Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Lean and Green Recipes for Medifast

Yesterday was one of those days when the fastest way to get dinner done was to pick up pre-made rotisserie chicken at the store for my family.  We never finish an entire chicken in one meal so naturally I had to do something with the leftovers.  I picked a Vietnamese favorite of mine -- Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad.

This is very easy to make.  There's no cooking involved unless you don't have rotisserie chicken leftovers like I do.  In fact if you're still on the diet mode, the fat-burning state, just take about 1 lb of boneless chicken breast in a sauce pan, add enough water to cover the chicken by about 1/2 inch and boil for 10-15 minutes.  This way, you can control the ingredients in your chicken.

I'm on maintenance mode so I allow myself some carrots and onion but if you're still on diet mode, you can skip those.  It does not affect the overall enjoyment of this dish.  You will hardly notice the carrots missing.  I actually just add that to put some color to my dish.  The onion gives it a little more but because this is not allowed in the diet, just skip it.

On a hot day like yesterday, this was perfect.  No cooking necessary.  This dish can be served cold or at room temperature.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp sweet leaf (or other sugar substitute equivalent to 1 tbsp of sugar)
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced onions (maintenance mode only)
1/4 cup fresh mint or cilantro
2 cups shredded cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrots (maintenance mode only)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sweet leaf (sugar), and pepper to make your dressing.  Mix until sweet leaf is dissolved.  If using onion, add this to the dressing and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes but not more than about 30.
2. In another bowl, combine mint, cabbage and carrots.
3. When ready to serve, add dressing mixed in #1, veggies in #2 and shredded chicken.  Toss to coat everything well.  Enjoy.