Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cashews
It’s been really hot outside and I didn’t want to cook a big heavy meal. I was craving an Asian noodle salad with chicken. I looked through the refrigerator and cupboards to see what I had on hand and found lots of veggies, cashews, and mandarin oranges. I imagined all the flavors combining well so I went in search of a dressing/marinade. I found this one on Epicurious and adapted it just a bit. It turned out so delicious.
I loved the crunchy veggies and nuts with the tender meat and sweet mandarin oranges. My husband, son and I loved this salad. Our daughter couldn’t get enough – she had seconds for dinner and requested the leftovers for lunch the next day. I love it when that happens.
How to Make an Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cashews:
Dressing and Marinade Ingredients:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Recipe adapted from Epicurious
- 6 tbsp of seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp hot chili sauce
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of marinade in a large zip lock bag, add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Set the remainder of dressing/marinade in a sealed container in the refrigerator so flavors can combine.
Chicken and Noodle Salad:
- 1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 green onions, diced finely
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup of shredded carrots
- 1 cup of snow peas, cut in half
- 1 cup of mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup of toasted cashews
- 3/4 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions
Cook the spaghetti per instructions, rinse with cold water and drain.
Add half of the dressing to the noodles and let it sit for 20-30 minutes (this allows the noodles to become very flavorful).
Prepare all the vegetables, set aside.
Grill chicken until cooked thoroughly (about 3-4 minutes on each side), let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing into chunks.
Add the vegetables, cashews, mandarin oranges, chicken, and the remainder of the dressing to the noodles. Stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe – For the Love of Cooking.net
I love almost every food, but The one thing I really dislike is cilantro and it seems it is everywhere these days. It is just too strong to me and overpowers every other ingredient. Is there something I can use in place of it? I love Asian recipes.
Linda,
Try using basil instead of cilantro. Basil works well in Asian cuisine.
Cheers,
Pam
Thanks, made the chicken noodle salad using basil. Great, I loved it.
I made this for a picnic last night and it was absolutely fabulous! I chose to use udon noodles instead of spaghetti for a more Asian feel to the dish. The noodles soaked up dressing and it was yum scrum! It actually held together very nicely through the afternoon (it was in the cooler for probably 6 hours before we ate it). Other picnic-goers were admiring our salad, so that’s always a sign that you did something right! This is a keeper!