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Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Scallions
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For this recipe, we use non-instant dried ramen (that is, not the kind sold 10 packages for a dollar). Ramen noodles get their golden hue from an alkali—not from egg—mixed into the dough. In addition to altering the color, the alkali makes the noodles chewier, bouncier and more resilient. These textural qualities mean that ramen is well-suited to noodle salads such as this one. Dried ramen is sometimes formed into squiggly-noodled bricks (similar to instant ramen) and sometimes spaghetti-straight strands. Noodles called chuka soba or chukamen will work, too. If Italian pasta is the only type of noodle available, see How to “Ramenize” Pasta. While you’re shopping for ramen, you may also want to look for containers of pre-toasted sesame seeds—they allow you to skip the step of toasting and cooling the seeds. If you like, toss shredded carrots or cucumber matchsticks into the noodles.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to rinse the noodles after draining. This washes off excess starch that otherwise would cause stickiness and also halts cooking so that the noodles don’t continue to soften.
30 minutes
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons mirin
1½ tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
10 ounces non-instant dried ramen noodles (see note)
1½ cups shredded cooked chicken
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
chili oil, to serve (optional)
Ingredients
-
6
tablespoons sesame seeds
-
¼
cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
-
1
tablespoon toasted sesame oil
-
3
tablespoons soy sauce, plus more as needed
-
3
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more as needed
-
2
tablespoons mirin
-
1½
tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
-
10
ounces non-instant dried ramen noodles (see note)
-
1½
cups shredded cooked chicken
-
1
bunch scallions, thinly sliced
-
chili oil, to serve (optional)
Directions
-
01In an 8-skillet over medium, toast the sesame seeds, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Measure 1 tablespoon into a small bowl and set aside for garnish; add the remaining seeds to a blender and let cool for a few minutes.
-
02To the blender, add the neutral oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, ginger and 2 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth, about 20 seconds, scraping the blender jar as needed; set aside.
-
03In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add the ramen and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (refer to the package for timing, but begin checking a few minutes earlier). Drain the noodles in a colander. Rinse under running cold water, tossing well, until fully cooled, then drain again.
-
04Add the noodles to a large bowl. Add the chicken, half of the scallions and the sesame dressing. Toss until evenly coated. Taste and season with additional soy sauce and vinegar, if needed. Serve sprinkled with the remaining scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Offer chili oil at the table, if desired.
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Reviews
September 10, 2022
awesome flavor
This takes a few minutes to prep but tis an easy to follow recipe and the flavor is fabulous.
February 2, 2023
Not as great as I expected.
It was good yes but not one I will repeat soon. I did add some diagonally sliced sugar snap peas that I blanched ever so slightly. I think I prefer sesame noodles with a hint of peanut butter, this dressing seemed a bit harsh. However we ate it all and it was fine dressed and eaten later!
February 19, 2024
Also great as warm noodle bowl!
Since my husband hates cold noodles, I turned the dish into a warm noodle bowl. I heated the chicken in a bit of grape seed oil, and a tablespoon of the sesame sauce, then added the (un-rinsed) noodles, the sauce, and half of the scallions to the skillet, tossing everything until warmed through. We loved it!
October 3, 2023
Grainy sauce
The dressing turned out a little grainy in texture I think due to my blender not being able to get the sesame seeds smooth. Could you substitute tahini paste here? After all isn’t tahini puréed sesame seeds?
Hi Jo G.,
Instant Ramen does not have the correct texture. As stated in the recipe description, "noodles called chuka soba or chukamen will work, too" or you can follow the steps to "ramenize" spaghetti. Understandably, this is definitely an unusual time with the pandemic, and shopping for groceries has definitely become more difficult. We hope that you are staying safe and well and hope that this helps in answering your question. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Another winner recipe! I substituted frozen breaded chicken tenders for the shredded chicken, which was good, but would like to try the shredded chicken next time. I skipped the step of toasting the sesame seeds, as the seeds I had were already toasted. I had to special order the ramen noodles, as they were not available locally. Highly recommend the Mirin sold on this site! Overall, just delish! Served the leftovers cold for lunch today. Yummmm!
This is such a great recipe. I added two grated carrots and about a third of an English cucumber. Out of concern for the leftovers, I did not dress the salad but served the wonderful dressing on the side. Has anyone dressed the whole dish and then ate the leftovers the next day? If so, how did it taste? I will make this again though we think a bit of spicy something might have been great. A delightful and beautiful dish.
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Your First Issue
Why can’t I use the instant package Ramen noodles- my store doesn’t carry the others now. Is it really that big a difference during pandemic I’m not going to several stores to find ramen noodles required by recipe.