I crave ethnic foods ALL. OF. THE. TIME.
Mexican, Chinese, Middle-Eastern, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Italian, Greek, French - The list goes on.
Thank goodness I am not a chef, I would have to change the theme of my restaurant every single night. “Oh, you came here for Thai? Sorry, tonight we’re serving Italian.”
Thankfully, my love obsession with these cuisines is actually quite healthy. {Most} ethnic food is packed full of vegetables, colorful spices, healthy fats and lean proteins. Have you ever been served an ethnic dish that wasn’t full of vibrant-colored vegetables? I think not.
Today, I have a healthy, colorful and flavorful Japanese-inspired recipe for you.
Spicy Chicken & Soba Noodle Salad!
Bright red peppers, vibrant green zucchini and crispy orange carrots add important antioxidants and fiber to this colorful and healthy recipe.
Shredded chicken breast is a great source of lean protein and the peanut-soy sauce provides healthy fats and a sweet and spicy zing.
Every bite is nutritious. Every bite is healthy. Every bite is absolutely delightful.
Spicy Chicken & Soba Noodle Salad
Serves 6
The Sauce:
- 4 TBSP soy sauce, low sodium
- 3 TBSP water
- 2 TBSP peanut butter
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1 TBSP white vinegar
- 1 TBSP fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
The Salad
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, shredded
- 1 zucchini, grated
- 1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 8 ounces soba noodles, cooked per package instructions
- Cilantro and Peanuts for garnish, optional
Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with sauce. Chill in refrigerator before serving. Garnish plates with fresh cilantro and/or chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
This salad is ridiculously easy and actually tastes better if you make it the night before, making it perfect for busy weeknights!
You can easily sub in stir-fried tofu to make this dish vegetarian. Shrimp would also be a delicious protein option.
What is your favorite type of ethnic food?
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I’m obsessed with Soba noodles. This looks totally incredible!! I actually crave what I call “California” food… Lots of fresh sandwiches, anything with avocado, wraps, things like that.
I do love me some Mexican, Thai, and Indian (the Americanized versions, of course.)
Oooh I love California food too – super healthy!
This looks delicious! I looove ethnic foods as well. That’s one disadvantage of not living in a big city – there aren’t a whole lot of choices around where I live to get great ethnic food (though there are a few!)
This looks wonderful! I need to learn to cook more ethnic foods like this! Love spicy things :-)
You can add even more spice by putting 2 jalepenos in the sauce – That will give it a good kick!
that looks so good and easy! I should bring that type of thing to lunch most days……….thx lady!
I love this for lunches, mainly because it means I don’t have to wait in the microwave line! Quick, easy and delicious when cold :)
I love ethnic foods! Mediterranean, Thai, Mexican, Italian and the list goes on! This looks really easy and it has to be more healthy and budget friendly than eating out!
It is so much more affordable! Plus it makes great leftovers!
Great recipe, and yes, perfect for lunch. I’ll definitely try that salad. Speaking of ethnic food you should try Polish cuisine some day, if you haven’t already :) From time to time I post some of the recipes on my blog.
There is actually an annual Polish Festival very close to where I live in Minneapolis! They have great cuisine, music and dancing. I have never attempted to make my own Polish food before, I’ll have to be on the lookout for a recipe on your blog :)
Yum! I switched to using Bragg’s liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. Really tasty, low sodium, and versatile.
I actually have a container of liquid aminos in my fridge! For some reason I just grabbed the soy sauce instead while making this :)
I love all the ingredients in this dish!! yum!
It is super tasty!
This recipe looks awesome! I am sure that it would taste absolutely delicious made with tofu instead of chicken. I will have to give it a try :).
My favorite ethnic food is definitely Indian food!!
Next time I am going to use tofu! I didn’t have any on hand when I was making this and the hubs was in a chicken mood ;)
Ive never had soba noodles, what do they taste like? Guess Ill have to look for those next time Im at TJ’s….I want to make this :)
They have a very similar texture to spaghetti, maybe slightly more “soft.” They are also slightly sweeter and nuttier than pasta. You could easily sub spaghetti or linguini in this recipe! And I couldn’t find it at TJ’s :/ I had to make a quick stop at Whole Foods to grab them.
I love noodle dishes like this! Any peanut butter based sauce and I am IN.
And you’re right, ethnic dishes do always incorporate tons of veggies, but somehow they are still super comforting to eat!
Peanut butter always gets me too!
Hey Becky – This gives me a great idea since I’ve had a box of soba noodles in my cabinet for months waiting for a purpose. I also like this recipe for a quick and easy spicy peanut sauce – everything should be on hand. Thanks for sharing!
This is perfect for soba noodles! And yes, the sauce comes together super quickly :) Let me know if you try it out!
This looks delicious! I’m like you- I love everything. I’ve been on a carb phase this winter so I’ve been all about the Thai and Italian lately. I love it all though- Japanese, Chinese, French, Indian, German, Polish, anything and everything…
Carbs and me love each other in the winter too :)
What a yummy recipe! I love different cuisines, I think Thai might be my fave, love the spice!
There were two Thai restaurants in the town I attended college and I frequented both very often!
Oooh that looks SO good.
My favorite type of ethnic food is definitely Indian. Thai is a close second though.
I crave ethnic foods, too!! Especially Asian food. I never get sick of it. This looks awesome. I’ve never had soba noodles before, believe it or not!
I love love love ethnic food! Mediterranean is my fave… Lebanese, Greek, Turkish, it doesn’t matter they’re all amazing.
YUM! I want to try this without the chicken ;)
Seriously num. I think you should open up your own restaurant and just advertise that customers will be surprised when they show up because the cuisine is always changing! I would love it!
I’ve never had soba noodles but I’m dying to try them! This recipe is right up my ally!