This slightly spicy chicken noodle salad is a packed-with-flavor, 30 minute, one-dish meal your whole family will love. For more great ideas, check out the Quick Healthy Recipes page.
Main dish salads are one of my go-to meals for the summer. And recipes like this chicken noodle salad is one of my favorites because it can be made in advance (i.e., in the morning when it's cooler...) and it's a one-dish meal with all the carbs, protein, and veggies are included in one bowl.
Refreshing, easy, and made in just 20-30 minutes - yeah, I think you can see why it's one of our standard summer meals!
There are quite a few Asian-type noodle salad recipes out there and I came up with this by combining a number I've used over the years. In addition to being delicious and easy, it's also really flexible- you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand and even change out the chicken for shrimp or other leftover meat.
We just love the combo of a spicy peanut dressing, grilled, rotisserie, or any pre-cooked chicken, and veggies- it's just about perfect on a warm night!
How to Make Spicy Chicken Noodle Salad
The nice thing about pasta dishes like this is that while the noodles are cooking, you can chop the vegetables and chicken, and mix up the spicy peanut dressing, making it quick to put together on weeknights. Especially if you have someone helping chop!
You can add more or less chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha), depending on the hotness you or your family can handle.
And here's one of the benefits I enjoy of menu planning: plan a grilled chicken meal the night before and grill extra for this salad the next day.
Then it's just a matter of mixing the noodles with all the ingredients to serve right away or keep refrigerated until you'd like to serve it (just give it another stir before serving) - voila, an even easier summer meal.
Plus, this is so good I could probably eat this salad once a week. Yu-um.
Note: this recipe mentions skimming peanut oil from the top of your peanut butter to use in recipes like this - here's how and why to save your peanut oil.
Spicy Chicken Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- ½ to ¾ pound linguine or udon, or rice noodles*
- 3 cups sliced cooked chicken about 4 thighs or 2 breasts
- 1½ cups grated carrots about 2 large
- 1 medium sweet onion cut in half and sliced thinly
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin matchstick-sized pieces
- 2 cups other vegetables: thinly sliced celery shredded cabbage, snow peas, corn, etc.
For Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce Sriracha, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil, skimmed from the top of natural peanut butter
For Serving:
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, if you're a cilantro person...
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. When done, drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to cool them before adding the rest of the salad ingredients.
- While the noodles are cooking, chop all the vegetables and meat.
- Make the dressing: Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, honey, ginger, garlic, and oil in a glass measure and whisk until smooth (you can also use a food processor to get the sauce really smooth).
- In a large serving bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with peanuts and chopped parsley or cilantro.
- Makes 8 servings
Notes
Nutrition
Note: this recipe was originally published in 2011 and has been updated with all new photos, formatting, and printable recipe. Enjoy!
Jennifer says
One of my all-time favs! (not just of yours - of all recipes!) I keep the dressing made up in a squeeze bottle and use it for salad dressing or dip for carrots. Tonight it made a super-quick dinner with leftover cooked chicken, chopped carrots and red peppers. All I had to cook was rice noodles. And it's gluten-free! Delicious!
Jami says
Wow, I'm honored Jennifer! I LOVE your idea to keep the dressing in a squeeze bottle - what a great way to have the delicious dressing available for quick meals and snacks. 🙂
DOROTHY says
I discovered this salad last summer and it got me through the hotest days. I introduced my two grown sons to it this year, and now they are fans too. The great thing is that it's never the same twice...the veggies are always changing...and while, I primarily use chicken as the protein, I've also used turkey, pork and even small salad shrimp!
Jami says
This makes me so happy, Dorothy! I totally agree - it's perfect for whatever you happen to have on hand (I've made it with shrimp before and it's a favorite, too).
[email protected] Freshman Cook says
Love this salad! It looks fresh and tasty!
Kim Six says
I love asian pasta salads and this looks so good!
Jami @An Oregon Cottage says
Brenda- Wha-hoo- that's a great price! Glad you're now part of the "Sriracha Club." 😉
Anonymous says
OK, found the Srirachi @ $2.88 plus tax for 17 ounces. That's a $3 a pound food. Way way better than the $7 a pound SunLuck brand. Tastes better too. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Yippee!
xoxo,
brenda from arkansas
Jami @An Oregon Cottage says
Anonymous- Hmmm, I have to agree with Brenda that it is hard to replicate the flavor of chili-garlic sauce. You can try any hot sauce you've got and just taste-test the dressing until you get a spiciness you like.
Brenda- Yes, it is a bit spendy, but my husband LOVES it and so it's not one of the things we let go of. 🙂 You can find it cheaper at Asian markets, plus even with Brian using a LOT of it, it still lasts a long time- probably about 5-6 months at our house. So $3+ a couple times a year is an OK splurge, I think. 😉
Though I found a recipe to make and can the Sriracha sauce, so I'm planning on trying that this year and see what it's like!
Anonymous says
with Anon. On the chili-garlic sauce: I made your Spicy Asian Slaw with Frank's Red Hot the first time - not even close to a substitute, but delicious slaw despite the sub. The next time I gave in and bought the chili-garlic sauce and yes, it is delicious. But, at WallyWorld, it was $3 plus tax for 7 ounces (SunLuck) which was all they had. That becomes a $7 per pound food - a bit pricey. Maybe I could find the brand you use at an Asian market next time I'm in the city, and it would be more economical. ?????
brenda from arkansas
Nicole Feliciano says
Thanks so much for sharing with Momtrends for our Friday Food Linky. Looks amazing and I love how you have loaded this with veggies. Have a great weekend.
Anonymous says
What common ingredient could you substitute for the chili-garlic sauce?
D @ Shady Porch says
We make a similar dish here at our house. It is delish. Now I'm thinking it sounds good for dinner tonight!