Summer pasta is calling me. Is it calling you too? It's that time of year when you can eat a plate full of pasta, but it's cold or room temperature instead of hot and saucy like in the winter months. There are outdoor events, lazy afternoons and snacks that are needed. These things are needed year-round, of course, but our tastes do change in the summer. And I can't think of a better light meal than a nice bowl of sesame peanut noodle salad. The best part is we're using a rotisserie chicken shortcut to make it even easier!
Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad, But With a Kick
I was visiting a friend recently and found a small jar of Roland's Spicy Chili Onion Crisp in her refrigerator. I fell in love with it immediately. How had I never heard of this before?! I made an impromptu batch of cashew chicken and threw some of Roland's in the stir fry. It was the best cashew chicken I ever made. And I've made a lot of cashew chicken! This is the perfect add-on to any stir-fry really, and I didn't find it super spicy, yet it had a very nice kick to it. I think this is what's been missing when I make sesame noodles. And I realize you could easily add a couple of squirts of Sriaracha or Sambal as well. If you have that on hand - go for it. But if you like trying new things, I highly recommend this Roland's add-on.
Sesame Oil can Overwhelm So Balance is Key
I love sesame noodle salads, but you have to be careful with that ratio of sesame oil which can easily overpower your dish. I took into account there are a bunch of other flavors coming together with this one. Instead of adding more sesame oil when you mix everything together at the end you can use olive oil too! I think this worked great -you'll still get the amazing sesame flavor without getting overwhelmed by it.
Rotisserie Chicken is Key to Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad
We need some short cuts in life, right? Not the bad kind where corners are cut and quality suffers. The good kind where we have delicious, already-cooked rotisserie chickens at our darn fingertips! Every day. I do love repurposing rotisserie chicken and if you want some other ideas, you can try my Mie Goreng: Indonesian Fried Noodles with Chicken or my Thai-Style Lettuce Wraps w/Rotisserie Chicken, BBQ Chicken Panini w/Cheddar & Basil or my Savory Chicken & Leek Galette.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll also be the first to hear about new recipes in my weekly-ish newsletter! 🙂
And if you're bringing something to a potluck or cookout, using rotisserie chicken is a huge time saver. The rest of the recipe is just chopping a few things and tossing it all together in a bowl. It's a pretty straightforward recipe and using precooked chicken makes it even easier.
Easy Steps to Making Sesame Peanut Noodles
Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad w/Chopped Chicken
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 portions 1x
Description
If you're experiencing a summer pasta craving, I've got a delicious sesame peanut noodle salad that's easy to make and a total crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- ½ cup celery, diced (about 2 stalks)
- ½ cup red pepper, diced
- ¾ cup scallions, chopped
- ¾ pound of thin spaghetti (2 teaspoons salt in pasta water)
- 1 cup peanuts, crushed
- 4 cups of chopped chicken (1 large rotisserie chicken)
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons Roland’s spicy chili onion crisp (see note #1 for substitutes)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll also be the first to hear about new recipes in my weekly-ish newsletter! 🙂
Instructions
- While you’re getting ready to do your prep, start heating a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt to cook the pasta. Plan your time. Water needs 10 minutes or so to boil and the pasta takes 9-11 minutes to cook and you want it cooled down before assembling this dish. This is a cold salad.
- Toast the sesame seeds first. Put in a small pan on low-to-medium heat, stirring until golden brown and toasty. Should only take a few minutes. Set aside to cool completely. They need to be cooled before using.
- Cut a couple of stalks of celery into thin sticks then dice them down into smaller bits from there. We’re going for a very small dice for the celery and pepper. Set aside in ramekin.
- For the red pepper, cut off two or three sides depending how big your pepper is. Slice the chunks into thin strips and dice it down smaller from there. Set aside in ramekin.
- Chop one small bunch of scallions into small pieces.
- Grind one cup of peanuts in a mini food processor. If you don't have one, put peanuts in a slider bag and crush with a kitchen mallet or a pan.
- Start cooking the pasta per box instructions and when finished run through a strainer and toss with olive oil so it doesn't get stuck together. You could also run some cold water over the pasta before adding olive oil to cool the noodles down.
- For the chicken, I usually pull the thighs and wings off first. After that, remove the skin.
- They only had the large rotisserie chicken when I was at the store. I used all of the meat except one chicken breast. Everything else made up the four cups of chopped chicken. Be sure to remove any fat and bones before adding to pasta.
- Transfer cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl and toss to make sure it’s not sticking together.
- Add Roland's Spicy Chili Onion Crisp (if you don't have use sriracha, sambal or homemade chili oil with sediment), half the sesame oil, celery, red pepper, half of the scallions, about half the peanuts, and chicken. Mix to combine.
- Add remaining sesame oil and some olive oil too. You have to be careful with the balance of sesame oil – it is delicious, but it can overpower too so good to use a little olive oil here too. This is also where I added MORE Roland's Spicy Chili Onion Crisp and you should do this based on your preference - it is a little spicy.
- You can serve in a large bowl or transfer to a large serving plate. I garnished with some slightly larger sliced scallions around the rim of the plate and scallions sprinkled on top too. A sprinkle of peanuts and the toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve extra peanut, scallions, sesame seeds and sesame oil on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Roland’s spicy chili onion crisp is awesome, but you do have to buy that online. You can also spice up your noodles with sriracha, sambal, red pepper flakes, or homemade chili oil with sediment.
Leave a Comment