Chilled Chicken Noodle Salad (Printable)

Cold noodles tossed with chicken, fresh veggies, and a savory sesame dressing for warm days.

# What You Need:

→ Noodles & Protein

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

# How-To Steps:

01 - Prepare noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken, cooked noodles, carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, spring onions, and cilantro.
03 - Whisk together toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes until smooth.
04 - Pour dressing over salad and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Transfer to serving dishes. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and add lime wedges if desired.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate up to two hours before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under forty minutes but tastes like you spent all afternoon tending to it.
  • The sesame dressing is addictive enough that you'll find yourself making extra just to keep in the fridge.
  • It's the rare salad that actually tastes better the next day as flavors settle and mingle.
02 -
  • Rinsing the noodles in cold water stops the cooking and keeps them from turning into a clump—this step isn't optional, it's essential.
  • Deseeding the cucumber sounds fussy until you realize it's the difference between a crisp salad and a soggy one by the time you eat it.
  • The dressing will taste slightly too strong when you first taste it straight from the bowl, but it softens beautifully once it coats everything and sits for a few minutes.
03 -
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for about two minutes—the moment they start to pop and smell nutty, they're done, and the difference between this and store-bought already-toasted is worth the tiny bit of effort.
  • If you're making this ahead for a gathering, keep the dressing separate and toss everything together no more than an hour before serving, so the vegetables stay snappy and the noodles don't turn into paste.
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