Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Chicken and Soba Romaine Salad with Thai Vinaigrette

Main Dishes

If you happened to peek in my fridge last weekend, you would have known I was on a sugar high. Imagine tins of cupcakes and bowls of custard and ganache precariously balancing on trays of brownies, cheesecakes, and tarts. I’ve been hard at work creating recipes for the Pillsbury Bake-Off and have been devoting all my efforts to my strongest category – desserts! I’m having a blast dreaming up new treats, and although I don’t think I’ll get through my entire list of ideas before the recipes are due April 18, I’m definitely doing my best! I often find that when I’ve been overindulging my sweet tooth that I actually start craving more healthy meals than usual. Enter this salad.

It was inspired by a salad I had at an airport. Yep, an airport salad, that had a delicious Thai sweet chili dressing. I mixed romaine lettuce with red peppers and cucumbers and topped them with sesame soba noodles (since I’m now convinced all salads need some carbs), chicken, and peanuts. The vinaigrette, which contained sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe’s, canola oil, rice vinegar, and a touch of soy sauce, pulled it all together. This is definitely my favorite plate of greens on my blog so far! Ok, off to work on my next Bake-Off entry!

Chicken and Soba Romaine Salad with Thai Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Soba Noodles:
8 ounces soba noodles
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Thai Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

For Assembly:
3 hearts of romaine lettuce (24 ounces), cut into bite sized pieces
2 red peppers, chopped
1 English cucumber, sliced
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite sized strips
1/2 cup salted peanuts

Directions:
Prepare soba noodles according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Place noodles in a large bowl and mix in soy sauce and sesame oil. Whisk sweet chili sauce, canola oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl to make the vinaigrette. To serve, mix romaine lettuce with red pepper and cucumber slices. Distribute greens on four plates and evenly top with soba noodles, chicken, and peanuts. Drizzle on desired amount of vinaigrette. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 681 calories, 29.2g fat, 4.7g fiber, 43.1g protein per serving
Cost: $2.99 per serving

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