Home » Recipe Type » Dinner » Pasta » Sesame Noodles with Swiss Chard and Chicken
5 from 3 reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
From Chrissy Teigens, Cravings, this is one of the easiest, tastiest, most genius recipes I’ve made in a long time: you drop a chicken breast into boiling water, cover the pan, then let it sit for 15 minutes off the heat. In the meantime, you make a sauce from all pantry ingredients — including both tahini and sesame oil for big sesame flavor — then you retrieve the chicken breast, cook noodles in the now seasoned broth, and when they’re done, you toss it all together. That’s it! It makes the best leftovers, too. I’ve added a heap of Swiss chard to make it more of a standalone meal.
Tip: Don’t try to get fancy with the noodles — fettuccine or linguini work perfectly.
I think it’s safe to say there’s never more of a need than right now for quick and easy dinners — this is a great one to add to your arsenal.
Hope all of your holiday preparations are going well!
Sesame Noodles with Swiss Chard and Chicken
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 3 reviews
- Author: Alexandra Stafford
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 8ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 8ounces dried fettuccine
- 6ounces Swiss chard, leaves removed from stems, torn into small pieces
- 2teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4cup peanut oil
- 1/4cup well-stirred tahini
- 3tablespoons soy sauce
- 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2teaspoons chili oil
- 1teaspoon honey
- 1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 6scallions, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Salt it so that it tastes good, add the chicken breast, and remove the pot from the heat. Cover and let the chicken sit until cooked but very tender, about 15 minutes. (If you’re using two smaller breasts, decrease the time by about 3 minutes.) Remove the chicken from the water (don’t throw it away!) and cut into it to check its doneness; if it’s still a little pink, return it to the water for another minute or two. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it rest while you cook the noodles.
- Bring the water the chicken was cooked in back to a boil over high heat. Add the fettuccine, and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Place the chard in a large colander.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the peanut oil, tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, honey, cayenne, if using, and garlic until smooth. Note: It’s very spicy without the cayenne, but if you like heat, start with 1/4 tsp. cayenne, then add more to taste.
- Drain the pasta directly over the chard, and shake the colander to allow water to drain out. Transfer chard and noodles to a large bowl. Toss with the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil.
- Shred the chicken with your hands into the bowl of noodles and chard. Add the scallions. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Vegetables Fall Winter Dinner Swiss Chard Weeknight Dinners Pasta
« Previous PostThick-Cut Sweet Potato Fries
Next Post »A Few Last-Minute Gift Ideas
Want to Chop Like a Pro?
Get your free 8-video tutorial
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
Liz —Reply
Such a quick and tasty dinner! I used whole wheat udon noodles, only because they had been sitting in my cupboard for a long time and light sesame oil in lieu of peanut oil. Your addition of chard or some other green, I think, makes the recipe. Otherwise, it would be as pleasing to look at, and well, greens are always wonderful with noodles. I also liked your method of “cooking” the chard–no extra pots and pans. Also, I had thighs on hand and they were very good, but I will try the recipe with the breast. It’s a fun, quick recipe–very satisfying, so much so, that the 2 of us ate the whole thing…yum.
Abi Lang —Reply
This is a great recipe and I have served it numerous times. Today, I decided to use salmon instead of chicken because that’s what I had. I also added some Bok Choy with the chard. I marinated the salmon briefly in the marinade for Cedar Plank salmon. I expect this will be a great and easy dinner. BTW. What kind of side dishes do you serve with this item.
alexandra —Reply
Great to hear this, Abi! Salmon sounds so nice here. Honestly, for me, this is kind of a one-and-done meal because it’s got the greens, the chicken (or fish!), and pasta. If anything, I would probably serve a simple salad.
Lia Saunders —Reply
Loving your recipes, Ali! So glad I found you! This one looks especially delicious and I want to cook it tonight but is it really enough for 4 people?? Hubby and I could easily eat 8 ounces/ 227g of chicken between us……
alexandra —Reply
Hi Lia! I have to be honest, I haven’t made this one in ages, and it is very possible the yield is off. That said, you shred the chicken, which kind of “extends” it. Looking at the photos, I’m thinking it likely feeds 3 generously. When I make this again, I’ll update the yield. If you make it, I’d love to hear your thoughts, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
Lia Saunders —Reply
It was absolutely delicious! And you’re right – the chicken was enough and we have leftovers. This will be on rotation because it’s a recipe that reduces our meat intake, increases our greens and tastes fabulous. I’ll be doubling the greens tho’. (I used kale and cooked it with the pasta for last 2 mins). So, in my view, the recipe would serve 4 (not starving) people with more greens or 3 with a good appetite. Thanks for your fantastic food ideas, Ali! 🙂
alexandra —Reply
Oh yay! Wonderful to hear this, Lia 🙂 🙂 🙂 I so appreciate you taking the time to report back. I love the idea of doubling the greens here! And thanks for your serving estimates, too. Have a great rest of your weekend!
