It is darn right steamy in Chicagoland today (and by the looks of things for a while to come). I don’t know about you, but when the temps creep up, the last thing I want to do is spend a ton of time cooking - especially a steaming hot bowl of pasta. But we still need to eat! Here’s a quick dinner or lunch solution that’s packed with high quality protein, carbs and flavor that’s a perfect pre-long run or workout night before meal or post run recovery meal. What I love about this recipe is it makes a big batch that usually lasts me a couple meals (and tastes better as the flavors blend together in the fridge overnight). You can also swap out the chicken for edamame and/or tofu if you’d prefer a vegan/plant-based alternative. Can’t find or don’t have soba noodles? Whole wheat or regular pasta will work but I love the soba noodles (which are a Japanese noodle made with buckwheat and water) for the nutty flavor they impart. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Cold Sesame Soba Noodles with Chicken and Snow Peas

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp Tahini (sesame paste - if you don’t have you can substitute a plain, natural nut-butter of choice)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp water (to thin out sauce)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (1/4 tsp ground if fresh is unavailable)
1 to 2 cloves minced garlic (since it will be served in this dish raw, I tend to go with a little bit less garlic since it’s harsher on my palette)
1, 8 to 10-ounce package soba noodles
1 1/2 cup snow peas
2 chicken breasts, poached or cooked and shredded*
1 bunch of scallions (3-5 total), green and white parts finely chopped
3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Sriracha to garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk the soy sauce through garlic. Let sit.
Boil enough water in a large pot to cover the noodles. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook according to package or about 5 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the snow peas to the water. Drain in colander and immediately rinse with cold water until cool to touch.
Add the noodles and snow peas to the large bowl with the sauce and toss to coat.
Add the chicken and scallions and toss again.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle with sriracha to taste if desired.
Refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!

*For the chicken: we typically do this in our instant pot. Just throw a couple chicken breasts in the pot, cover with just enough chicken broth, stock or water (if using water be sure to season chicken with some salt/pepper) and hit the poultry setting. Once done, let the chicken cool a bit then put in a large bowl and using a hand mixer on the lowest setting, shred. This was a pro tip shared with me by Andrew and it works like a charm - easiest way to cook chicken ever! You can also use two forks to shred but the mixer is much faster.

Summer #RunnerFuel Recipe: Cold Sesame Soba Noodles with Chicken and Snow Peas