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Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple and a contributing editor at Southern Living. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has spent more than 20 years writing about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, Coastal Living, Airbnb, and The Kitchn. Elizabeth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and now lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
updated May 3, 2019
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This savory-yet- light dinner is all we want to eat when the temperatures rise but dinner still needs to be satisfying.
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We don’t need any reminders that there’s a serious heat wave washing over much of the country right now. How about I just give you something cool to serve for supper?
Cold may be a strong word to use for this dish — it’s really more room temperature if you serve it right away, but it tastes great leftover, straight out of the fridge, so change the name as you wish. Chilly Peanut Sesame Noodles just didn’t sound quite right to me.
I’ve seen a few versions of this dish lately; most contain sesame oil for that distinct, toasted flavor. Not all of them, however, have peanut butter — which is one ingredient I really love. It makes the noodles a little sticky, especially when they are really cold, but I prefer a hearty peanut flavor mixed in with the scallions and Asian ingredients.
I also like to keep the vegetables simple: chopped scallions and cucumber sliced into tiny, thin matchsticks. You could add carrots or maybe some crunchy radishes, but don’t go crazy. The noodles are the main event here.
And speaking of noodles, any long, thin variety is fine. Soba would be great, but spaghetti works, too. We used whole-wheat spaghetti because it made eating an entirely too big bowl of noodles seem healthier, but use whatever sounds good to you.
Tester’s Notes
It’s a shame I didn’t make this recipe until August, because it’s the kind of thing I could eat all summer along. What makes this noodle dish sing isn’t its simplicity or savory, toasted flavors (although those are definite high points) — it’s the versatility. I don’t know about you, but versatile recipes go a long way with me.
First choose your noodles. I love the nutty taste of soba noodles and use them just about any chance I get, but you can also use spaghetti or rice noodles. Make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken or swapping it for some crispy tofu. And like Elizabeth mentions, go ahead and add some other crispy veggies, like carrots or radishes, to the noodles.
I first made these noodles as a quick dinner. And while they were amazing, I was a little taken aback by how much better they were for lunch the next day.
– Kelli, August 2015
This savory-yet- light dinner is all we want to eat when the temperatures rise but dinner still needs to be satisfying.
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
- 4 teaspoons
peanut or canola oil, divided
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 1
(1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 pound
spaghetti or soba noodles
- 1
medium English (seedless) cucumber
- 5
scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
- 2 teaspoons
black sesame seeds (toasted white ones would be fine, too)
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons
peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons
sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons
soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon
sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
Instructions
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic and ginger for about 2 minutes, then remove and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, increase the heat slightly, and add the chicken breasts. Cook until golden on each side, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti or soba noodles according to the package directions. While it cooks, peel the cucumber and slice into thin strips about 4 inches long. The strips can be any thickness you like.
In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce, plus the garlic and ginger. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Add to the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat. Add the cucumber, scallions, and sesame seeds.
Slice the cooled chicken into thin, diagonal strips and place on top of the noodles on each plate.
Recipe Notes
- If you use regular peanut butter, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the sauce, as non-natural peanut butter contains sugar.
This recipe has been updated — first published June 2008.
Filed in:
asian
budget
Chicken
dinner
easy
Healthy Living
