Cold noodles, crisp vegetables, and tender poached chicken come together in this punchy bang bang salad. One dressing is creamy with peanut and sesame, the other sharp with lime and chilli. Every forkful feels fresh, spicy, crunchy, and properly satisfying without feeling heavy.
Prep: less than 30 mins
Cook: 1 to 2 hours
Serves: Serves 4–6
Dietary: Dairy-free
By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes
This poached chicken and bang bang salad is packed with lean protein, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, and balanced healthy fats. The peanut sauce adds richness while the lime and chilli dressing keeps everything bright and fresh. A colourful, nutrient-rich meal with plenty of texture.
Approx per serving: 480 kcal, 18g fat, 38g carbs, 7g sugars, 6g fibre, 38g protein
Ingredients
For the poached chicken
- 1 small whole chicken
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 lemongrass sticks
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 6 lime leaves
- 2 Thai red chillies
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2cm piece ginger, sliced
- 100ml Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp coriander roots or stalks
For the peanut sauce
- 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- 200ml warm chicken poaching liquor
- Pinch salt and black pepper
For the salad dressing
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 Thai chillies, chopped
- 3–4 limes, juiced
- 6 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- Palm sugar, to taste
- Pinch salt and black pepper
For the salad
- 300g egg noodles
- 100g beansprouts
- 100g sugar-snap peas, sliced
- ¼ red or white cabbage, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- ¼ Chinese cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cucumber, sliced
- 1 bunch coriander, chopped
- 1 bunch mint leaves
- 3 tbsp peanuts, toasted
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Customise
- Swap egg noodles for rice noodles for a lighter bang bang salad
- Use almond butter instead of peanut butter if needed
- Add shredded carrot or radishes for extra crunch
- Replace whole chicken with chicken thighs for a richer texture
Method
- Poach the chicken gently (1 hour) – Add the chicken, coriander seeds, lemongrass, star anise, peppercorns, lime leaves, chillies, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and coriander stalks to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Skim the surface if needed. Cook slowly until the chicken is tender, then leave it to cool in the stock for extra flavour.
- Mix the peanut sauce (5 minutes) – Stir peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, sesame oil, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and warm poaching liquor together until smooth. The sauce should be creamy but pourable.
- Prepare the spicy salad dressing (5 minutes) – Combine garlic, ginger paste, chillies, lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar in a bowl. Taste as you go. You want it salty, sharp, spicy, and slightly sweet.
- Cook and cool the noodles (10 minutes) – Boil the egg noodles following the packet instructions. Drain well, then rinse under cold water so they stay springy instead of sticky.
- Build the bang bang salad (10 minutes) – Toss the noodles with beansprouts, sugar-snap peas, cabbage, red pepper, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, and the salad dressing. Arrange everything on a large serving platter.
- Shred the poached chicken (5 minutes) – Pull the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces using your hands or forks. Toss through the peanut sauce until nicely coated.
- Finish and serve (5 minutes) – Spoon the peanut-coated chicken over the salad. Scatter with coriander, mint, toasted peanuts, and sesame seeds. Serve straight away while everything is fresh and crunchy.