Cold Noodles with Chicken and Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe
Cold noodle dishes are a popular choice for hot days in China – filling, but they don’t warm you up like soup. This recipe combines tender chicken, cucumber and springy noodles with a creamy peanut butter sauce inspired by classic Chinese sesame sauce. It’s a bit like a pasta salad, but with a distinct nutty character.
Liang mian is a classic street food from northern and western China, served in summer at room temperature or lightly chilled. In Chinese homes it’s often a way to use up leftover cooked chicken and crunchy vegetables from the fridge.
Cold noodles with chicken and peanut butter sauce are a Chinese answer to summer pasta salads – filling yet refreshing, with a pronounced nutty note. The dish is inspired by classic sesame sauce but uses peanut butter, which is easier to find in many places, giving it a creamy, comforting texture and a spicy-sour character at the same time. It brings together contrasts: cool noodles, juicy meat, crunchy vegetables and an intense sauce.
Why this version works
- The noodles are thoroughly chilled and dried, so the sauce doesn’t separate or slide off the strands.
- Chicken gently simmered at a low bubble stays moist and shreds easily into tender fibers.
- The peanut butter is thinned gradually with water, which creates a smooth, glossy, lump‑free sauce.
- Plenty of crunchy vegetables balance the rich sauce and keep the dish from feeling heavy.
Chef's tips
Poach the chicken very gently (over low heat, without a vigorous boil) so it stays juicy and shreds easily – overcooked meat will turn dry and stringy. Rinse the noodles under cold water right after cooking to stop the cooking and cool them down; otherwise the sauce will cling to them less well. Mix the sauce gradually, thinning it with water or stock a tablespoon at a time until it’s smooth and pourable but still distinctly creamy.
How to serve
Serve well chilled, ideally after 20–30 minutes in the fridge so the flavors meld – it’s perfect on hot days instead of a heavy main course. It pairs nicely with slightly sweet lemon tea or homemade lemonade with a hint of ginger. It’s also great in a lunchbox for work or a picnic in the park, as it travels well and is meant to be eaten cold.
Watch out for
- Don’t mix the sauce with still‑warm noodles – the fat in the peanut butter will separate and the sauce will turn greasy.
- The noodles must be very well drained; excess water will dilute the sauce and make the flavor flat.
- Keep the chicken only at a gentle simmer; in a hard boil it will quickly dry out and shred into tough, stringy bits.
- Go easy on the chili oil at first – it’s much easier to add more later than to rescue a dish that’s too spicy.
Substitutions
- You can swap the Asian wheat noodles for regular spaghetti or plain ramen noodles without the seasoning packet.
- Replace chicken breast with cooked or roasted thigh meat that can be easily shredded.
- You can substitute smooth peanut butter with tahini; the sauce will taste more sesame‑forward, so add a pinch of sugar.
- Rice vinegar can be replaced with light white wine vinegar, but use a bit less and taste as you go.
Ingredients
- chicken breast skinless and boneless - 350 g
- Asian wheat noodles or spaghetti dried - 300 g
- fresh cucumber cut into thin matchsticks - 1 piece
- carrot cut into thin matchsticks - 1 piece
- peanut butter unsweetened, preferably 100% nuts - 3 tablespoons
- soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- chili oil amount to taste - 1.5 tablespoons
- garlic grated or finely chopped - 2 cloves
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- water to thin the sauce - 4 tablespoons
- oil for cooking the chicken - 1 tablespoon
- chives or coriander chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
- salt for cooking the noodles and chicken
Preparation
- Cook the noodles in a large amount of well‑salted water according to the package instructions until al dente – tender but still slightly firm to the bite. Drain and immediately rinse several times under very cold water, tossing, until the strands are completely cool and springy.
- Spread the drained noodles out in a colander or on a wide plate so they can steam off and dry slightly. After a few minutes the strands should be loose and just a bit dry to the touch, not clumped together in wet lumps; if needed, gently separate them with your fingers.
- Place the chicken breast in a small pot, cover with cold water so the meat is submerged, and lightly salt. Slowly bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 10–12 minutes, until the center is no longer pink when cut and the juices run clear.
- Remove the chicken from the water (reserve the cooking liquid) and set aside for 5–10 minutes, until warm but not too hot to handle. Shred the meat into thin strands with your fingers or two forks – it should pull apart easily and stay juicy, without dry, crumbly ends.
- Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then cut the flesh into thin batons. Peel the carrot and also cut it into thin matchsticks; the vegetables should be crunchy and roughly as long as the noodle strands.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, finely grated or pressed garlic, and sugar. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously, until you get a smooth, glossy sauce with the consistency of heavy cream that slowly runs off the spoon.
- In a large bowl, combine the completely cooled, slightly dry‑to‑the‑touch noodles, shredded chicken, and the cucumber and carrot batons. Pour the peanut sauce over and toss gently but thoroughly with tongs or chopsticks, lifting the noodles from the bottom so every piece is evenly coated.
- Taste and adjust: if it needs more saltiness, add a splash of soy sauce; for more tang, add a few drops of rice vinegar. If the dish feels too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of cold water or chicken cooking liquid and toss again until the sauce is silky and creamy.
- Chill the noodles in the fridge for at least 20–30 minutes, until distinctly cold and the flavors have melded. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped chives or cilantro, optionally drizzle with a few extra drops of chili oil, and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Storage
Store the dressed noodles in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 1–2 days. The noodles will absorb some of the sauce over time, so you can loosen them with a splash of water or a little extra sauce before serving.
I most often pack these noodles into containers when I have a whole day out of the house ahead of me and know I’ll be tempted by fast food. Once I took it to an all-day training session and half the room asked where I got “that fragrant pasta salad”.
