These peanut noodles are so versatile, incredibly delicious, and so satisfying! Chicken gets poached in the same water you’ll use to cook your noodles. The noodles get tossed in a flavor-packed peanut sauce with some raw crunchy veggies and that shredded chicken for a balanced, nourishing dinner or lunch! I love them warm fresh out of the pot, but leftovers are also delicious as a cold noodle salad.
Ingredient Highlight
Miso paste! Miso means “fermented beans” in Japanese and is typically made using fermented soy beans and/or grains. It packs in lots of umami-rich flavor, making it great for dressings, sauces, soups, and marinades. It’s also rich in probiotics, B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin K, and folate.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (1 ½ cups shredded)(optional)*
- 10 oz noodles (soba, udon, wheat, etc…)
- 5 cups of thinly sliced cabbage, cucumber, radish, and/or carrot (remove cucumber seeds if using)*
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- Chopped peanuts or sesame seeds
- Sriracha (optional)
For the peanut sauce:
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- ¼ cup hot or boiling water***
- *If your chicken breasts are super thick/large, cut them in half lengthwise so they cook faster. You could also just use rotisserie chicken. See “substitutions” for vegetarian options.
- **Any raw crunchy veggie will work! I love shaving the carrot/cucumber into ribbons with my Y peeler (see video), but you could just grate the carrot and thinly slice the cucumbers. Keep the cucumber seeds out so it doesn’t water the sauce down add them to smoothies or water!
- ***How much water you add really depends on how thick your peanut butter is, so start with ¼ cup in the sauce and you can always add more when you are tossing it all together in the pot.
- Note on chicken: this is optional but an easy way to add protein, read the substitution section for other protein ideas. Also, 1 lb chicken will give you 2 ½ cups shredded, but you only need 1 ½ cups for this recipe. So just cook 12 oz or cook 1 lb and use leftover shredded chicken to add to lunches.
Instructions
- Fill a medium-large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon salt and chicken breasts (if using). Return the water to a boil, then reduce to maintain a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (timing will depend on how large the breasts are, see recipe note). Transfer chicken to your cutting board and shred or chop it up to add to the noodles later.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and return to the pot.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, miso, sesame, maple, and garlic until smooth. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Add more water if the mixture is too thick (it should be thick but drizzle-able, not pasty).
- Transfer to the pot with the warm noodles and toss to coat. Add the veggies, ½ of the scallions, and chicken and toss again. If the sauce seems too thick and pasty, add a bit of boiling/hot water to thin it out. Keep in mind that if you are using cucumber, the water from the cucumbers will water down the sauce a bit as it sits.
- Serve topped with sesame seeds or peanuts, more scallions, and sriracha (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Thinly slice 5 cups cabbage, cucumber, radish, and/or carrot
- Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions
- Make the peanut sauce
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, skip the chicken and use baked tofu or cooked edamame (add the edamame to the boiling noodles during the last 2 minutes).
- To make gluten-free, use a gluten-free noodle of choice (100% buckwheat noodles, rice noodles, any GF spaghetti).
- To make nut-free, substitute peanut butter with tahini or sunflower butter.
- Poaching the chicken is optional – you can use rotisserie chicken or use baked tofu or edamame (see vegan note), or top with a couple of fried eggs.
- If you don’t have miso paste, just skip it and add an extra splash of soy sauce and drizzle of maple syrup.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.:
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- You can eat this salad cold or pop it in the microwave until just barely warm or completely warm – up to you!
- Top with a fried egg.
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