I’ve made different versions of peanut noodles from time to time over the years – some good, some not especially. This one is the best. It’s the ultimate comfort food – peanutty and soy saucey and pasta, I mean come on: what more do you want? And you can also do lots of variations on it: add more vegetables or a couple of handfuls of coleslaw lettuce if you want to make it lighter; add chili sauce to the dressing if you want it spicy; throw in chow mein noodles if you want some crunch. All good.
PEANUT NOODLES WITH STIR-FRIED CHICKEN (adapted from this recipe)
What You Need:
- 1 package linguine
- Olive oil
- 1 package chicken tenders
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 seedless cucumbers, peeled and thinly shaved into ribbons
- 3 carrots, peeled and thinly shaved into ribbons
- 1 large handful cilantro, roughly choppped
For The Dressing:
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- Approx 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
What You Do:
- Cook linguine according to package directions; drain, dress with olive oil to loosen and set in refrigerator to cool.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, preheat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, then add the chicken tenders and onion. Shake over garlic powder and saute until chicken is cooked through and onion is translucent. Remove from heat and place in refrigerator to cool, then shred chicken. (You can also use precooked rotisserie chicken and just shred that if you want to skip this step, but I like doing this.)
- In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, adding more water as necessary until you achieve the desired texture.
- Combine noodles, shredded chicken, shaved vegetables and cilantro in a bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Serve chilled.
