COLD RICE NOODLES with POACHED CHICKEN

Over the past few years I have cooked with copious amounts of rice and rice noodles. Being gluten-free and incredibly easy to prepare, they are my go-to ingredients. However, I have recently found myself getting very bored with these elements as every noodle dish I make seems to be the same….rice noodles/rice, red cabbage, carrot, maybe some capsicum, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and some white sesame seeds for good measure. I am someone who cannot stand routine and repetition in her life, which is one of the reasons why I almost never cook sometime twice (I stress the almost - I have a top 5 recipes that I cook on the reg) . I used to think people were crazy and unhinged when they tried not to wear items of clothing on more than one occasion, but since beginning my cooking journey I understand it more now. They don’t want to be seen or see themselves as uncreative, uninspired and, for lack of a better word, boring. So this dish reflects a little bit of a change from the usual ho-hum rice noodles with stir-fry chicken and vegetables. If you can get your hands on black sesame seeds from a health food store, do it - I much prefer them to white sesame seeds. As the only vegetable in this dish is spring onion, perhaps serving this meal with steamed broccoli on the side would be a healthy idea. I must say I have never used peanut butter or apple cider vinegar in a noodle dish and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour and consistency of the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g even-sized chicken breast fillets (preferably free-range)
• 4 cups chicken stock (preferably Massell brand) or 4 cups water 
• 1/4 heaped cup organic peanut butter (such as the Woolworths Macro brand)
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons water 
• 3 tablespoons light coconut milk 
• 400g thick rice noodles 
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons black sesame seeds

COOKING 

1. Place chicken in a medium saucepan. Add 4 cups chicken stock or water to the pan and cover. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, checking chicken fillets occasionally by cutting them in half and seeing if they are cooked. When no pink flesh is visible inside the chicken, remove from the pan and leave to cool on a chopping board. 

2. Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, water and coconut milk in a small bowl and whisk or stir well to combine. The sauce should be smooth and slightly thick. 

3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. When water has boiled add rice noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until noodles are just tender. Remove from heat and drain well with cold water in a colander or large sieve. 

4. When chicken has cooled enough to be handled, shred into small pieces using clean hands and place in a large serving bowl. Add sauce, noodles, onion and black sesame seeds and toss well to combine all ingredients. Serve cold. 

Serves / 4 - 6 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily