Satay Chicken Noodle Salad

 

Back in May, it was my turn again to host my Stampin' Up hostess club. It was already getting hot, so I was looking for something that would be filling but not too hot or heavy.  This Satay Chicken Noodle Salad was just the thing!

Before I share the recipe, I have to go back to March for a minute. A group of my homeschool mom friends got together and went to Mr. Chen's in Montgomery for dinner. My friend, Wei, is Chinese, and she was our "tour guide" for the night. We ordered about six different dishes and shared, family style. After dinner, we walked around the other side of the restaurant, which is an Asian market. It is my new favorite place! It's right next to Faulkner and church, and I have already made a stop there a couple of times when I had a little time to kill. Fascinating! That's where I got my Asian ingredients for this dish. 

I quadrupled my recipe since I was making it for a group. I am giving you the single recipe below. It would serve a family of four.

Satay Chicken Noodle Salad

1/4 c crunchy peanut butter (what I had - you can use smooth)

1 clove finely minced garlic

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

sriracha to taste (I used about a teaspoon)

juice and zest of one lime

6 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

(If you can't find sweet soy sauce, use regular, then double the brown sugar.)

This stuff is WONDERFUL! It's thick and sweet. Kinda like a hoisin sauce. Brack loves this on plain noodles.

Coconut milk is used a lot in Asian cooking. I keep some on hand. It lasts forever!

I mixed it all in a bowl...

then put it in a mason jar and stuck it in the fridge. Shake often to mix. Allow at least a couple of hours in the fridge for flavors to marry.

Mr. Chen's has a whole aisle (both sides) of various noodles. I'm not kidding when I say there are probably over one hundred types of noodles. I love these rice noodles, but if you can't find them, you could use angel hair pasta cooked according to directions.

While I was making my dressing, I brought a big pot of water to a boil. I added the noodles and removed it from the heat where they sat for an hour to soften. Do not boil these. They will fall apart.

Satay Chicken Marinade

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp canola oil

1.5 tsp curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

4 chicken tenders (or two breasts)

  

I've never been a big fan of curry, so I adjusted the amount by half. It's more than enough, and I actually really liked it in this dish. Plus - my kitchen smelled AMAZING!

Mix your marinade in a bowl.

Cut chicken into thin strips on the diagonal.

TIP - It is easier to thinly slice meat when it is still partially frozen. I cut it up when it was halfway thawed then let it continue to thaw.

Add to marinade and let sit while you prepare the salad.

Thinly slice 1/4 a purple cabbage. Slice four green onions on the bias. I used matchstick carrots to make things easier. Use 1/2 a small bag for a regular recipe.

Add one tablespoon of canola to a non-stick pan and heat. Stir fry the chicken in two batches to keep from over-crowding. Add chicken to hot oil and leave it for a couple of minutes to get good color on one side before turning. Chicken will cook fairly quickly - probably less than two minutes per side if sliced thinly enough.

Drain noodles. Since I was not serving the salad immediately (I had to drive to Montgomery), I tossed the noodles with one teaspoon canola oil to keep them from sticking. 

I used a huge stainless bowl that belonged to my grandmother to assemble and serve the salad since I made so much. I layered the noodles, then tossed the cabbage, carrots and green onions before layering them. I topped it with the hot chicken and covered it with plastic wrap.

By the time I got to Montgomery, the hot chicken had wilted the vegetables ever so slightly. I tossed the salad with the dressing and it was ready! I served it at room temp that night but ate leftoevers the next day straight out of the fridge. Delicious both ways! 

This salad is one of my favorite things EVER. I really thought I was going to have to pull off the road on the way to my meeting that night. It smelled that good! You must try this recipe! My kids begged for a taste of the chicken before we left, so that alone tells you something. I plan to make this again soon. I think I'll marinate whole chicken tenders on skewers and then grill them for the kids. Maybe a side of fried rice? Yum!

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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