This Cajun Chicken Noodle Salad with Creamy Chilli Lime Dressing is a colourful any-season salad to set your taste buds tingling. Awesome Chicken Salad with a Kick!
A colourful salad, perfect for any season, full of creamy crunchiness. This is the second recipe in my 20 Minute Tuesday Series – check out the video below (I have to talk and everything!!)
I can’t believe it’s March already! Last week the kids were off school for two days due to the snow, and this week I’m thinking about what I’m going to grow in the garden (time to get those early seeds sown!).
I’ve got to admit, I’m not naturally green fingered. In fact my mother-in-law waters our plants when she comes round, because she knows I’ve invariably forgotten.
Flowers, house plants and keeping the lawn looking good aren’t my thing. But give me food? Homegrown food-giving plants? – and I’ll look after them like a newborn baby.
In the past I’ve grown potatoes, garlic, spring onions, salad leaves, all manner of herbs, carrots, berries and tomatoes. I’ve also grown lots and lots of chillies. That was back when I had a conservatory to start everything off in. Now we’ve removed the conservatory and extended the kitchen (did you see our kitchen reveal last year?) I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do.
Chris has built me a raised bed, so there’ll definitely be some food growing, but I think I need to portion off a little corner of the kitchen to start my seedlings growing.
I can’t wait to get some chillies planted. I always plant a few varieties in the spring, and end up with tons of chillies that I use mid-summer through to Autumn. At that point we start making this salad and the dressing that goes with it in copious amounts. We also make chilli jam, chilli powder and chilli flakes. You can probably guess, we like chillies quite a lot in our house.
If you came over to ours for tea, the most common thing you’re likely to see in the middle of our dinner table – in place of the salt and pepper – is a little plate with chopped chillies, chopped spring onions/scallions and maybe a bit of grated cheese. Perfect with pasta, potatoes, salads, chilli-con-carne, soups, stews….the list is endless
So, the first chilli of the season? Eeek! So so so hot. Burn-your-mouth-so-you-can’t-taste-anything-else hot.  Accidentally touch your eye four hours after chopping it (following at least a couple of hand washes) and yelping as your eye immediately starts watering, and you can’t see anything out of it for another hour hot.
I have to revert back to shop-bought chillies, or wait till later in the season for the chillies in this recipe.
Check out the video here:
This is a great dish to use up leftover roast chicken – although, for me, It’s good enough to warrant cooking the chicken especially. The addition of noodles also means it’s filling enough to have for dinner. Make sure you use cabbage that’s been finely chopped. A mild, leafy green cabbage is best so it doesn’t overpower everything else. I love the Cajun flavours and if your like me and this really hits the spot then your should try my CAJUN CHICKEN WITH CORIANDER AND LIME RICE recipe too.
Will you be growing your own food this Spring and Summer? I’d love to hear!
This is an updated post, first published in 2014. Check out the old pic…..????
Chicken Noodle Salad with Creamy Chilli Lime Dressing Recipe:
Chicken Noodle Salad with Creamy Chilli Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 chicken breasts butterflied
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Cajun spice
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- 250 g (8.8 oz) dried fine egg noodles - or 420g (14.8 oz) cooked Use rice noodles for gluten-free
- 1 head of spring greens leafy green cabbage, chopped into ribbons
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 small cucumber peeled, deseeded and sliced into half-moons
- 1 small bunch coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp buttermilk
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
- juice of 1 small lime
- ½ red chilli finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 small garlic clove peeled and crushed
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle or frying pan to a high heat. Place the butterflied chicken breasts on a board and drizzle over the oil. Mix together the Cajun spice, pepper, and garlic salt, then sprinkle over the top and rub into the chicken on both sides.2 chicken breasts, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp Cajun spice, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- Place the chicken on the griddle, and cook for around 7-9 minutes, turning once, until cooked all the way through. Remove and allow to rest.
- Meanwhile, cook your noodles as per the pack instructions.250 g (8.8 oz) dried fine egg noodles - or 420g (14.8 oz) cooked
- Whilst the noodles are cooking, make your salad dressing by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Cover and place in the fridge whilst you prepare the rest of the salad.2 tbsp sour cream, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro, juice of 1 small lime, 1/2 red chilli, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 small garlic clove peeled and crushed, 3 tbsp buttermilk
- When the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander/sieve and rinse through with cold water until they’re completely cold. This will stop the cooking process and ensure your noodles don’t stick together.
- Place the sliced spring greens, red pepper slices, and cucumber into a large serving bowl (or divide between four plates). Top with the cooked noodles.Â1 head of spring greens, 1 red pepper, 1 small cucumber
- Slice the chicken into strips and scatter on top of the salad, then drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing over the top. Serve with the remaining salad dressing and a sprinkling of coriander.1 small bunch coriander (cilantro)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi Nicky,
I posted previously on the wrong salad, I meant to ask if this one can you use iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage
Absolutely! The cabbage has a bit more of a chewy bite to it, but you can replace it with your favourite lettuce.
Going to try this with rice noodles and a little less chilli ( gluten intolerant and palate can’t take too much heat). The dish looks so colourful.
You have a chilli plants!!!! OK, Now I am jealous 🙂
I love ANYTHING with noodle even when it’s a salad, and this IS my kind of salad. Thank you so much for sharing. This looks so yummy. Love it.
P.S. I will be back for your chilli jam recipe 🙂
Excellent! Let me know how you get on Pang 🙂