Bang bang chicken salad

  • Portion size: Serves 4-6
  • Hands-on time 30 min, plus cooling
  • Difficulty: easy

This summery, Chinese-inspired noodle salad recipe is light, zingy and the perfect accompaniment to a picnic or barbecue.

Or, prepare this Thai-style prawn noodle salad on a warm evening – it’s full of crunch and tang.

adslot-recipe-1
lock
Join Extradelicious to unlock Cook Mode

Ingredients

  • 500ml fresh chicken stock
  • 30g fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 tsp sichuan or black peppercorns
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 450g British skinless free-range chicken breasts
  • 1 small cucumber, halved and deseeded
  • 100g pak choi leaves, finely sliced
  • 1 large carrot, julienned or grated
  • 4 spring onions, cut into thin strips
  • Handful fresh coriander leaves
  • 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges

For the sauce

  • 150g crunchy almond butter or peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ tsp finely grated fresh ginger
adslot-recipe-3
lock
Join Extradelicious to unlock Cook Mode

Method

  1. Put the stock, 30g ginger, peppercorns, star anise and 1 tsp salt in a large pan and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce the heat a little and simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked. Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then remove the chicken, drain and cool completely. Reserve 120ml of the cooking liquid (freeze the rest for another recipe). Shred the cooled chicken.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Slowly mix in the reserved cooking liquid, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a sauce the consistency of pouring cream. Season to taste.
  3. Peel the cucumber into long thin strips, then cut into 7.5cm lengths. Mix the pak choi, carrot, cucumber, spring onions, shredded chicken, most of the coriander leaves and the sauce in a large serving bowl. Serve with the remaining coriander leaves and red chilli on top, with lime wedges on the side to squeeze over.
  4. Recipe continues after advertising adslot-recipe-4

Nutrition

  • 297kcals Calories
  • 16.1g (3.8g saturated) Fat
  • 25.2g Protein
  • 9.1g (6.8g sugars) Carbs
  • 1.8g Fibre
  • 1g Salt

For 6 servings

Quick wins & tips

You can make the dish wheat free by using tamari instead of regular soy sauce.

Make Ahead

Make the salad up to the end of step 2 the day before. Keep covered in the fridge and bring up to room temperature before finishing the recipe.

adslot-recipe-5

Rate and review

Rate

Reviews

Cherryl Thomas

I love this recipe because the combination of dates and pistachios is just divine!

Leave a comment, question or tip

adslot-recipe-6