Sticky Chicken Thighs with Rice Noodle Salad

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If you read this blog you know I love a good leisurely cook. I’m sure some would rather call them “cumbersome” or “needlessly complicated” but I stand by the word leisurely. My recipes tend to celebrate the act of cooking, making a meal out of, well, making a meal. But when the summer hits that all goes out the window. If the sun is shining you will not find me assembling agnolotti. What you will find me doing is tossing protein in a hastily prepared marinade before abandoning it in my fridge. And from there the protein is grilled and served alongside a salad I cobbled together from things in my crisper and, hopefully, a glass of cold beer. It’s a whole different vibe. And today’s Sticky Chicken Thighs with Rice Noodle Salad fits very comfortably into that vibe.

I know what you’re thinking. I had all that veg hiding in my crisper? Well, yes and no. I am in a perpetual state of attempting to make my way through a whole head of cabbage. Ditto for the radishes, which I always seem to think I need more of than I actually do. Carrots are long-term residents of my crisper and my fridge feels naked without a cucumber of some kind. But the purple asparagus was a special acquisition, it’s true.

Around this time of year, I buy so much unplanned produce. Every time I walk into the grocery store or market there is some novel piece of local veg I cannot resist buying. And if that piece of produce happens to be purple, well, I have to restrain myself from buying 8. These purple asparagus were no exception. I even endured being severely judged by a grocery store clerk for paying the extra three dollars for the purple over the green. She obviously didn’t know they were destined for a photo shoot and therefore worth every penny.

Now, if you’re not into giving your dishes the model treatment, you can certainly sub the purple asparagus for the equally delicious green asparagus. But they are kind of fun to play with. So if you opt to spend a little more for the unbridled glee that comes with adding purple to your plate, just know I get you and I see you.

But enough about purple, let’s talk marinades. All my marinades follow the same equation. A good amount of salt, a little sweet, something for depth, something acidic, and some type of oil. Now, obviously, the ratios can be adjusted. But never underestimate how much salt a marinade needs. In the case of these Sticky Chicken Thighs, I upped the sweet considerably and went for an ingredient that brought both salt and depth simultaneously – fish sauce. But you get the point, every marinade should have these five elements.

Now, let’s talk about protein. Chicken thighs are my favorite for this marinade but you could swap them out for a few chicken breasts if you’re more of a white meat person. And if you’re a no meat person, extra firm tofu works very well here. I’ve made this recipe with it several times and it always comes out beautifully. Now, of course, you will have to swap out the fish sauce for veg-friendly fish sauce. There are a few brands on the market. But if you can’t find any, try this recipe from Minimalist Baker. It’s really quite delicious.

Okay, with the chicken happily swimming in our marinade, we can move on to the dressing. I like to make the dressing at the same time I make the marinade. It cuts down on the amount of work I have to do when dinnertime is imminent and I am very likely to be hangry. Plus, the dressing can hang out in the fridge and deepen in flavor. This dressing is a little different because it has an extra step. The first thing we’re going to do is lightly pickle the shallots in the lime juice. Once the shallots soften slightly and turn fuchsia around the edges, you can add the remaining dressing ingredients, give it a whisk and stow it in the fridge.

From here dinner is pretty much done. So when your tummy says it’s time, all you have to do is soften the noodles in some boiling water before rinsing and dressing them in the vinaigrette you made earlier. Retrieve your chicken and give it a good charring before slicing it up and piling it on top of the noodles. And finally, adding all the veg you care to eat. That’s really it. You could pretty much do all of this with a beer in one hand. Basically, this meal is the stuff of summer dreams.

So that’s everything you need to know about these Sticky Chicken Thighs with Rice Noodle Salad. Juicy chicken, fresh veg, and chewy noodles – what more could you want from a summer meal? Effortless and quick, you say? Well, this dish is that as well.

Enjoy!