This is one of my all-time favorite salads. It’s refreshing and light, but bursting with punchy flavors of lemongrass and fish sauce, and the sweet, caramel tones of coconut sugar. The dressing works so well as a marinade that the chicken requires no marinating time at all, miraculously absorbing the citrusy zing while it cooks.

　　If you can source a good-quality lemongrass paste to keep on standby in the fridge, then this salad dressing/marinade combo will be your savior in the kitchen. Equally welcome is real-deal lemongrass, of course, which will add a lovely freshness to the salad if you can find some.

　　This salad is so versatile that it works beautifully with other hero ingredients, too; you could use any leftover roast chicken you have in the fridge. You can skip the marinade part, but add more dressing to the salad to boost the flavor.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘A Splash of Soy’ by Lara Lee, one of our top cookbooks of 2023. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Fish Sauce

　　$15 At Amazon

　　Dried Rice Vermicelli Noodles

　　$11 At Amazon

　　Coconut Oil

　　$12 At Amazon

　　

Ingredients

Serves 2

　　10 oz. chicken tenderloins

　　1 recipe Fragrant Lemongrass and Lime Dressing, divided

　　1 tsp. fish sauce

　　4 oz. dried rice vermicelli noodles

　　Flavorless oil (such as canola) or coconut oil

　　½ medium-heat red chile, sliced diagonally (seed if you prefer less heat)

　　Small handful of mixed tender herbs, such as cilantro, mint and/or Thai basil leaves

　　6 tender lettuce leaves, such as hearts of romaine

　　½ carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

　　4 ½-inch piece English cucumber, quartered lengthways and sliced

　　¾ cup bean sprouts

　　

Step 1

Put the chicken tenderloins in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing and the fish sauce. Massage them into the chicken and set aside. Reserve the remaining dressing for the salad.

　　

Step 2

Boil a kettle and soak the vermicelli noodles following the package instructions. Drain and run under cold water.

　　

Step 3

Heat a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and cook the chicken for 4 minutes on one side. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes on the other side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices on an angle and set aside.

　　

Step 4

Put the vermicelli noodles in 2 serving bowls. Neatly arrange the slices of chicken, chile, herbs, lettuce, carrot, cucumber and bean sprouts next to each other. Serve with the dressing in a small bowl on the side, to drizzle over.

　　Excerpted from A Splash of Soy by Lara Lee. Text © Lara Lee, 2023. Photos © Louise Hagger, 2023. Reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury USA. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bloomsbury.