Sesame chicken salad

Another great selection from Food&Wine, this salad tastes great right after it’s tossed. I has some the next day for lunch, but by then the cukes were soggy. I added some shredded carrots, too. Great summer dish.

Sesame chicken salad

1/4 pound vermicelli

1 cup chicken broth, plus 3 tablespoons

3 scallions, including green tops, cut into 1/4″ slices

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the vermicelli until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water.

In a medium saucepan, combine the 1 cup broth, one third of the scallions, and the salt. Bring to a simmer, add the chicken, stir, and cover the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the chicken steam for 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the saucepan and shred it.

In a blender, puree the remaining 3 tablespoons broth, the ginger, garlic, tahini, sesame oil, sugar, canola oil, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and pepper. Put the cucumber halves cut-side down and slice them lengthwise into thin strips.

To serve, put the vermicelli in the bottom of a large plate. Scatter with a layer of cucumber strips and then top with the shredded chicken. Pour the sesame sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining scallions. Makes 4 servings.

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