In the mood for a salad with lots of flavors? Then how about peanut sauce soaked Asian chicken noodle salad? This salad has a bunch of ingredients that go together so well, not only are the flavors amazing, but the textures of each ingredient makes this a joy to eat.
Peanut sauce soaked Asian chicken noodle salad is bound to be a crowd pleaser, it’s terribly tasty, and you will love it too. Why? Well, you can prepare so many of the ingredients in advance. The chicken can be sautéd with salt, pepper and onion powder ahead of time, and refrigerated until ready for use. You can also zap the peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and store in the fridge alongside the chicken. All that is left to do is to prepare the vegetables and noodles. I would avoid preparing the vegetables too early as the corn will begin to brown once cooked and the cabbage will wilt.
I use smooth peanut butter in this recipe. You may remember that I prefer my peanut butter to consist of peanuts – that’s it! No additives, such as sugar or oils. But if all you have is a commercially mass produced peanut butter, no fear, ignore my peanut butter snobbery, that will do the trick nicely. Although, you may need a little more peanut butter to get your peanut sauce to the right consistency – similar to heavy cream. For that crunch factor, I added whole roasted unsalted peanuts, just a few not too many.
No need to fret about getting it in front of your guests while it’s hot, this salad can be served at any temperature, just hold off on adding the peanut sauce until ready to serve, as I did. You can add the peanut sauce and mix it up so that it coats the noodles more if you’re planning on serving immediately, it’s your choice.
However you serve this delightful salad you and your guests are in for a treat – enjoy!
Peanut Sauce Soaked Asian Chicken Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 -2 tbsp hot water
Salad Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs cut into thin strips
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby corn halved lengthways
- 6 oz wheat noodles
- 4-6 cups water
- 2 cups red cabbage sliced thin
- 2 1/2 chives chopped
- 2 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts
Equipment & Utensils
- Large sauté pan
- Blender or food processor
- Medium saucepan
- Colander
- Large mixing bowl
Instructions
Peanut Sauce Instructions
- Place soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and garlic into blender or food processor and process on a medium speed. While sauce is still processing add 1 or 2 tbsp of hot water until you arrive at a consistency similar to heavy cream, then set aside.
- Season chicken strips with salt, pepper and onion powder.
- Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in sauté pan and add seasoned chicken once oil is hot.
- Sauté until water begins to release from chicken.
- Drain water from sauté pan and return to heat.
- Sauté chicken until a little golden.
- Avoid overcooking as this will result in very dry chicken.
- Once chicken is cooked, set aside in a covered bowl or container to keep chicken moist.
- Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in sauté pan, once hot, add baby corn and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove corn from pan and set aside.
- Heat approx. 4-6 cups of water until boiling
- Carefully add noodles into hot water and lower heat to medium.
- Simmer for approx. 6 minutes or until noodles are soft to bite.
- Drain noodles in a colander and rinse under cold water, until noodles are cool, then allow to drain.
- Dab noodles with a paper towel to remove excess water then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add, chicken, corn, cabbage, chives and peanuts and toss until ingredients combined.
- Add peanut sauce and toss, then serve immediately.
