Behind-the-scenes complaint: it’s the hottest part of the summer, but I’m eating soup.
As a recipe developer, I’m always a few months ahead of the season. Some years? I’m chomping on turkey legs for the 4th of July, but not in, like, a cool Disneyland-type way? More like a sage-butter-and-gravy way, just prepping that Thanksgiving content as we do.
This week I ate:
creamy spinach-artichoke chicken soup
fried apples
zuppa toscana
apple crisp
maple-butter hasselback sweet potatoes with rosemary
Am I whining? Well… no, because fall foods are superior. But what I’m actually making because I want to eat it, and not because I have a self-imposed deadline to test and shoot a recipe?
These cold sesame-chili rotisserie chicken noodle bowls.
Ohhh, they’re everything. They’re easy, which is key when fitting in a recipe “just because” at my house. They’re cold and refreshing; they’re loaded with veggies, making them a meal-in-a-bowl; they’re packed with flavor and just spicy enough.
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With:
toasted sesame oil, aka my true love
tahini, which I guess is my side piece, if sesame oil is my true love
green onions, which, for years, I claimed to be my favorite veggie
crunchy Persian cucumbers
spicy fresh ginger
chili crisp, because everything needs chili crisp
and buckwheat soba
It chills beautifully and is perfect meal prep… and the ideal summer dinner that you can make in the morning! Think Crockpot dinner prep at 8 AM, but with even less effort and less heat. Woof.
Let’s get into it.
Cold Sesame-Chili Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Bowls
For the sesame-chili crisp sauce
3 tablespoons tahini
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chili crisp, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
