- 4
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch long), sliced
- 6 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine vinegar
- 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or 3/4 pound dried vermicelli
- 2 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tsp. Chinese chili paste with garlic, or more to taste
- 2 Tbsp. sugar, or more to taste
- 1 English (hot house) cucumber, julienned
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 cup julienned scallions (white and tender green parts)
Preparation
Step 1
Place the chicken in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add the garlic, ginger and 4 Tbsp. of the rice vinegar. Bring just a boil, lower the heat and poach the chicken in barely simmering water until firm and white throughout, about 15 minutes. Cool in the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions until tender but firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes for fresh, about 5 minutes for dried. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with 1 Tbsp. of the sesame oil.
In a blender, combine the peanut butter with 1/2 cup of the chicken-cooking liquid. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, the remaining 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, the soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. of the chili paste and sugar. Blend well. Dip a noodle in the sauce to taste for seasoning, and add more chili paste, soy sauce or vinegar as desired.
Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and julienne. (The chicken, noodles and dressing can be refrigerated in separate containers for several hours at this point. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
Combine the chicken, noodles and dressing in a large salad bowl. Toss well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Arrange the cucumber, carrot and scallions on top and serve.