Asian Chicken with Peanut Noodles and Cucumber Sambal

The first time I ate this, Valerie made it for me at the end of a really long day.  I loved pretty much everything about it!  The fresh vegetables made this a refreshing meal and it is full of so many flavors and colors.  The chicken is tender and flavorful, the vegetables are slightly pickled, yet still crisp, and the noodles are lightly coated in a delicious peanut sauce.  It is slightly sweet, sour, a tiny bit spicy, and nutty all at the same time.  This week I kept thinking about how good this was, but I was worried that it only tasted so good, because I was so hungry the first time I ate it.  I made it again, and loved it just as much the second time around.

Cucumber Sambal
1 large cucumber, diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chicken and Peanut Noodles
3 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 chicken breasts
2/3 package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
cilantro, for garnishing

For the cucumber sambal, toss everything together and chill until ready to serve.

For the chicken, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, olive oil, and salt.  Slice the chicken and toss to coat the chicken with the sauce and let it sit for a few minutes minutes.

While the chicken is resting, turn a pot of water on to boil.

In a small sauce pan, combine broth, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger, sriracha, and sesame oil.  Heat until it reaches a gentle simmer, stirring often.  Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Cook the chicken in a frying pan on medium high heat, a couple minutes per side.  Depending on how thin you sliced your chicken, it should cook fairly quickly.

While chicken is cooking, add noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions.

When the noodles are finished, drain and toss with peanut sauce.

Top the noodles with chicken, cucumber sambal, and serve.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.


While writing this post, I remembered how good this was, and  had to take a break to go eat some of the leftovers.  Asian food is a totally appropriate morning snack, right?  Good, I'm glad you are with me on that.