Makinze is currently senior food editor at Delish, where she develops recipes, creates, and hosts recipe videos and is our current baking queen. She is our expert pie crimper, believes you should always have the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies on hand, and everyone needs to know a perfect roast chicken recipe.
Skip bringing the traditional pasta salad to the summer potluck. This pasta salad has a creamy peanut dressing and is full of fresh, crunchy veggies with no mayonnaise in sight. It’s just as simple to make and is as delicious hot as it is cold, which means you can easily make it ahead of time.
If you love a peanut sauce, try our chicken satay next.
Have you tried this yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
- Yields:
- 8 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2
cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tbsp.
low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp.
grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp.
packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp.
toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 lb.
skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 3)
Peanut Dressing
- 1/2 c.
smooth peanut butter
- 2
cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tbsp.
low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp.
rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp.
grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp.
sriracha
- 1 tsp.
toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp.
sesame seeds
- 6 tbsp.
warm water
Salad
Kosher salt
- 1 lb.
fusilli
- 1/4
medium head of purple cabbage, sliced
- 1
red bell pepper, chopped
- 1
large carrot, grated
- 1
small cucumber, cut into half-moons
- 2
scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 c.
packed fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 c.
roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 tsp.
toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Chicken
In a medium bowl, combine garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, ginger, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Add chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 hours, covered, in refrigerator.
Dressing
In another medium bowl, combine peanut butter, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, sriracha, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Add warm water and stir until smooth and incorporated.
Salad
- Step 1In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Step 2Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165°, about 8 minutes per side. Let cool 5 minutes, then cut into bite-size pieces.
- Step 3Return pasta to pot or a large bowl. Add peanut dressing while pasta is still warm. Add 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water and stir to coat, adding more as needed to loosen dressing and coat noodles. Add chicken, cabbage, bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, scallions, and cilantro and toss to combine.
- Step 4Serve warm or chilled. Top with peanuts and sesame seeds when ready to serve.
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