Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken
Thai noodle salad is a great starter to a Thai themed meal. This salad is very versatile and any number of ingredients can be used in place of the chicken breast. Some alternatives:
- grilled or smoked chicken breast
- grilled shrimp
- cooked lobster meat
- seared or grilled scallops
- almost any vegetable, ie: blanched broccoli florets, grilled baby bok choy pieces, diced red bell peppers
This salad is very simple to make and can be prepared well in advance. If you plan to prepare this salad in advance, I suggest that you combine everything but the sweet chili sauce and vinegar, and add that at the last minute. Over time, the noodles with absorb all of the liquid, resulting in a dry salad and limp noodles.
PRODUCT TIP:
I used to have to drive to an Asian market in Portland to get specialty ingredients for my Thai recipes. Now I just order them from Amazon. Rice Sticks (Noodles) are common in Asian cuisines, (think Pad-Thai) and are very easy to use. Soak the noodles briefly before cooking…and they cook up in just a few minutes.
Sweet Chili Sauce is another essential ingredient in Asian cooking. Directly from the bottle, it can be used as a dipping sauce for fried spring rolls or dumplings. I like to add some rice vinegar, chopped peanuts and cilantro to kick it up a notch. Mae Ploy is my preferred brand and is much cheaper and better than anything you can buy in your local supermarket.
Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken
Course: AppetizersCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings20
minutes3
minutesIngredients
3 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, green part only
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts (unsalted)
Whole roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
Directions
- Place the rice sticks in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and let sit until the noodles begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Drain off the water.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until just tender and pliable, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain off all excess water from the noodles until they are rather dry, and place them in a large bowl.
- Trim any large pieces of fat, cartilage, or bones from the chicken breasts. Cut the breasts into small dice.
- In a medium-sized sauté pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chopped chicken breasts and cook, stirring constantly until cooked through.
- Place the cooked chicken in with the noodles and add the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and whole roasted peanuts.
