Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
¼ cup sesame seeds ¼ cup chunky peanut butter 2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 5 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar water (hot)1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 tablespoon table salt 1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal1 medium carrot, grated
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter in the sauce; in particular, we like conventional chunky peanut butter because it tends to be sweeter than natural or old-fashioned versions.
Instructions
- Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in small bowl. In blender or food processor, puree remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set blender jar or workbowl aside.
- Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to touch; drain again. In large bowl, toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
water (hot)
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
Ingredients
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
water (hot)
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
Ingredients
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
water (hot)
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh Asian noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
Why This Recipe Works
To avoid pitfalls like gummy noodles and bland, pasty sauce, we rinsed the cooked noodles to rid them of excess starch. We wanted a full, flavorful sauce and found that chunky peanut butter ground freshly into the sauce with toasted sesame seeds made the best substitute for Asian sesame paste. After we added fresh garlic and ginger as well as soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and a final portion of sesame seeds to the sauce, we thinned it out with water to achieve the best texture.
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of chunky peanut butter in the sauce; in particular, we like conventional chunky peanut butter because it tends to be sweeter than natural or old-fashioned versions.
Instructions
- Toast sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in small bowl. In blender or food processor, puree remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set blender jar or workbowl aside.
- Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to touch; drain again. In large bowl, toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments