Sichuan chicken noodle salad

Dairy Free

2 Servings, 740 Calories/Serving

30 Minutes

Sichuan peppercorns aren't actually a pepper, but the dried husks of the prickly ash shrub. Their flavor is more fruity than spicy, but they're famous for their málà effect, which means “numbing and spicy” in Mandarin. Here they add tingle to the ginger-scallion sauce for this refreshing main course salad.

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Ingredients

  • Two 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 ounces Napa cabbage
  • ¼ pound Persian cucumber
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • ¼ cup almonds
  • 5 ounces udon noodles
  • Sesame dressing (rice vinegar - tamari - sesame oil - mirin)
  • 3 scallions
  • Peeled fresh garlic
  • Fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1

Poach the chicken

Fill a pot with 6 cups salted water. Add the chicken breasts, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer over medium-high heat, and poach until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool, reserving the poaching water for the udon noodles. Shred or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. While the chicken cooks, prepare the vegetables.

2

Prep the vegetables and almonds

  • Core and thinly slice the cabbage.
  • Trim the cucumber; cut into ¼-inch-thick half-moons.
  • Remove the stem, seeds, and ribs from the red bell pepper; cut the pepper into thin strips.
  • Coarsely chop the almonds.
Transfer the cabbage, cucumber, bell pepper, and almonds to a large bowl and toss to combine.

3

Cook the udon noodles; assemble the salad

Bring the chicken poaching water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables. Add the chicken and sesame dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt, if needed. While the udon cooks, make the ginger-scallion sauce.

4

Make the ginger-scallion sauce

  • Trim the root ends from the scallions; thinly slice the scallions.
  • With the side of a knife, mash the garlic to a coarse paste measuring ½ teaspoon.
  • Peel and grate the ginger.
In a pan over medium heat, warm ¼ cup oil until hot but not smoking. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the scallions have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly. Season to taste with salt.

5

Serve

Transfer the chicken-noodle salad to individual bowls. Spoon some of the ginger-scallion sauce on top. Serve with more sauce on the side.

Nutrition per serving: Calories: 740, Protein: 53 g, Total Fat: 27 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.5 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 95 mg, Carbohydrates: 72 g, Fiber: 11 g, Added Sugar: 4 g, Sodium: 570 mg

Contains: tree nuts, soy, wheat

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