A few weeks ago I got a link to this great recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for Thai Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing. The only problem was, I really didn’t want to roast and debone a whole chicken just to make the salad. After tinkering with the ingredients for the dressing a bit, I came up with this modified version that substitutes noodles for some of the chicken:
Thai Chicken Noodle Salad
Serves 4 meal-sized portions
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp peanut butter, smooth or chunky
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ground ginger)
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional, only if you want the heat)
1/2 medium cucumber, cut into 1 inch long 1/4 inch wide matchsticks
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
12 oz. boiled and drained Chinese egg or Japanese soba noodles
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and sautee in a nonstick skillet until cooked through. Shred the meat, and set aside.
Whisk oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes together in a large bowl to make a dressing. Add shredded chicken, chopped vegetables, cilantro and noodles to the bowl, and toss together thoroughly. You can serve the salad immediately or let it chill a bit in the refrigerator before serving.
