Sesame Chicken Cucumber Noodle Salad
This sesame chicken and noodle salad couldn’t be simpler to make. It’s a refreshing dish to serve on a hot summer’s night or bring it to your warm-weather potluck: just toss the salad with the dressing when you’re ready to serve.
Servings: 0
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Chinese egg noodles or other thin noodles or pasta fresh or dried
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
- 2 tablespoons naturally brewed reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Asian chile sauce such as sambal oelek or Sriracha
- 2 heads baby romaine or 1 head regular romaine lettuce
- 1 1/2 lbs. cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and chilled
- 2 medium red bell peppers cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 large English cucumber peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish see Notes
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water and add ice cubes. Cook noodles in boiling water until just tender, 2 to 4 minutes if fresh, about 6 minutes for dry (or according to package directions).
- Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When the noodles are cold, drain well and transfer to a very large bowl. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil and Shaoxing (or sherry) in a bowl until smooth. Add scallions, cilantro, if using, soy sauce and hot sauce, and stir to blend.
- If using baby romaine, half lengthwise, notch out the core, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. If using regular romaine, remove the tougher outer leaves. Halve lengthwise, notch out the core, halve again, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. You should have about 8 cups.
- Add the lettuce, chicken, bell peppers and cucumber to the noodles. Add three-fourths of the dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining dressing if desired.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.
Notes
Recipe By: EatingWell July/August 2012
Serving Size: 12
Yield: 1 1/3 cup per serving
Serving Size: 12
Yield: 1 1/3 cup per serving