Chicken: If you’re starting with raw chicken breasts, the fastest way to cook them is to slice them horizontally into thin cutlets, season with a pinch of salt, then sauté in a hot pan with a splash of oil for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Let them rest for a couple of minutes, then shred or slice thinly.

The sauce: Always dress your salad with half the sauce first to see how it coats everything. Having the rest reserved to spoon over individual portions makes eating it look and taste extra good. If you like things extra saucy, you might want to double the sauce! Or make double the amount so you have some in the fridge to use throughout the week. "Cook" once, eat twice kind of vibes. I love this sauce with gyoza or dumplings - cook from frozen in a few minutes, drizzle with this sauce and add a little chilli oil. So delicious!!

Other veg: Really anything with a bit of crunch goes here. If you want to empty out the fridge, red cabbage, finely sliced sugar snap peas, peppers, radishes, or shredded Brussels sprouts all work beautifully.

Extra flavour: A knob of finely grated fresh ginger is a really great addition to the sauce, too, if you have it on hand.

The noodles: I tend to use rice vermicelli but soba noodles or wider rice noodles would also be wonderful. Just cook according to package instructions, rinse under cold water and make sure to drain well to keep things from getting watery. I also find drizzling them with a little sesame oil is also key as it stops them clumping together.

Make it veggie: Honestly, this salad is fantastic even without the chicken. You could also swap it out for crispy tofu cubes or top with a jammy soft-boiled egg if you want the extra protein.

Leftovers: This recipe keeps really well and makes a dream lunch. If you’re prepping this ahead, just hold back the roasted peanuts until serving so they keep their crunch.