I posted this recipe on my blog a few years ago but I wanted to re-post it because it fits right in with my plan for summer cooking — my plan consisting of mainly not turning on the oven.  Except for bacon….I’ve decided that oven cooked is the only way to cook bacon and so I’ll always make an exception.  Bacon, how I love thee…..

Anyway, I made this the other day with grilled chicken tenderloins but you could very easily just shred up the  meat from a rotisserie chicken and toss it with the finished peanut sauce.  I also included a raw red bell pepper (sliced) and a peeled, seeded, cucumber (cut into tiny spears) in the final toss and omitted the scallions and peanuts.  I think the scallions weren’t missed but I’d rather have the peanuts in there.  So use them if you’ve got them.

It’s funny, but some of my boys didn’t like this dish as much as they did last time.  Curious.  I think that they just want their pasta to appear only in Italian-inspired dishes.  When they chose to try the noodles and then take their cold cereal option I almost cried…..tears of joy, mind you, because it just meant MORE FOR ME.  Terrible of me, but true.

It’s yummy!

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken for grilling or the shredded meat of a rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
6 scallions , sliced thin (optional)

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut crosswise into 3 sections and then into mini spears

1/2 cup or so chopped peanuts

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth. (If I was using rotisserie I’d just up the peanut butter by a tablespoon or so and, of course, omit the step about taking out liquid for marinating.)

2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions, peppers, cucumbers and peanuts in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. If grilling, grill the chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and toss with the noodles or serve alongside.

Happy Monday, y’all!