Honey and Soy Chicken with Rice Noodle Salad

I never seem to be able to get rice noodles right cold. They always seem to dry out and be a bit chewy. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm not cooking them long enough or if I need to use thinner noodles or if that's just what they do but I don't think I'll be making many more salads with them. Despite the chewiness of the noodles the flavours of this dish were really delicious. You have to be careful with the chicken though, it burns really easily!

Honey and Soy Chicken with Rice Noodle Salad (adapted from Good Food Channel)
(Serves 2)

2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
2 chicken breast fillets

For the rice noodle salad:

125g rice noodles
150g broccoli
100g cucumber, cubed
2 spring onions, sliced
75g beansprouts
50g kale, shredded
1 small mild chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt

Combine the honey and soy sauce in a small mixing bowl and stir until the honey has dissolved. Add the chilli. Cut the chicken evenly into bite-sized pieces and place in the marinade, stirring gently to coat. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Trim the broccoli and cut it into bite-sized pieces. When the water is boiling throw the broccoli into it and blanch for 2 minutes, until the vegetable is bright green and just tender and using a steamer set over the boiling water steam the kale for a couple of minutes. Immediately drain in a sieve and hold the broccoli and kale under cold running water to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool completely.

Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Place the rice noodles in a large mixing bowl and cover with the boiling water from the kettle. Set aside to steep and leave for the amount of time it says on the packet. When the noodles are just tender, drain thoroughly, then run under cold water and return them to the mixing bowl and add the blanched broccoli, cucumber, spring onions, beansprouts and kale.

 Add the chilli, soy sauce, lime juice and sesame oil and toss the noodles gently so that the vegetables and dressing are evenly distributed.

Preheat the grill and grill pan. Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and thread them onto metal skewers, making 2 or 4 kebabs depending on the length of your skewers. Place them under the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, turning as necessary, until the chicken is browned and slightly charred at the edges, and cooked right through.

Divide the rice noodle salad amongst serving plates and top with the chicken kebabs.