Chicken Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Cold, crunchy, fiery, nutty—this dish is everything you want in a summer side. Refreshing romaine and cucumber provide ample texture while a zippy, tangy peanut sauce coats the springy noodles and revives your too-hot-to-eat-anything palate. Gently poaching chicken breasts takes just a few minutes, so you can minimize your time at the stovetop. (Here’s a time-saving tip: Prepare the chicken ahead of time and have it chilling in the fridge for you.) Prepping the lettuce, cucumber, and chicken in similar sizes will give you the most pleasant eating experience; the nutty sauce especially loves to latch on to the craggy surface of the hand-torn chicken pieces.