Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Fresh, bright and full of crunchy greens and fragrant herbs, this is not your deli counter’s chicken salad. Take a short cut and use shredded meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or roast your own local bird). Instead of mayonnaise, toss it all in a punchy Vietnamese-inspired lime and fish sauce dressing. A mandoline makes for consistently thin shallot slices—some are soaked in ice water to tone down their sharpness, and the rest are fried for a crispy garnish. The resulting flavor-infused frying oil is used in the dressing, plus you’ll have extra to store in the refrigerator for future use.

Serves 6

FOR THE SALAD:
6 shallots, very thinly sliced
1½ cups neutral oil, such as grapeseed, canola or sunflower
½ head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (4 cups)
½ bunch lacinato kale, stems discarded and leaves thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 rotisserie chicken, bones discarded and meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
½ cup torn mint leaves
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

FOR THE DRESSING:
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons reserved shallot oil
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place about ⅓ of the sliced shallots in a bowl of ice water and set aside. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining shallots and 1½ cups oil. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until the oil begins tobubble. Once it’s bubbling rapidly, keep a close watch and continue to stir with a fork. It takes about 8–10 minutes for the shallots to become nicely browned and crispy, but they can go from perfectly golden to burnt in a matter of seconds! Stir often. When they become mostly golden brown all over, carefully pour into a strainer set over a bowl to drain, then transfer shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Once cool, reserve 3 tablespoons of the oil for the dressing. Reserve the rest for another use.

Drain the raw shallots that have been soaking in ice water and pat dry with a clean towel. Add them to a large bowl along with the sliced Napa cabbage, kale, shredded chicken, cilantro and mint.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over chicken mixture and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature garnished with the fried shallots and chopped peanuts.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2023 issue as part of a larger story on Fall Potlucks.