Vietnamese Cabbage Salad with Chicken and Cilantro

Ingredients

• 3-4 drops hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic
• 2 T sweetener of your choice
• 2 T rice vinegar, not sweetened
• 3 T fresh lime juice
• 2 T fish sauce
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
• 1 red onion, sliced into rings
• 4-8 cups chopped green cabbage
• 1-2 cup sliced radishes
• 1/2 – 1 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk the hot sauce, garlic, sweetener, rice vinegar, lime juice, and fish sauce until you have a smooth dressing. Fish sauce can be very different from bottle to bottle, so if it is new to you, begin with a smaller amount and add more only until the flavor works for you. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to the dressing to taste.
2. Cut the chicken into dice and prepare the red onion, or slice the green onions if using those instead. Put the chicken and onion in a plastic bowl, pour over a generous amount of the dressing, and stir so everything is well coated.
3. Set that aside to marinate for 15 minutes or longer while you chop the cabbage and cilantro and slice the radishes.
4. Just before serving, combine the cabbage, radishes, and cilantro with the chicken, onion, and dressing. Toss well, adding additional dressing until the salad is moistened the way you like it.
5. Serve right away. The dressing can be refrigerated for at least a week, which makes this an easy salad to prepare in advance and toss together when you are ready to eat.