November 19, 2014

I don’t know about you, but as I was growing up, I was forever cutting out recipes from newspapers, magazines and anywhere else I could find them, telling myself someday I’d get around to making the dishes. And if you’re anything like me, so many of them sat in folders and binders and dusty corners never actually getting made. This past week, I unearthed one of those old recipes, and it turned to be as good as I’d imagined. Try out my Thai chicken and udon noodles in peanut sauce and tell me if I’m lying.

So here’s what happened. Most weekends I try to come up with some meal plans for the following week. Normally I take my lunch to work and Sean will too when he doesn’t have previous lunch plans with clients or co-workers already.

That means that whatever I make, I want to make a big batch that will last us at least two, maybe three days for lunch or dinner. As I was looking through my options for the upcoming week, I just wasn’t in the mood for any that were in front of me. Knowing that, I went into the archives: old cookbooks, recipes I’d printed out years ago and stuff clipped from magazines. And lo and behold, this long disregarded recipe for Thai chicken with noodles in peanut sauce came to light.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe for my tastes, bought the ingredients, took an hour to put it together after work one evening, and bam: a new recipe I’m happy to share with you was born. The peanut taste’s not too strong, the noodles are big and chewy and the chicken and cabbage really make this a stick-to-your-ribs meal you’ll feel very full after eating.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken and Udon Noodles in Peanut Sauce

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. udon noodles (I got the bagged, microwaveable Kame Udon Stir-Fry Noodles)
• 2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 3 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/3 c. creamy peanut butter (I prefer Trader Joe’s Natural Creamy Salted Peanut Butter)
• 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (sub in traditional vinegar if necessary)
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 – 10 oz. package of shredded, green cabbage
•  Salt & pepper, to taste
• Optional: Spicy red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Prepare udon noodles according to package directions and set aside. (For me, I just had to heat them in the microwave, which took no time at all.)
2. Slice chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks, place in bowl, coat with salt, pepper and 1 tsp. of sesame oil and stir to distribute seasoning.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray.
4. Add chicken to skillet and cook until all pieces are cooked through – 4 – 5 minutes tops.
5. In a larger bowl mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and water together until combined.
6. Once the chicken is done cooking add it to the peanut sauce and stir to coat.
7. Then add the noodles and green cabbage, and gently continue stirring until everything’s coated in peanut sauce.
8. Serve still warm on plates and sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over the top for extra heat.