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1
Place the chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and add enough water just to cover.
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2
Add 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar, and the reserved cilantro stems and bring just to a boil.
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3
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
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4
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to sit in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes.
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5
Remove the chicken from the liquid and allow it to cool completely.
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6
Transfer the chicken to an airtight container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
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7
In a non-reactive bowl combine the remaining lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, the sugar, chiles, garlic, red pepper, and wasabi, if using, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
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8
In a large bowl combine the cilantro leaves, onion, cabbage, carrots, mint leaves, and Thai basil leaves and toss to combine.
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9
Add 1/3 of the lime-chile mixture and toss.
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10
Let stand for 10 minutes, refrigerated, before serving.
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11
Divide the salad evenly among 4 plates.
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12
Thinly slice the chicken breasts against the grain and divide evenly among the top of the salads.
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13
Garnish with the scallions, peanuts and crispy shallots and serve immediately, with the remaining lime-chile sauce on the side for dressing salads, to taste.
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14
Preheat the peanut oil to 360 degrees F. Add the sliced shallots, in batches, and fry until golden brown and crispy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
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15
Remove the shallots using a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer to paper towels to drain.
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16
Season with salt to taste.
