Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad — Pantry-Friendly Main Dish

Spicy peanut noodles with chicken is an easy, flavor-packed main-dish salad that comes together quickly with simple ingredients. Tender noodles, crisp vegetables, and shredded chicken are tossed in a creamy, mildly spicy peanut sauce for a 30-minute, one-dish meal your whole family will enjoy.

Main-dish salads are one of my go-to meals for warm weather. They feel cooling on hot days and are easy to adapt to whatever vegetables and protein you have on hand, making them ideal pantry-style recipes.

This cold spicy peanut noodle salad with chicken is a favorite because it can be made in advance (do the prep in the morning when it’s cooler) and it’s a complete one-dish meal with carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables all in one bowl.

There are many Asian-inspired noodle salads, and this version grew from several recipes I’ve used over the years. The combination of a creamy, slightly spicy peanut dressing with pre-cooked chicken and crisp vegetables is especially satisfying on a warm evening.

What makes this a pantry recipe?

By pantry recipe I mean a dish you can assemble from items commonly found in three places in your kitchen:

• A shelf-stable pantry
• The refrigerator
• The freezer

Quick pantry recipes are easier with a bit of planning—keep staples on hand, cook some components in advance, and store extras in the fridge or freezer so you can pull meals together fast. If you preserve foods, even better.

Pantry ingredients needed

For this peanut noodle salad you’ll typically use:

• From the pantry: noodles (linguine, udon, or rice noodles), peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, honey, hot sauce, onions, garlic, and peanuts.
• From the refrigerator: vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, celery, snow peas, or corn. Fresh parsley or cilantro is a nice finishing touch.
• From the freezer: precooked chicken (you can also use refrigerated cooked chicken). I often slow-cook a whole chicken, use part for dinner, and freeze the rest for meals like this.

This recipe is flexible: swap vegetables to match what you have, or substitute cooked shrimp, pork, or steak for the chicken. To make it vegetarian, omit the chicken or use tofu or canned beans.

Want a vegetarian version? Omit the chicken or replace it with tofu or beans.

Make Peanut Noodle Salad with Chicken

One of the nice things about this dish is that while the noodles cook you can chop vegetables and chicken and whisk together the dressing, so it comes together quickly on a weeknight—especially with a helper for prep.

Step 1: Start the noodles boiling and make the dressing. Whisk the ingredients together, or blend them for an extra-smooth sauce.

Step 2: Cut up cooked chicken and add it to a large bowl (or defrost frozen cooked chicken). If you don’t have cooked chicken, quickly pan-sear or grill breasts or tenders—this only adds a few minutes.

TIP: Adjust the chili-garlic sauce or Sriracha to control heat to suit your family’s taste.

Step 3: Chop and shred vegetables and add them to the large bowl with the chicken as you prep.

Step 4: When the noodles finish cooking, drain and rinse them well with cold water to cool them before combining with the vegetables.

TIP: Prefer warm noodles? Skip the rinse, heat the chicken, toss everything together while the noodles are warm, and serve at room temperature.

Step 5: Add the noodles to the large bowl with vegetables and chicken, pour on the dressing, and toss well. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro, and chopped peanuts if you like, or transfer to a platter to serve.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day (give it a good stir before serving). Depending on the noodle used, the salad can sometimes be held for two days, though some noodles may become a bit gummy; it will still taste good as leftovers.

JAMI’S TIP: Menu planning helps—cook extra chicken the night before so you can use it for this salad the next day.

Refreshing, easy, and ready in 20–30 minutes, this salad is a reliable summer meal for lunches or dinners.

TIP: If you use natural peanut butter and it separates, skim and save the peanut oil to use in dressings for this recipe.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken – Easy Main Dish Salad Pantry Recipe

Peanut noodles with chicken and vegetables is an easy main-dish salad full of bold flavor in a creamy peanut sauce that’s ready in 30 minutes.

Prep Time
20 mins

Cook Time
10 mins

Total Time
30 mins

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

• 6-quart pot
• Strainer
• Whisk, blender, or hand-held blender
• Large bowl

Ingredients

• ½ to ¾ pound linguine, udon, or rice noodles
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 4 thighs or 2 breasts) — or substitute cooked shrimp, pork, or beef
• 1½ cups grated carrots (about 2 large)
• 1 medium sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1–2 cups other vegetables (shredded cabbage, thinly sliced celery, snow peas, corn, etc.)

For Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha), to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil (you can use oil skimmed from natural peanut butter)

For Serving:

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Instructions

• Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool before adding to the salad.
• While the noodles cook, make the dressing and prep the vegetables.
• Dressing: Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, honey, ginger, garlic, and oil in a glass measure and whisk until smooth. You can also use a blender or hand-held mixer for a very smooth sauce.
• Chop vegetables and chicken, adding them to a large bowl as you go.
• Add the drained, cooled noodles to the bowl with vegetables and chicken, pour on the dressing, and toss with a spoon or tongs until evenly coated.
• Serve topped with chopped peanuts and parsley or cilantro if desired, or refrigerate for up to a day and stir before serving.
• Makes about 8 servings.

Notes

We prefer less pasta and more vegetables, but increase the noodle amount if you need to stretch the recipe for more people.

If you don’t have cooked chicken, quickly pan-cook or grill breasts or tenders—this only adds a few minutes.

Want warm peanut noodles? Don’t rinse the noodles; heat the chicken and mix everything while the noodles are warm, then serve at room temperature.

Vegetarian option: Omit the chicken or replace it with tofu or canned beans.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 1/2 cups |
Calories: 348 kcal
| Carbohydrates: 34 g
| Protein: 21 g
| Fat: 14 g

More main-dish salads to try

• Sesame Cabbage Salad with Grilled Chicken (30-Minute Main Dish)
• Easy Thai Grilled Beef Salad
• Greek Tuna and Tomato Salad
• Classic Chef’s Salad

Note: This recipe was originally published in 2011 and updated in 2016 and 2025.