Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Chicken

(recipe, Carrie Floyd)

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Introduction

Whenever I grill, I make sure to throw on some extra chicken to use later in other recipes. When I know I’m making these noodles, I first marinate the chicken for an hour or two in a simple marinade of equal parts soy sauce and lime juice with a minced clove of garlic. Chicken cooked any other way — roasted, poached, etc. — could be substituted, or eliminated altogether. This dish is good at any temperature: hot, warm, or cold.

Ingredients

¼ cup natural peanut butter
4 Tbsp. brewed black tea
1 to 2 Tbsp. Vietnamese or other chili sauce (more if you like it spicy)
3 to 4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
Thumb-size knob of ginger, peeled and minced
1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lb. soba or whole-wheat capellini noodles
4 scallions (whites and some greens), chopped
2 carrots, peeled then grated or julienned
½ bunch cilantro, washed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
2 cups grilled chicken, sliced

Steps

In a small bowl whisk together the peanut butter, tea, chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, and brown sugar. Taste and season accordingly, adding more soy sauce for salt, lime juice for sour, and/or sugar to taste.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions, then drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Mix the sauce with the noodles and stir until the noodles are coated, then add the scallions, carrots, cilantro, and chicken.