here, in a pinch.