Healthy Recipe of the Week ~ Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken & Vegetables

Colorful, quick and easy!  The veggies can be mixed and matched to suit your taste, or try Asian rice noodles in place of the pasta.  And you can simplify this dish even more and still keep it healthy by substituting leftover rotisserie chicken!

Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken & Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce, or to taste (can be found in the Asian food section of your local mega-mart)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 12-ounce bag fresh vegetable medley, such as carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers

Preparation

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size strips.
3. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, chile-garlic sauce and ginger in a large bowl.
4. Cook pasta in the boiling water until not quite tender, about 1 minute less than specified in the package directions. Add vegetables and cook until the pasta and vegetables are just tender, 1 minute more. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Rinse the pasta and vegetables with cool water to refresh. Stir the reserved cooking liquid into the peanut sauce; add the pasta, vegetables and chicken; toss well to coat. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutrition

Per serving: 363 calories; 12 g fat ( 2 g sat , 0 g mono ); 44 mg cholesterol; 36 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 29 g protein; 7 g fiber; 348 mg sodium; 287 mg potassium.

Originally published in “The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006)”