A recipe loaded with flavor! These Sesame Noodles and Garlic Roasted Chicken are perfect for dinner or as a make-ahead lunch to bring to work.
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I made this recipe for Sesame Noodles so I wouldn't be stuck just looking for them in gourmet deli cases. This also converged nicely with a quest to create some make-ahead lunch options.
These Sesame Noodles with Garlic Roasted Chicken are amazing for dinner, or you can portion up the recipe and keep them in the fridge for your lunch for the week.
Of course, you may find that your family catches on to your lunch scheme and takes some of the tasty portions for their own lunches. Guard your noodles well, my friends.
Here are more chicken recipes to try: homemade Chicken Sausage Patties and Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken.
Why you'll love it
First of all, you will love how much flavor is packed in this dish. The chicken is rich with garlic and olive oil. The noodles are tossed in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, and seasonings. There are toasted sesame seeds, too. (Crunch, crunch.)
The recipe comes together quickly since pasta can be cooked and sesame seeds toasted while the chicken is in the oven. The sauce needs only a quick whisking.
And as I mentioned before, this recipe works great as a make-ahead lunch. Cook this up on a Sunday, portion the noodles and chicken into reheatable dishes, and have a week's worth of lunches ready to go. That (and a lot of strong coffee) will make those sleepy, rushed, weekday mornings just a teensy bit easier.
🔪 How to make Sesame Noodles with Garlic Roasted Chicken
Step 1: Roast the chicken
Mince cloves of garlic and slice the chicken breasts into thin halves. Rub the chicken with olive oil and garlic in a baking dish. Pop it in the oven to cook for 25 minutes.
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Step 2: Cook the pasta
While the chicken is in the oven, boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente.
Step 3: Toast the sesame seeds
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they're golden brown.
Step 4: Make the sauce
Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, grated ginger and grated garlic. Toss the hot, cooked noodles in this sauce.
Step 5: Slice the chicken and assemble the plates
Slice the cooked chicken into strips. Place heaps of the sesame noodles onto serving plates and top each with sliced chicken. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions over each plate.
Tips:
- Look for fresh ginger root in your produce section and check to be sure the root has no soft or shriveled spots. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin, then grate the bright gold ginger that you reveal.
- Find directions for portioning this recipe for make-ahead lunches at the bottom of the recipe.
The recipe for Sesame Noodles with Garlic Roasted Chicken is below. And here are a few other great dinner recipes, too!
💬 Have you tried this recipe for dinner or for your make-ahead lunch? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Sesame Noodles with Garlic Roasted Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoons salt, divided plus more for the pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, divided
- 16 ounces thin spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons chili garlic sauce (like Sambal Olek)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 2 scallions, tops and ends removed, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Have a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish ready.
- Slice through each chicken breast horizontally to create two thinner halves. Lay the chicken breast pieces out in the baking dish. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and then sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Mince 3 cloves of the garlic and rub this all over the chicken.
- Roast the chicken for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains. (Internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.) Remove the dish from the oven and let the chicken rest, covered for 10 minutes.
While the chicken roasts, prepare the pasta, sesame seeds and sauce:
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- While the pasta cooks: place the sesame seeds in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toast the sesame seeds, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the seeds are fragrant and lightly browned. (Watch these carefully - if you walk away they will burn!) Set the seeds aside.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and grated ginger in a medium bowl. Taste the sauce: a little saltiness is okay since the sauce will soak into the pasta. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the sauce if you want to lessen the saltiness. Grate the last clove of garlic into the sauce and stir it through.
- Pour the sauce over the hot, cooked noodles. Toss the noodles until they're thoroughly coated in sauce.
Assemble the dinner:
- Divide the Sesame Noodles evenly between 4 or 5 serving plates. Slice the Garlic Roasted Chicken into strips. Divide the chicken evenly between the plates, topping the noodles with the slices. Sprinkle each plate with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve it up immediately!
OPTION: MAKE-AHEAD LUNCH
- Have ready 4-5 large, reheatable, covered containers that you can take to work. Let the Sesame Noodles and the Garlic Roasted Chicken cool a bit. Divide the noodles between the containers. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions over each portion. Slice the Garlic Roasted Chicken Breast and divide the slices evenly between the dishes. Cover the containers tightly and store them in the refrigerator. The meals can be warmed in a microwave oven or enjoyed cold.
- Store leftovers or the make-ahead portions in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Makes 4-5 servings.
Notes
- Look for fresh ginger root in your produce section and check to be sure the root has no soft or shriveled spots. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin, then grate the bright gold ginger that you reveal.
Nancy Mock
Did this last night and it was perfect.
Used regular spaghetti pasta and had everything needed
In the fridge.
Sauce was delicious, made extra to put on rice this weekend.
-Randy, via email 11/7/19
Heidi
Yum, this looks delicious! I'll definitely be making this!
Nancy Mock
It’s one of my favorites, I can’t wait for you to try it. Do you think you’ll try it as a dinner or as a make-ahead lunch?
Traci Torres
Easy to make, came out great. I wouldn't add any salt to the sauce as it's on the salty side already from the soy sauce. My family loved it!
Nancy Mock
Hi Traci! I'm so happy that your family liked this dish. Thanks for the note about the salt - I'll make a note about that in the recipe. Thank you for the wonderful feedback on my recipe. 🙂