The hot summer continues. It’s the time of the year that I try to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. Unfortunately, unlike many of my friends, my appetite never decreases despite the heat. That’s why I’m sharing this super easy and delicious Chinese chicken noodle salad recipe, which is perfect for summer. Ji Si Liang Mian, or directly translated as shredded chicken cold noodles, is a homestyle dish that my mom likes to make when she doesn’t feel like cooking. All you need to do is mix a rich sauce, boil the noodles, chop some cucumber, and put it all together. This is a perfect dish to use your leftover rotisserie chicken in. But if you do not have leftover chicken on hand, no worries! I’ve included the method to easily steam the chicken for this dish.
Chinese chicken noodle salad key ingredients
Making a great noodle sauce is easy, but you do need to gather a few ingredients:
1. Chinese sesame paste (芝麻酱)
Chinese Sesame Paste (芝麻酱, zhī ma jiàng) is also known as roasted sesame paste. It is thick and light-brown in color, made from roasted white sesame seeds. It has a similar texture to natural smooth peanut butter and tahini, but with a smokier, nuttier, richer flavor. It’s totally possible to either use natural peanut butter or tahini as an alternative. But when possible, I highly recommend trying out Chinese sesame paste, since it creates a much more authentic taste for your Chinese chicken noodle salad.
2. Homemade chili oil (辣椒油)
The secret ingredient that will make your noodle sauce 10 times better. It is fresh, made with quality ingredients, and tastes much more fragrant than the bottled chili oil. Making the oil takes as little as 10 minutes and the result is so rewarding. I usually make a big batch and store it in the fridge. It stays good for months. In the recipe it’s listed as an optional, just in case you do not want any spiciness in your dish. But I highly recommend adding some chili oil, if you do not mind at least a mild spicy taste.
3. Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋)
I rarely recommend replacing Chinkiang vinegar with another ingredient, unless you want to make the sauce gluten-free. In this case, you’ll need to use rice vinegar, and the taste of the sauce will slightly change.
4. What type of noodles to use
You can use almost any type of noodles to make Chinese chicken noodle salad and the result will be good. However, for the best texture, I recommend using thin wheat noodles, preferably the fresh type. My favorite noodles are the fresh ones from Havista. You can find this brand in most Asian markets, such as H Mart and 99 Ranch Market. I used Shanghai Yangchun Noodles (in the left picture). They are quite thin, but still have a nice chewy texture. Chongqing Xiao Noodles have a similar texture and are very suitable as well. Long-Life Noodles are thinner and will taste much more tender once cooked. They have a similar texture to Japanese somen. All of these will work, but if you like some chewiness to your noodles, pick the Yangchun or Chongqing noodles. Of course, you can also use fatter noodles if you prefer. And you can use rice noodles for a gluten-free dish.
How to make Chinese chicken noodle salad
Cooking notes
1. Rotisserie chicken works well, too
You can steam the chicken, and the process for that is included in the recipe below. But you can save even more time by using rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken.
2. Topping options
The default noodle topping in my family is always sliced cucumber. But you can use many other veggies or skip the veggies altogether. Great topping options include sliced bell peppers, bean sprouts, thinly sliced radishes, and shredded lettuce.
3. Prepare ahead for meal prep
This dish holds up in the fridge quite well and it’s suitable for meal prep. And it tastes great when served cold, so it’s perfect if you need to bring the dish to work or to a picnic.
4. Make the dish vegetarian
When I’m feeling lazy or want my meal to be lighter, I simply chop up some baked tofu to throw on top of my noodles. You can bake the tofu at home, or simply buy the packaged one from the grocery store. Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients, it takes a couple of minutes to boil the noodles and whisk the sauce together. You can serve the noodles as an appetizer or snack, but I can always devour a big bowl of them for dinner! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do 🙂
Other easy dishes that are perfect for summer
Air Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)Easy Tofu and Celery SaladZha Jiang Mian (Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle, 炸酱面)Bean Sprout Salad (凉拌豆芽)Cantonese Lettuce with Oyster Sauce (蚝油生菜)
The post was published on Aug 3, 2018 and updated on Aug 16, 2022 with new photos and video.
