REV: Peanut Chicken Soba Salad

[beth28]

Like a lot of you, I was pretty excited by the May issue - I must have marked almost every page! So I knew I had to tackle a bunch this weekend, and this one just leapt out at me. It was super easy - I used the rotisserie chicken and pre-shredded carrots as suggested - and really tasty. Looks like the leftovers will make a couple of great lunches, too. The only hardship was finding soba noodles in Chattanooga, Tennessee - finally had to go the Asian market! 8-)

[kristalsnow7]

Thanks for the review of this one, Beth. I agree there are many appealing recipes in the May issue! I wanted to make this for lunch today, but ran out of time this morning. Tomorrow, perhaps. (Also, thanks for the gazpacho salad review. I have that one scheduled for Wednesday.)

[cniles]

I made this today for lunch - I used rotisserie chicken like Beth did - I thought it was good - my onion was REALLY strong though and it's staying with me This was my first time using soba noodles and I enjoyed it - I was thinking next time adding some more vegetables like snow peas... I believe I'll keep this recipe.

[Valerie226]

I'm trying to remember if this was the one that called for toasted peanut oil. If so, did you find it or sub something like toasted sesame oil? I've looked a couple places and am not finding any of the exotic oils featured.

[kristalsnow7]

Originally posted by Valerie226
I've looked a couple places and am not finding any of the exotic oils featured.

Valerie,

Do you have a Whole Foods nearby? I saw most of the oils mentioned in the article there.

[KelLeg]

Thanks for the review. This is on the menu this week.

Kelly

[cniles]

Valerie - I picked up some peanut oil at my health food store - got home and realized it called for TOASTED peanut oil. I used the regular and I think the toasted would add more depth to the dish. Oh well.

[Jennifer8]

Beth: This is the May recipe I want to try the most, but I've been unable to find soba noodles. Would linguini or angel hair work?

[stefania4]

Can you find udon noodles? Soba is a heavier pasta; udon might be truer to the recipe.

[RebeccaT]

How about whole-wheat spaghetti, since soba noodles are made of buckwheat...

[Valerie226]

No Whole Foods near here. probably 50 miles. I found almond and hazelnut I will try toasted sesame, I think that's probably closest.

[beth28]

As I said, I had trouble finding the soba noodles, too, but found them at a tiny Asian market here, in the frozen section. I asked the sushi chef at our Fresh Market store what I could use as a substitute - specifically whole wheat noodles - and he said that soba noodles have a distinct quality. But I nearly went the whole wheat route too. Let us know if that works!

[Jennifer8]

Soba, the Sequel: In my ongoing quest for soba, I trekked to a big supermarket with a substantial ethnic food section. It took some time, but -- aha! -- I closed in on what I thought were soba noodles. Then I double-checked the label. No, these were "chuka soba." Is there any difference? Same thing? They were quite light in color. Anyway, I'm headed to the big city of Portland on Friday and will hit an Asian market one way or the other, so I passed on the chuka soba and the whole-wheat spaghetti.

[Peggy]

Excellent salad!! This one is definately a repeater in our book.

Peggy

[KelLeg]

I made this tonight. My DH and I LOVED it. I doubled the sauce and put it on the chicken and then the whole mixture. This is excellent. My only question is, why is it a salad? Is it b/c it is kind of room temp when you serve it?? I would just call it a pasta dish--an entree. By whatever name, though, it is delish.

Oh yes, I also added broccoli slaw and edamame beans.

[Valerie226]

Not an expert here, but soba noodles are tan to brown. They are dry and look something like brownish spaghetti& are made from buckwheat. chuku soba is different. It would probably work but the buckwheat has a pronounced whole wheat taste and has more "chew" to it. I think some sort of whole wheat spaghetti would be closer if you can't find soba. Both DH & I liked this although if I make it again I would add less onion & sub something green, pea pods or like Keleg edamame or broccoli. I used toasted sesame oil because I am unable to find toasted peanut oil so far.

[KelLeg]

Valerie, I think I actually used less onion than called for too. My DH doesn't love onion, so I just did one ring of red onion minced and about 4 green onions. I didn't even measure. I this was about right, though. Not too oniony, but "spicy" enough.

[Valerie226]

I'm not a fan of raw onion except for green ones. If I make this again I'd skip the red onion & use green. I eyeballed the amount, but I don't like a lot of raw onion so probably used less than called for. it overall seemed pretty oniony to me. good, but I'd use less. sometimes red ones are good for color but I don't think they would be missed. I missed seeing some green in this dish. Serving it on a bed of lettuce or spinach would be good too.

[bkiaj]

I made this the other night and it went over well. Except DD didn't like 'the green things' (i.e. green onions). DH loved it (commented without being asked, which always says alot).

To me, whole wheat spaghetti would be the best sub for the soba. Soba definitely has a distinct flavor. I'm surprised it's hard to find for some of you as I can find it without any trouble and that's saying ALOT! I am NOT in the area with alot of specialty foods, trust me! I don't even think Whole Foods, Trader Joes or any of the other stores y'all talk about are in the state!

Anyway, back to the salad: definitely a repeater and basically done as written. I didn't have roasted peanut oil, so used regular peanut oil, but I think sesame would make a great substitute. I don't know that I understand the need for both red and green onions, so I will probably just use what I have on hand next time and not worry about it.

Karen

[anneg]

Jennifer,

"Chuka soba" is not the same as soba. It is, however, a great low-fat sub for ramen noodles! I use it in the "Easy Asian Beef and Noodles" recipe since they have discontinued low-fat ramen, as far as I can tell. good luck in your soba quest!

Thanks for all the great reviews on this recipe. I think it's dinner tonight.

Anne

[Angela]

Grrr...I've been dying to make this and can't get the soba noodles either. Trader Joe's has a space and price tag on the shelf for them, but have not had any the past week (looked last week and today). I should have asked an employee, but was running into the end of my lunch hour. Whole Foods and a gourmet Safeway didn't have them either.
I do have some other kind of Asian noodle that I had picked up at an Asian market...I think I'll try them. This recipe just sounds too good to wait any longer to make!

[anneg]

I did end up making this last night and it got excellent reviews...I did sub a few things though:

Broccoli slaw for shredded carrots
hot chile sesame oil for roasted peanut
Vidialia onion for green onion

I also put in a little mirin (sweet rice wine) and a little extra soy, etc. I used a bit less oil than called for.

Anne

[gertdog]

Another thumbs-up here- quick, easy, and tasty. I subbed baked seasoned tofu for the chicken, left out the red onion entirely, and otherwise made as directed. Yum!

[TLee4]

Does anyone already have the recipe typed out? I'm thinking of stopping for supplies on the way home.

Thanks!
Terri

[bobmark226]

It's already up here on the website! BOB

Peanut Chicken Soba Salad

You'll only need about 15 minutes to cook the chicken and noodles for this Asian salad. If short on time, substitute rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken, and purchase preshredded carrots from your supermarket's produce section.


2 cups water
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked soba noodles (about 4 ounces uncooked)
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 teaspoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
Lime wedges (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan, and discard peppercorns, bay leaf, and cooking liquid. Shred chicken; place in a large bowl.
Combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through salt), stirring with a whisk. Pour over chicken; let stand 5 minutes. Add soba noodles and the next 4 ingredients (noodles through chopped basil) to chicken mixture, and toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup salad and 1 teaspoon peanuts)

TEST ; CALORIES 256 (% from fat); CALORIESFROMFAT 33%; TEST ; FAT 9.5g (test , satfat 1.7g, test ); MONOFAT 4.2g; TEST ; POLYFAT 2.9g; TEST ; PROTEIN 23.9g; TEST ; CARBOHYDRATE 19.5g; TEST ; FIBER 2.5g; TEST ; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; TEST ; IRON 1.3mg; TEST ; SODIUM 538mg; TEST ; CALCIUM 30mg;

Cooking Light, MAY 2004

[TLee4]

Thanks so much, Bob! Didn't know it would be up so soon. Should have checked!

Terri

[Laurielee]

I made this last night for dinner and thought it was so-so. it was dry. I think the problem was is I always end up with too much noddles and not enough sauce. (time to buy a scale) I used spagetti instead of soba noodles. toasted sesame oil instead of roasted peanut oil and chili garlic paste instead of sauce and OMG that stuff is hot. I had to start all over again on the sauce because I put too much chili paste in.

Laurie

[Terrytx]

YUM-we really liked this a lot. A snap to fix and very tasty.

[Hawkgt]

We loved this salad - it's a keeper for us, too!

We are having some friends and family from out of state over for lunch on Saturday and DH requested this. I want to keep lunch simple as we have a new baby and I don't have much time. I thought the salad would be perfect, but I feel like I should serve something with it, except I don't know what. Can anyone help with suggestions or do you think I should just serve the salad alone?

Thanks!
Shannon

[Laurielee]

how about some warm pita wedges and maybe a fruit salad?

Laurie