Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad (鸡丝凉面)

Chinese chicken noodle salad is a perfect summer dish. Thin noodles are tossed in a nutty, aromatic and savory sesame sauce and topped with tender shredded chicken and crunchy cucumber. It’s super easy to prepare, can be cooked ahead for meal prep, and is addictively tasty! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad (鸡丝凉面)

5 from 4 votes

Chinese chicken noodle salad is a perfect summer dish. Thin noodles are tossed in a nutty, aromatic and savory sesame sauce and topped with tender shredded chicken and crunchy cucumber. It’s super easy to prepare, can be cooked ahead for meal prep, and is addictively tasty! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

To make the dish gluten-free, replace the light soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos, replace the Chinkiang vinegar with rice vinegar, and use rice noodles instead of wheat noodles.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Course: Appetizer, Main, Side

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: homestyle

Servings: to 6

Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad

2 (1 lb / 450 g) total small boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) (*Footnote 1)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 green onions
1 lb (450 g) fresh thin wheat noodles , or 14 oz (400 g dried noodles) (*Footnote 2)
1/2 cucumber , thinly sliced (*Footnote 3)
green onion for garnish , chopped (Optional)

Sauce

1/4 cup Chinese sesame paste (or unsweetened natural peanut butter)
1/4 cup light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
3 teaspoons dark soy sauce (Optional) (*Footnote 4)
2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or honey, or maple syrup)
2 tablespoons homemade chili oil (or to taste) (Optional)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 thumb ginger , grated
2 cloves garlic , minced

Instructions

Chop the green onions into 2” (5 cm) sticks, reserving a small amount of the green part for garnishing. For garnishing, thinly slice the green onion into rounds.
Prepare a steamer by adding 2” (5 cm) water into the pot. Cover and heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Use a plate that can fit into your steamer rack. Spread the green onion sticks onto the plate to make a bed. Place the chicken breast on top. Sprinkle salt evenly over the chicken.
When steam comes out of the steamer, place the steamer rack with the chicken on top, and cover the steamer. Cook for 15 minutes. Test the chicken by using a thermometer inserted into the thickest part. It should read 165°F (73°C). Or insert a knife into the thickest part, and the juice should run clear. If the chicken is still pink inside, steam for another 5 minutes. Once done, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool.
Once the chicken is cooked, you can use the same pot of water to boil the noodles according to the package instructions. Once done, drain the noodles, rinse with tap water to stop cooking. Then drain again and set aside.
While cooking the chicken, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to mix well.
Boil the noodles according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain the cooked noodles and rinse the noodles with cold tap water to stop cooking. Then transfer to a big bowl.
Once the chicken has cooled, transfer it onto a cutting board. Shred the chicken into thin slices using two forks.
To assemble, add the sauce into the cooked noodles. Toss to mix well.
To serve, transfer the noodles into individual serving bowls. Top with the shredded chicken, cucumber and green onion. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken for this dish. In this case, you don’t need to cook the chicken and can add it directly onto the noodles.
I used two small chicken breasts in the dish, which is a more generous serving that’s suitable to make the dish a main course. If you want to make the dish as a side, 1 chicken breast should be enough.
You can use many types of noodles to make this dish. I like to use thin noodles because they soak up the sauce and taste great. If you like a chewy texture, use udon, or even better, fresh hand-pulled or shaved noodles. You can use rice noodles to make the dish gluten-free, or even zucchini noodles if you want to make the dish paleo-friendly.
If you use a mandoline to slice the cucumber, gently squeeze the water out of the cucumber before adding it to the bowl, so the sauce won’t get watery.
The dark soy sauce adds a beautiful dark brown color to the sauce. If you do not have dark soy sauce, replace it with regular soy sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 330kcal, Carbohydrates: 26.2g, Protein: 19.3g, Fat: 16.6g, Saturated Fat: 2.9g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 655mg, Potassium: 260mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 3g, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 2mg