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Monday, January 10, 2011

Cold Chicken Noodle Salad

I happen to think that Asians know more about flavors and how to combine them than just about anyone. There are not too many Asian dishes that I don’t love.

This is a delicious salad and the combination of the sesame oil, lime juice and rice vinegar is the secret to its great taste. I made a big bowl and will take it to work for lunch. Packing your lunch is the easiest way to control your calories so I will be into brown bagging it for awhile.

Instead of the rotisserie chicken, I used chicken slices and cooked them on my indoor grill. You can use any meat or seafood including leftovers.

You can also add a variety of vegetables to this recipe. In this case, I topped mine with some scallions and bean sprouts.

I used Asian Wide Lo Mein Noodles made from wheat flour because I had them on hand.

That’s what I love about this recipe – you can put just about anything in it and it will taste great!

Bon Appetit!


Cold Chicken Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Coarse salt and ground pepper

8 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges, for serving

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced

1 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente; drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together oils, lime juice, and vinegar; season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.

Add bell peppers, basil, cucumber, chicken, and noodles to bowl; toss with dressing. Serve noodle salad with lime wedges.