Asian Chicken and Pasta Salad
Asian-Style low fat and calories salad. Fresh crunchy vegetables complete this well-balanced main-course dish.
- Prep Time : 20 minutes
- Cook Time : 25 minutes
- Yield : 4 servings
Ingredients
- chicken breasts - 500g
- lemon or lime slices - 2
- rice wine (sake or mirin) or dry sherry - 2 tablespoons
- farfalle (pasta bows) - 350g
- carrot, cut into matchstick strips - 1
- red pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick strips - 1
- celery stalks, cut into matchstick strips - 2
- large cucumber, halved, seeded and cut into matchstick strips - 1
- fish sauce - 2 tablespoons
- superfine sugar - 1 teaspoon
- vinegar (rice vinegar) - 1 tablespoon
- reduced-salt soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
- fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped - 1
- garlic clove, crushed - 1
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a large shallow pan and pour over enough water to cover them. Add the lemon or lime slices and the rice wine or sherry, and heat until just simmering. Reduce the heat and poach the chicken for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and cover the pan, then leave the chicken to cool completely in the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10–12 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again. Set the pasta aside until cool.
- Place the carrot, red pepper, celery and cucumber in a large salad bowl. To make the dressing, mix together the fish sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then add the vinegar, soy sauce, chili and garlic. Pour the dressing over the raw salad vegetables.
- Drain the cooled chicken and pat dry on paper towel, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Stir the chicken and pasta into the dressed vegetables. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Bring the salad to room temperature before serving.
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