Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken & Peanut Dressing
This Asian noodle salad is made with vermicelli noodles, fresh veggies, crunchy peanuts, and juicy marinated chicken tossed with a sweet and tangy peanut dressing. Hearty and filling, it’s a quick and easy salad you’ll look forward to eating! 
I love Asian flavors and incorporate them into my meals several times a week with recipes like my Asian pork meatballs and Asian chicken skewers. However, this Asian noodle salad is my go-to when I’m craving something that’s a little on the lighter side yet still incredibly satisfying. Bursting with different tastes and textures, this salad checks off all the boxes for any kind of craving! Plus, it’s super easy to put together and stores well so you can enjoy it the next day. Mix and match the ingredients to suit your flavor preferences, and you’ll have a meal the whole family will love! A true crowd pleaser, it always earns rave reviews from family and friends.
Why You Will Love This Asian Noodle Salad Recipe
- This recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
- The dressing is made with just a handful of simple ingredients but offers a sweet, tangy, savory flavor that’s so delicious you’ll want to put it on everything.
- This Asian noodle salad is incredibly versatile and can easily be modified by using different vegetables, any noodles of choice (including veggie noodles), or any protein you like best.
- The beauty of this salad is that you can mix and match any ingredients you have on hand to suit your flavor preferences or use up any leftover produce you have on hand!
- This salad is high-protein, dairy-free, and can easily be made gluten-free, too, making for a light dinner or lunch everyone will love.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken Thighs: I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because of their flavourful dark meat, quick cook time, and the nice crust they develop when seared. However, boneless, skinless chicken breast will also work well, the cook time will just need to be increased by a few minutes.
- Honey: Honey, maple syrup, or any other liquid sweetener of choice can be used.
- Soy Sauce: Use soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari depending on your diet/what you have in your pantry.
- Spices: Ginger powder, garlic powder, and salt add savory flavor and a bit of tang to the chicken.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Choose a natural peanut butter that does not contain any added sugar and is smooth in consistency. If you have a peanut allergy, feel free to swap the peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter. Or, for a nut-free option tahini (sesame paste) can be used.
- Vinegar: I prefer using apple cider vinegar in the dressing as the acidity helps to cut through the reach creaminess of the peanut butter. If you do not have apple cider vinegar rice wine vinegar or lime juice can be used in its place.
- Garlic and Ginger: My favorite flavor combination to add to any Asian-inspired dish and two ingredients that I always add more of than what’s listed in a recipe. I recommend using fresh ginger and fresh garlic rather than jarred which doesn’t have as strong a taste.
- Vermicelli Noodles: These are teh best noodles to add bulk to the salad while keeping the flavors light and fresh. However, you can substitute similarly shaped pasta such as rice noodles, ramen noodles, sona noodles, fettuccine noodles, linguine noodles, or spaghetti noodles. If needed, use gluten-free spaghetti to keep this salad gluten-free.
- Vegetables: Romaine, Persian cucumbers, grated carrot, and scallions form the base of the salad, providing a refreshing taste along with vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
- Peanuts: Used as a garnish, these add a nice crunch. If needed, feel free to substitute sliced almonds, cashews, or sesame seeds instead.
- Chili Crisp: Technically optional, this adds even more flavor and a little heat. You can typically find it in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools You Need
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- High Speed Blender or Nutribullet
- Large Pot
- Colander
- Medium Sized Skillet
- Large Salad Bowl
How to Make an Asian Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Add the chicken thighs to a large bowl along with the honey, soy sauce, ginger powder, garlic powder, and salt. Toss to combine and coat the chicken, and set it aside to marinate for a few minutes.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a Nutribullet or high-speed blender until smooth. Adjust the flavor as desired.
- Cook the noodles in a large pot according to the package instructions. Then, transfer the cooked noodles to a colander, and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add the chicken thighs and any excess sauce from the bowl. Cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until it’s golden brown in color and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board, let it rest for about 5 minutes, and slice it into pieces. Spoon any excess sauce on top.
- Add the lettuce and noodles to a large salad bowl along with the cucumbers, cilantro, scallions (green onions), peanuts, and sliced chili. Finally, add the chicken pieces, and pour the dressing overtop. Toss until everything is well coated in the dressing.
- Serve with chili oil on the side, if desired, and enjoy!
Ways To Modify This Asian Noodle Salad Recipe
- Feel free to use any other fresh vegetables you have on hand! Broccoli, red bell peppers, onions, carrots, bok choy, Napa cabbage, red cabbage snap peas, mushrooms, or mung bean sprouts would all taste great.
- You can add to or swap out the chicken thighs with shrimp, ground beef, tempeh, or tofu.
- Try adding brown sugar, rice vinegar, or sesame oil to the dressing for a slightly different taste.
- Swap the chili crisp for sriracha or add a fresno chili pepper in the with salad dressing for an extra kick of spice.
Dietary Customizations
- Nut/Legume Free: Swap the Peanut Butter for Cashew Butter or Almond Butter if you have a peanut allergy or alternatively use tahini
- Gluten Free: look for gluten free rice noodles, or your favorite gluten free asian style noodle and swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos
- Vegetarian: use tofu in place of chicken
- Grain Free: There are some great grain free glass noodles available that can be used in place or rice noodles. Just be sure to swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
- Paleo: for a paleo option you can swap the rice noodles for raw cucumber noodles (I like to use a julienne peeler but you can alternatively use a spiralization), just be sure to leave them in a colander for a few minutes to drain excess moisture. Be sure to use cashew or almond butter in place of peanut butter and coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
How to Serve This Asian Noodle Salad
This recipe is plenty filling enough to serve on its own as a complete meal. However, if you want to bulk it up further, you can’t go wrong with a side of bread. Or, enjoy it as a hearty side dish with egg drop soup or Thai butternut squash soup for a crowd-pleasing meal!
Can I Make This Salad in Advance?
Yes! If you want to make this salad in advance, I recommend preparing the different components and storing them separately. The vermicelli noodles will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, the dressing will last for up to 1 week, and the veggies will keep in an airtight container for 4-5 days when sliced. When you’re ready to serve, just combine all the ingredients, toss to coat them in the dressing, and enjoy!
What About Leftovers?
This recipe is best served fresh while the crunchy veggies are still crisp and the lettuce hasn’t wilted! However, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, making for a great meal prep option. Just give the salad a good toss to redistribute the ingredients before serving. Cold noodles are ideal for this beauty of a salad, and it tastes even better the next day!
Here are a few more salads that you might enjoy:
- Thai Beef Salad
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Spicy Thai Mango Salad
- Asian Brussels Sprout Salad
- Carrot Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
- Asian Broccoli Salad
If you make this Asian Noodle Salad recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken & Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken
- 5 chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 inch piece ginger root
- 1 tbsp water
Salad
- 5 oz rice noodles
- 4 cups chopped romaine
- 2 persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated carrot
- ⅔ cup chopped cilantro + more for garnish
- ½ cup chopped peanuts + more for garnish
- 1 bunch scallions chopped
- 1 fresno chili cut in half, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 3-4 tbsp Chili crisp or your favorite chili oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs to a bowl along with the honey, soy sauce and ginger powder, garlic powder and salt. Toss to coat and leave to marinate for a few minutes.
- Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a nutribullet or high speed blender and blending until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor as desired by adding more honey, vinegar etc.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and then place in a colander and run under cold water
- Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Add in the chicken thighs plus and of the excess sauce from the bowl and leave the chicken to cook for 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown in color. Once cooked through place on a cutting board and slice, spoon any excess sauce from the pan overtop
- Add the lettuce and noodles to a large salad bowl along with the cucumbers, cilantro, scallions, peanuts and sliced chili. Finally add the chicken and pour the dressing overtop. Toss until well coated. Serve with chili oil/chili crisp spooned overtop for an additional kick of spice and garnish with additional peanuts and cilantro
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