Recipe: Chinese Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Salad

Chinese Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Salad
alt.cooking/Minnie (2002)
Source:Sunset
Servings: 6

1 whole chicken breast (about 1 1/4 pound) -- split
8 ounces dry linguine
1 tablespoon peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon crushed dried hot red chiles
3 tablespoons salad oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar OR cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small cucumber -- thinly sliced

In a 5-6 quart pan, bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add chicken, cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until meat is white in thickest part, about 20-25 minutes. Lift out chicken, let cool and reserve water. Remove and discard skin and bones*. Tear chicken into bite-size shreds. If made ahead, cover and chill chicken and water until next day.

Bring water to a boil and add linguine. Boil, uncovered, until just tender to bite, 6-8 minutes. Drain. Immerse in cold water until cool, then drain well again.

Remove any debris from peppercorns. In a 6-8" frying pan, toast peppercorns over med-low heat until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Shake pan often. Pour peppercorns into a blender and whirl until finely ground.

Add chiles and oil to pan. Cook over low heat until chiles just begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool and add ground pepper, vinegar, soy sauce and cilantro.

On a shallow dish, arrange a bed of noodles; cover with cucumber and chicken. Pour dressing evenly over salad and mix to blend.

NOTES : * I just use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to start with.