Hot weather, cold noodles. That's one of my life mottos. There's so many delicious cold noodle dishes out there, and not enough time in the summer to eat them all. This sesame noodle recipe, adapted from Sam Sifton's Takeout Style Sesame Noodles recipe involves very little stovetop cooking and comes together in 30 minutes. I poached some chicken breasts in classic Chinese aromatics for added flavor, but during a weeknight or if you're short on time, shredding up some rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would do just fine.
In defense of poaching chicken
I ate a ton of poached chicken growing up. To an unrefined eye, poached chicken may look like an unseasoned mess, but it's actually quite a classic way of cooking chicken in many Asian countries! Usually an entire chicken is poached, which results in a juicy, moist bird. The texture is unlike any other method of cooking. In this recipe, I chose to poach my boneless skinless chicken breast. It's a cut of meat that is easy to overcook, and I rarely eat it. Poaching it keeps the breasts super moist, and subtly infuses it with the flavors of the aromatics you include in your poaching liquid.
Chile Crisp: The Secret Ingredient
Chile crisp, or chile oil, is such a versatile ingredient. You may have heard of the Lao Gan Ma brand. Avid fans of Lao Gan Ma have been accused of being almost cultlike. But they have good reason! The Sichuan peppercorns, chile flakes, and spices in oil are deliciously savory and crispy, and bring a subtle heat to any dish. Lao Gan Ma is not that spicy at all, but if you're not a spicy food person feel free to omit it.
Sesame Noodles With Chicken and Crunchy Vegetables: Step-by-Step Instructions
Jump to Recipe
Add ginger, garlic, scallion, Thai chilis, soy sauce, shaoxing wine and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts and bring down to a simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
While chicken is cooking, prepare vegetables. I used sugar snap pas, bell pepper and edamame. Use any crunchy veggies you can eat raw.
Prepare noodles while the chicken is cooking as well. Boil and drain them according to package instructions. Sprinkle with a little bit of sesame oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.
When the chicken is ready, shred it with two forks and leave aside.
Whisk together sesame oil, tahini, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and chili crisp (this is optional).
Add chicken, noodles and vegetables to a large bowl. Pour sesame sauce over and mix well. Serve cold!
Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Crunchy Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Poached Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts about 1 lb
- 2 stalks scallion cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 knob ginger sliced
- 3 thai chili peppers optional
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup shaoxing wine
- 2 cups water
For the noodles
- 10 oz dry lo mein noodles
- ½ cup raw sugar snap peas
- 1 raw bell pepper
- ½ cup edamame
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp chili crisp
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 knob ginger finely grated
Instructions
For the poached chicken
- Add scallions, 1 knob of sliced ginger, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, shaoxing wine and water to a large saucepan.
- Bring liquid to a boil and add chicken breasts. Simmer covered until breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 20 minutes
- Remove breasts from liquid and shred. Set aside
For the sauce
- Mix all the ingredients together until smooth
For the noodles
- Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain and sprinkle with sesame oil to avoid sticking
- Julienne bell pepper. Set aside with raw sugar snap peas and edamame.
- Mix together chicken, noodles and vegetables with sauce. Serve cold
This looks terrific. I love the colorful presentation. Too often, sesame noodle dishes just look beige and muted.
Gosh! That looks so yummy. Worth trying. Thanks for the recipe.
Ok so I love trying out new things, and this looks delicious!! I'm most definitely giving it a try!!
What a lovely recipe! This looks appealing. Thanks for sharing ♥️ ♥️ Let me know if you are interested in doing collabs! xx
Pinning this for later. Pretty sure my husband would love this. I don't usually love cold noodles myself, but I do love sesame seeds, and I'm definitely giving this a try!
I hope your husband loves it!
This looks so tasty and easy to make!
I love a good recipe. This one is right up my alley too. Not expensive and you can make it in good time. Definitely planning on putting this recipe to the test. Thanks for sharing!