Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

First, I don't cook. Second, no one in my immediate family really caught the cooking bug (until now, that I've moved far away, as both my sister and younger brother seem to have picked it up), Third, EVERYONE thinks I know how to cook and have been doing so for my whole existence when I make this recipe (which has been twice). It's.that.good.

You can make it without the chicken and substitute organic peanut butter. etc. and the leftovers (shown in this photo) are almost better than the original batch.

Just beware, the last time I made this a friend and I came home around 3:00 am and seriously binged on the entire bowl of it. The perfect mixture of sweet and salty, it is hard to stop, which is why it is one of my all time favorite steals from my sister:

Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

3/4 lb. grilled chicken breast 1/2 lb. uncooked spaghetti pasta 1/3 cup shredded carrots 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola) 2 T. white vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar) 2 T. peanut butter 2 T. sugar 2 T. sesame seeds, toasted dash of crushed red pepper

Slice grilled chicken into strips. Break pasta into thirds and cook in boiling water according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine chicken, pasta, carrots, green onions, and peanuts. Combine remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed (I used a salad dressing shaker). Toss into chicken mixture.

We served this salad warm and also heated the leftover up, but according to the directions, it is supposed to be served chilled - so you decide.

Also, Claire added hers on top of spinach leaves for some extra greens....really good idea if you want to cut back on the pasta but still enjoy. I ate the leftovers tonight on top spinach with a couple basil leaves.