By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- Rating
- 4(205)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This substantial salad makes use of the same dressing, with more rice vinegar, that I used for my sesame noodle salad earlier this week.
Featured in: On Hot Days, Cold Noodles Are a Welcome Choice
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6
- 2cups shredded poached chicken breast (1 whole breast on the bone; see below)
- 9ounces udon or soba
- 1tablespoon dark sesame oil
- ½pound baby bok choy ---blanch until water comes back to boil then slice
- 1Persian cucumber or ⅓ European cucumber, cut in 2-inch julienne
- 1stalk celery, cut in 2-inch julienne
- ½ to 1cup chopped cilantro
- ¼cup chopped scallions
- 1-2 serrano peppers, minced (optional)
- 3tablespoons tahini (a runny variety if possible, available in Middle Eastern markets)
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 to 2teaspoons hot red pepper oil (to taste)
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼cup vegetable or chicken broth or water (more to taste)
For the Dressing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
356 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 502 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To poach the chicken breast, combine 1 quart water with 1 quartered onion, 4 thick slices of ginger, 2 crushed whole garlic cloves and salt to taste in a 2-quart saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts, and bring back to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (it should register 160 on a meat thermometer at the thickest section). Allow the chicken to cool in the broth if there is time. Remove the chicken from the broth when cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin. Remove from the bone and shred, pulling strips of chicken off the top of the breast. Pull with the grain and the meat will come apart naturally. Strain the chicken broth, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, skim off and discard the fat, and freeze the broth in smaller containers or freezer bags.
Step
2
Cook the noodles. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon sesame oil and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step
3
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add salt if desired and add the bok choy. Blanch for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Slice crosswise and add to the noodles. Add the remaining ingredients. Season if desired with salt and pepper.
Step
4
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Toss with the salad and serve, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Advance preparation: The poached chicken will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. The salad can be assembled a day ahead, with or without the dressing. The dressing will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. You may need to thin it out before using.
Ratings
4
out of 5
205
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Cooking Notes
Paige
I added a half dozen multi-colored carrots (orange, yellow, dark red) shredded in the Cuisinart. Cooked the noodles in the chicken broth, and used same broth for dressing. Used brown rice pasta, spaghetti style.
Kathryn
This was very delicious, and actually not very complicated, though I feared that when I read the instructions. I made twice the dressing and served half of it as an extra, which also makes an amazing salad dressing. Would highly recommend.
Carole
Lots of ingredients and steps but worth it. Had turkey cutlets so used those. Worked fine. The serrrano peppers (used 2) added plenty of heat as did the siracha (no red pepper oil available). Great dish on a hot day!
Merle Gilmore
Are used rice noodles and spiralized raw zucchini in place of the udon. Added extra crunch and reduce the carbs. Tasty!
Lori
This was so good! The dressing was delicious as written but I added 1/4 cup of Kewpie mayo because I wanted it a bit creamier. A keeper!
ariel
argh way too much vinegar for my taste
rutabaga2
Vanessa made a version of this
Leanne
I made a few substitutions and omission so that my finicky 13 year old would eat it, which she did. Omitted the chillies, substituted the bok choy with broccoli and voila a meal for all!
Mradha
I didn’t have red pepper oil so added wasabi paste to the dressing. Loved the way it kicked it up a notch.
Rick H.
Excellent. I blanched some snow peas with the bok choy. They made a nice addition to the salad along with the carrots that others have suggested. Although the dressing tasted quite sour, after I mixed it into the salad, I added some lime juice to give the noodles some extra kick. Hot chili oil is key to this dressing. Great addition to a sesame-ginger dressing.
Christa
This was the perfect use for a leftover breast from a roast chicken and very easy to make; used my own homemade chicken stock, which boosted the flavor--I usually make either Sam Sifton's or Mark Bittman's Chinese noodles.
nancie r
Added carrots. Used pre-cooked chicken. Made with a bit less sesame oil, 1/2 tsp chili oil and no Serrano peppers in deference to my heat-shy family. Added a second tbsp soy sauce. Mixed in about 1/2 the dressing and offered the rest as extra on the table. They really liked it & I thought it was pretty tasty too. A really nice alternative to sesame noodles made with peanut butter.
dimmerswitch
1) Takes very little effort to make and delivers very tasty outcome. Even less effort if using leftover roasted chicken breast for 'school night meal' and not poaching 'from scratch'.2) Tahini brand matters here - look for Alwadi or Soom or similar.3) Thought dressing benefitted from a little sweetener - sugar or brown sugar or a little honey.3) Prefer to grate ginger on microplane.4) Prefer water over broth in the option for those ingredients.
Gph
Needed the hot pepper oil and the ginger, I was out. Good, but needed that and the cilantro. Would be good to take on the boat.
quaasam
very nice salad especially on a warm day. Easy and delicious.
Susan
I simplified the first step by poaching the chicken breast in the noodle water, removing it, skimming the liquid, then cooking the noodles. I also used less rice wine vinegar, but more tahini; and I omitted the peppers and hot pepper oil because I don't like things too spicy. Because I'm cooking for one, I tossed the noodles and chicken so the leftovers will keep well, and I'll add fresh veggies each time with extra dressing. Pretty good overall.
Merle Gilmore
Are used rice noodles and spiralized raw zucchini in place of the udon. Added extra crunch and reduce the carbs. Tasty!
marilyn
I used sesame oil instead of tahini. Worked just fine. Added peas too.
Dave in SF
I thought this was good but not great. For all the ingredients and effort it was just meh.....It did make a really nice chicken stock though.
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