Chilled Chicken Noodle Salad (Printer View)

Tender chicken, crisp veggies, and sesame dressing blend in a cool noodle dish perfect for warm days.

# What you'll need:

→ Noodles & Protein

01 - 9 oz thin egg noodles or rice noodles
02 - 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (10 oz)

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
04 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 1 cucumber, deseeded and julienned
06 - 2 spring onions, sliced
07 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Sesame Dressing

08 - 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
09 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
10 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
11 - 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
12 - 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter or tahini
13 - 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
14 - 1 garlic clove, minced
15 - 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
17 - Lime wedges (optional)

# Method:

01 - Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken, cooked noodles, carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, spring onions, and cilantro thoroughly.
03 - Whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes in a small bowl until smooth.
04 - Pour the dressing over the combined salad ingredients and toss until evenly coated.
05 - Transfer to serving dishes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges if desired.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 35 minutes, which means dinner can be on the table before the heat of the day even peaks.
  • The sesame dressing is bold enough to make you feel like you're eating something special, but the whole salad feels light and refreshing rather than heavy.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, so you can make it ahead for busy weekdays without any regret.
02 -
  • Rinsing the cooked noodles is the difference between a salad that stays fresh and crisp versus one that becomes a clumpy mess within an hour.
  • Don't dress the salad more than 2 hours in advance, because even with rinsed noodles, they'll eventually absorb too much liquid and the vegetables will start to wilt.
  • The quality of your sesame oil matters enormously—a cheap bottle will taste flat and almost rancid, while a good one tastes nutty and makes people ask what you put in the dressing.
03 -
  • Buy pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it yourself—it's a massive time-saver and tastes every bit as good as cooking chicken breasts at home.
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes before using them as garnish; the difference between raw and toasted is the difference between a good salad and an unforgettable one.
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