I finished my 7 days of budget winter warmers yesterday, but thought I would mention that this dish was $25 also! It's always handy finding more affordable meals. You can use any noodles you like here instead of the soba – vermicelli, somen, egg – whatever works for you!
For the peanut dressing: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or small jug. The dressing will be quite thick, so gradually add a teaspoon of water at a time, then whisk and check the consistency. You want to thin it out, but not so much that it makes the salad too wet. Set aside.
Place a large saucepan of water over high heat. Add the chicken breasts, bring to the boil, then turn down to a very gentle simmer. Cook for 15–20 minutes. Remove the chicken and slice. You can also pan-fry the chicken if you prefer.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add the soba noodles and cook for no longer than 3 minutes (they become soggy if you overcook them). Drain, run under cold water and set aside.
To assemble the salad: In a large bowl, place the noodles, chicken, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, edamame, spring onion, mint and peanuts. Drizzle over half the dressing and toss through. Add more dressing little by little, until the salad is coated, but not dripping (you may have some dressing left over). You can garnish with some more fresh mint leaves before serving.