Chilled Soba Salad With Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

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Rotisserie chicken is one of the best staples to have in your refrigerator at all times. Not only is it delicious hot and straight from the market, but it is the perfect canvas for creating leftover dishes upon, including tacos, casseroles, sandwiches, and soups. Recipe developer Julie Kinnaird shares one of her favorite ways to highlight this handy and tasty ingredient in her chilled soba salad with leftover rotisserie chicken recipe. "I love having leftover rotisserie chicken because it allows me to put together a meal that tastes like it took lots of time and effort to prepare, but saves the step of cooking the protein," Kinnaird says. She particularly drew inspiration for this recipe from eating cold noodle dishes in Japan that had simple ingredients but were packed with flavor. In this case, hearty soba noodles pair up with the chicken, a creamy and slightly spicy sesame miso dressing, and plenty of fresh, crunchy, and colorful vegetables.

This recipe also has steps that can be done in advance to add to the ease of preparation. The noodles can be cooked ahead and chilled, the vegetables can be prepped, and the dressing mixed and ready to go. Simply combine everything with enough time before serving to allow the flavors to blend. This chilled salad is a dreamy dish for hot summer nights, picnics, or anytime that you want to give leftover rotisserie chicken an elevated glow-up.

With leftover rotisserie chicken as the star of this recipe, the remaining ingredients on the list help elevate this versatile product and make it shine. Japanese buckwheat soba noodles are the next key ingredient, and these can typically be found in the Asian dry goods section at most grocery stores. You will need a variety of produce for this salad, including Persian cucumbers, Napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, Thai basil, and a Fresno chile for garnish. 

To make the spicy sesame miso dressing, you will need sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, white miso paste, Kewpie mayo, chili oil, mirin, grated fresh ginger, and a clove of garlic. Some of the sesame oil and soy sauce will also be used for flavoring the soba noodles once they are cooked. You'll also want sesame seeds and chili crisp on hand for serving.

Cut the ends off the cucumbers and split them lengthwise.

Cut the cucumber halves into 1-inch pieces.

Transfer the cucumbers to a Ziplock bag and seal, pushing out the air.

Use a rolling pin or mallet to gently smash the cucumbers, being careful to keep the pieces intact.

Transfer the cucumbers to a colander set over a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sea salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.

While the cucumbers are draining, bring a large pot of water to a boil with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sea salt.

Add the soba noodles and cook to al dente according to package directions.

Drain the soba and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Transfer the soba to a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the rice vinegar, miso, mayo, chili oil, mirin, ginger, garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Add the chicken, cabbage, carrots, scallions, and drained cucumbers to the soba.

Pour over the dressing and toss everything together to coat.

Cover and chill the salad for at least 1 hour.

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or individual dishes and garnish with the basil, Fresno chile, sesame seeds, and chili crisp. Serve right away.

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Soba are traditional Japanese noodles that have a history dating back thousands of years. Traditional soba are made strictly from buckwheat flour and water, however there is a variety of soba called nihachi soba that has wheat flour mixed in as well. Soba noodles look somewhat similar to spaghetti in terms of diameter and shape, but they certainly have a different flavor profile. The buckwheat flour gives soba a wonderful nutty and earthy flavor, making them especially delicious with umami-rich ingredients. In Japan, soba noodles are eaten both chilled and hot, most often in soups.

The primary difference between soba and other noodles is in the flour. Despite its misleading name, buckwheat is a seed rather than a type of wheat, meaning that 100% buckwheat soba is gluten-free. Because of this, soba has a different texture from pasta noodles that contain hard durum wheat flour and plenty of gluten structure. Soba noodles should be handled delicately after cooking. Rinsing them in cool water helps to remove extra starch that can cause them to become too sticky, unlike pasta dishes where the extra "cling" is desired for adhering to sauces. Italian-style pastas, egg noodles, or rice noodles all have a very mild and neutral flavor compared to the bold and hearty taste of soba.

Switching in and out various ingredients is easy to do, and it allows you to put your own flavor stamp on the outcome. Start with the cabbage — try shredded purple cabbage for extra color and crunch or savoy cabbage for a more delicate texture. Mix in other crunchy fresh vegetables such as thinly sliced celery, snow pea pods, or any variety of radish that you happen to like. Try adding cooked and shelled edamame for some extra protein or extra spicy peppers if you want a little more heat. Raw cashews or peanuts would also add some nice contrasting texture and rich flavor.

For the dressing, try using a different vinegar like Champagne or apple cider vinegar, which will still be light in flavor and add just a touch of sweetness. If you don't have mirin on hand, maple syrup is a perfect substitute. Kinnaird adores Kewpie mayo for its silky texture and tangy flavor, but a different variety of mayo will also work.

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