Asian Cold Noodles with Chicken and Peanut Butter Sauce

Summer has come early to DC. I’ve been trying to think outside of the box, and find a recipe that doesn’t require an oven. Here is a different and delicious spin on the typical noodle salad. Presented here are crunchy vegetables, creamy dressing, succulent chicken and whole wheat pasta.

The brilliant aspect about this recipe is that there are a multitude of variations. Here, I have used an English cucumber, a red bell pepper and fresh broccoli. There are, however, a variety of vegetables that would work well that I have not used (e.g., yellow or orange bell peppers, sweet onions). In the past, I’ve used snow peas, purple cabbage, bean sprouts and carrots that have offered a richness all their own.

When using broccoli or snow peas, make sure that they are cooked prior to adding them to the main dish. In the boiling water that will be used to cook your pasta, blanch your vegetables. Blanching requires dropping the vegetables into boiling water for a set amount of time — snow peas blanch for about 2 to 3 minutes. The same can be done with the broccoli for about 5 minutes. After blanching, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. If time is an issue for you, slightly over cook your pasta, strain it, and rinse it in cold water. The pasta ceases cooking, is cooler, and the refrigeration time is cut down.

Preparing the sauce
The sauce is the star of this recipe and ends up serving two purposes. It has a very robust flavor that brings out the best in each element of this dish, while also bringing it all together. When using peanut butter one should be aware that some PB’s use more sugar than others.  I was also careful not to add too much bean paste as it can make the sauce hot fairly quickly. If you find that your sauce is too hot, add some additional peanut butter and extra water.

To Complete
Once the sauce is complete, add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, and toss together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

The great thing about this Asian salad is that it contains fresh vegetable that are delicately cooked, chicken for extra protein and whole grain pasta for a well balanced and healthy meal.

Asian Cold Noodles with Chicken and Peanut Butter Sauce

Main Ingredients

1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or a thin pasta (thin spaghetti)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
3 roasted chicken breasts, boned, skinned and shredded
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
3 scallions, chopped

Peanut butter Sauce

1/2  cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
5 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
3-4 tablespoons hot chili bean paste
salt to taste

Combine the peanut butter, peanut oil, garlic, sesame oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and chili paste together; whisk until smooth. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water to cool. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Coat the cooked and cooled pasta with the 2 tablespoons of oil, to keep it from sticking together. Add in the chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions; toss together. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.