Soy Chicken Soba Noodle Salad
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
25
minutesTotal time
55
minutesNever has a more gorgeous-looking salad been seen! With stunning pink-coloured eggs, bright green broccolini, and sumptuous soba noodles, this will quickly become a dinner party favourite when you’re looking to wow.
Ingredients
- For the salad
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red chilli, finely diced
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
200 g soba noodles
8 stems broccolini
1 cup frozen edamame beans, defrosted
1/2 cucumber, peeled in ribbons
4 pink eggs (see recipe below)
- For the pink eggs
4 eggs
Beetroot juice – from one can of beetroot
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Make the dressing by combining the rice wine vinegar, mirin, lime juice, 1 tablespoon ginger, garlic and chilli in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Make the marinade by combining the soy, remaining ginger, garlic, and honey in a mixing bowl, then seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Cut the chicken thighs into thin strips and toss through the soy marinade. Leave to marinade for 10 minutes.
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper and lay the marinated chicken on top. Bake in the oven, flipping once, for 25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse the noodles in cold running water. Drain well.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the broccolini and cook until tender, which will take 3 – 4 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- To serve, arrange your soba noodles on the bottom of a large platter. Top with the broccolini, edamame beans, cucumber ribbons and soy chicken. Cut your pink eggs in half and arrange on top of your salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.
- For the pink eggs
- In a pot of gently simmering water, gently add the eggs, cooking for 6 minutes for soft boiled eggs, or a further 2 – 3 minutes for a firmer yolk.
- Remove the eggs and plunge into cold water for 5 minutes. Once cooled, peel the eggs.
- Prepare pickling brine by combining the beetroot juice, vinegar, sugar and salt in a large jar. Add the eggs, making sure they’re completely submerged. Cover and store in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 3 days. The longer you keep the eggs in the brine, the darker the colour will be.
- Prep Time: 10 min I Cooking Time: 6 min I Pickling Time: 3 hrs I Total Time: 3 hrs 16 min
Notes
- Take your salad to the next level by garnishing with thinly sliced spring onions, a handful of fresh coriander, sliced fresh red chillies and sesame seeds.
- While the pink eggs are beautiful and add an amazing pop of colour, this salad is just as good with regular soft-boiled eggs if you don’t have the time to wait for pickling.
- If you can’t find soba noodles, try substituting for vermicelli noodles or udon noodles. These noodles have a different flavour and texture, but will both work great with the flavours in this salad.