Chicken and Cucumber Salad is one of my hot day go-to meals. It's fresh and flavorful, and can be made ahead of time. Sesame oil, soy sauce, chili oil...the good stuff! Leftovers are even tastier the next day. Also a great use for rotisserie chicken. This is a flexible recipe and I always eat it with rice ^_^
I go through phases with supermarket rotisserie chicken and right now I'm in a phase where I'm craving it a lot. There are so many things you can do with it! And then you can use the bones for soup. What a good value.
One of my reliable "things to do" with rotisserie chicken is this shredded chicken and cucumber dish. Shred as much of the chicken as you want (aim to get mostly dark meat). Use as much cucumber as you want. Pour the sauce on top. Mix and eat. Super onolicious.
Note: If you're curious about the tofu dish pictured in the background, that my Cold Tofu with Mentsuyu and Sesame Oil ^_^
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Shredded rotisserie chicken (or can use shredded poached chicken or any kind of cooked chicken that's shredded. Dark meat preferred. Sometimes I cook chicken drumsticks in the toaster oven and then shred that.)
- Cucumbers
- Cilantro
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Rice Vinegar
- Chili Oil
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Let's get cooking!
First, make the sauce! In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and chili oil. Set aside.
Cut the cucumber into 1-inch long pieces and then quarter them lengthwise.
Wash and dry the cilantro. Then finely chop and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the shredded chicken, cucumbers and cilantro.
Pour all the sauce (prepared in Step 1) on top...
...and then mix, mix, mix! Top with the sesame seeds. Then it's ready to eat!
I usually make this about 30 minutes before dinner and then put in the fridge so that it has time to chill and the sauce can soak in. But if you're in a rush, this dish still super good enjoyed right away at room temperature ^_^
FAQ and Tips
The measurements in this recipe are very flexible. If you have more cucumbers, use more cucumbers. More chicken? Use more! You can use more or less of any ingredient and easily adjust it to your liking. Pictured above is when I made the dish with lots of cucumber and less chicken.
This dish is great right after you make it, and even better the next day when all the sauce really soaks into the chicken. I sometimes even make a double portion so that I can have leftovers for lunch. (Though would not recommend keeping for more that one day as the cucumbers may get soft.)
I usually enjoy this with a bowl of rice on the side. But you can easily turn this into a one-bowl noodle dish. How?
Just double the amount of sauce. Boil some noodles on the side (any type of noodle you like from ramen noodles to angel hair pasta). The drain the noodles. Toss it with the chicken and cucumber. Add all the sauce on top. Mix and eat ^_^
Chicken and Cucumber Salad Recipe
Chicken and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 shredded rotisserie chicken (Or can use poached chicken or any kind of plain cooked chicken that's shredded. Dark meat preferred. I often cook chicken drumsticks in the toaster oven and then shred that.)
- 1 pound cucumbers
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons chili oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, make the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and chili oil. Set aside.
- Cut the cucumber into 1-inch long pieces and then quarter them lengthwise.
- Wash and dry the cilantro. Then finely chop and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the shredded chicken, cucumbers and cilantro.
- Pour all the sauce (prepared in Step 1) on top and mix, mix, mix.
- Top with the sesame seeds. Then it's ready to eat!
- I try to make this 30 minutes before dinner and put in the fridge so that it has time to chill and the sauce can soak in. But if you're in a rush, this dish still super good enjoyed right away at room temperature ^_^
Mahalo for Reading!