Hot Dinner: Bang bang chicken salad by Sophie Wright

Bang Bang Chicken Salad by Sophie Wright, author of Cook on a Shoestring (Kyle Cathie, £15.99)

This quick dish can be made on a tight budget if you have some cooked chicken left over in the fridge from a previous dinner. If you don’t, buy yourself some chicken drumsticks and give them 15–20 minutes in the oven at 190ºC/Gas 5 to use for this tasty weeknight delight.

Preparation 15 minutes; Cooking 15–30 minutes; Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cucumber, seeds removed and cut into thin strips

1 large carrot, grated

6 spring onions, cut into thin strips

200g glass noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions and refreshed in cold water

300–400g cooked chicken

For the dressing

3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

juice of 1 lime

3 tablespoons water

To serve

20g fresh coriander, torn

1 tablespoon toasted, crushed peanuts (optional)

1 lime (optional)

If you have made my Green Thai Curry Paste or Harissa you can add a little of this to the chicken before you cook it to jazz it up a little. If not, a pinch of chilli and salt and pepper will do the job.

Make the dressing for the salad first by combining the peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, chilli flakes and lime juice together in a small saucepan. Set the pan over a low heat for 4–5 minutes to allow the dressing to warm through. Add the water to loosen the consistency once the sauce is warm.

Mix the cucumber, carrot and spring onions with the cooled noodles. Mix well to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the salad.

Shred the cooked chicken. If you have cooked chicken thighs, simply slice them into 5–6 strips per thigh. Mix the chicken into the salad, then pour over the warm sauce and stir through.

Serve in large soup bowls with torn coriander, toasted peanuts and a wedge of lime, if using.

TIP This dish is lovely cold the next day for lunch if you have any left over.