Cold soba noodle salad with chicken
45 min · 48 g protein · 457 cals / serving
Nutty buckwheat noodles rinsed ice-cold and tossed with juicy poached chicken, crunchy cucumber, carrot, red cabbage and edamame in a salty-sour dressing of soy, rice vinegar, ginger and toasted sesame oil. Lots of scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds finish it. It is the best lunch on a hot day and packs well.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 lb chicken breast
- 5 oz dry soba noodles, cooked, rinsed cold
- 1 large cucumber, in matchsticks
- 2 medium carrots, in matchsticks or coarsely grated
- 3 cups shredded red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 cup edamame, shelled, thawed
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 2 1/2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp sesame oil, toasted
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp ginger, finely grated
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
To serve
- a handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Steps
- Put the chicken in a pan, cover with cold salted water by 1 inch, bring to a bare simmer and poach 12–15 minutes until it reads 165°F. Leave it in the water 5 minutes, then lift out, cool and shred.
- Cook the soba in plenty of boiling unsalted water for the time on the pack (usually 4–5 minutes). Drain, then rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles with your hands to wash off the starch, until completely cold. Drain well.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- In a large bowl, toss the noodles with half the dressing, then add the cucumber, carrot, cabbage, edamame, scallions and chicken with the rest of the dressing and toss again.
- Pile into bowls and top with cilantro, sesame seeds and chili flakes.
Good to know
Will it keep for lunch tomorrow?
Yes, for 2 days in the fridge. Keep the dressing separate and toss just before eating, or the noodles drink it all up.
Gluten-free?
Look for 100% buckwheat (juwari) soba, since most soba contains wheat, and use tamari in place of soy sauce; it's about the same score.
Other proteins?
Cooked prawns, flaked salmon or cubes of firm tofu all work in the same amount.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 89
- Protein
- (43%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (19%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (38%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 109 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1829 kcal goes into the pot and 2200 g of ingredients comes out as about 2060 g of food: 89 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.