Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

Things are a bit crazy right now with getting ready to move.  Bryan will be starting law school this fall in Rhode Island, so in July I will be moving back east to be with him.  I’ll be flying to New Jersey (where he is currently living) for a about two – three weeks and then we’ll be heading up to Rhode Island together (into a place we have yet to find!).  I have no job lined up either and I have my fingers (and toes) crossed that the search will be a bit easier once I’m actually there and can see what is around us.

I will not being bringing any of my furniture with me, just packing up some boxes to ship across the country. I”ll be selling all the big things (or I hope to see them anyway!!).  The most important things for me to ship are my kitchen things: my pans, knives and of course my awesome KitchenAid! The trick is to try and figure out how to ship that and my wine and wine rack.  Hmmmm lots of bubble wrap?

With all of that going on and trying to save money and have enough to ship all the boxes, money is umm a bit tight right about now.  This week I have been trying to make meals that either make good left overs or use ingredients that can be used in several meals.  So far this week it was ground beef tacos made with the Trader Joe’s GF taco seasoning (I don’t follow the directions on the back and add tomato paste…I like the spice in it) which last night turned in to nachos.  Tonight will be the Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad.  The extra chicken will be used either in a grilled chicken salad or something of the sort.  I also have lined up some ham steak with a baked potato which will then be made into a ham and cheese frittata - YUMMM

One of my favorite magazines and websites is Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine.  I just packed all mine up to ship next week so I’ve been searching online for recipes to adapt and came across this one that sounded and looked really good…and it tasted great!!  Very light, full of flavor and refreshing.  This would be a great meal on a hot summer night.  Sadly this isn’t a great dish for Bryan because of the onions but I’m sure I can make it with out it and it taste just fine. I made a few alterations to the original recipe (my alterations are in red) to make this gluten free.

Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

Serves 4

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced crosswise
Spicy Asian Dressing -see below
Coarse salt
3 1/2 ounces Chinese rice noodles, broken in half if long (I used the thick rice noodles instead of the thing ones, I think it worked well)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower (I used coconut oil – tasted great!!)
2 carrots, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
Bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh mint leaves, red-pepper flakes, and sliced scallion greens, for garnish (optional)


Place chicken and half of dressing in a resealable plastic bag (reserve remaining dressing). Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate overnight).
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until tender. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a platter.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken (do not crowd skillet) until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to platter on top of noodles.
Top with carrots, cucumber, and basil. Drizzle with reserved dressing, and sprinkle with garnishes, if desired.

Spicy Asian Dressing

4 thinly sliced scallion whites
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce (gluten free soy sauce)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (or 1 minced canned anchovy) – (I didn’t have either so I left it out)
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

This is my second attempt at using my coconut oil in a recipe but I have one more to attempt this weekend so keep checking back.

Filed under: gluten free Tagged: Asian, chicken, coconut oil, everyday food magazine, gluten free, martha stewart, recipe, Soy Sauce, tropical traditions