Peanutty-Lime Noodle Salad with Chicken
Please, please make this for dinner tonight!!
It’s quite possibly my most favorite thing that I’ve made lately!
And… you don’t need to turn on the oven!!
I’ve uttered the magic words, haven’t I? With the majority of the country suffering through a massive heatwave, light, cool and easy-to-prepare one-bowl meals that don’t skimp a bit on flavor are the way to go!
And that’s exactly what this Peanutty-Lime Noodle Salad with Chicken is.
It’s chock-full of crisp, refreshing veggies, tender thin spaghetti and shredded chicken all coated in the most addictive peanut-lime sauce. Honestly, it’s so good you could drink it (and by all means do so if you think it’ll cool you down.)
It’s also extremely versatile—here I’ve used carrots, red cabbage, radishes, cucumber and scallions but this would be great with any number of veggies, like broccoli, peas, zucchini, red pepper—whatever you have on hand and love (or want to use up, lol!)
I promise you’re going to love it!!
Stay cool, my friends!!
Peanutty-Lime Noodle Salad with Chicken
Makes at least 6 very generous servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the peanutty-lime sauce
½ cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup very hot water
The juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Couple of shakes of garlic powder
For the noodle salad
8 ounces thin spaghetti (or any noodles you prefer)
1 large carrot, julienned
½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced
4-5 radishes, thinly sliced
½ English cucumber, chopped into bite-sized cubes
2 cooked, boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded (or the equivalent—you could use a rotisserie chicken for this or just roast a couple of chicken breasts)
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts
2-3 scallions, chopped
The Recipe
1. For the peanutty-lime sauce: Place all of the ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. To make the noodle salad: Boil the thin spaghetti in a large pot of salted water for about 6 minutes, until al dente. Drain in a colander and run cold water over the pasta to bring it to room temperature. Drain again and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add in the carrot, cabbage, radishes, cucumber, chicken and peanut sauce and toss well so that everything gets coated with the sauce. Garnish with the peanuts and scallions and serve.
4. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Uncomplicated by Claire Tansey. I tinkered a lot with this—subbed in and out different veggies and switched proportions. Also left out the fresh ginger from the peanut sauce and cut down on the hot sauce. This is really just a guide. The salad would be great without the chicken too.
