Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, eyeball the amount
• 1/3 cup dark soy, Tamari, eyeball the amount
• 1/2 cup sweet hot mustard, eyeball the amount
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds, a mix of black and white or all white
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 3 or 4 turns of the pan, total
• 1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders
• Salt and pepper

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 inches fresh ginger root, grated or minced
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 generous splashes
• 1/4 cup Chinese duck sauce or, apricot all fruit spread
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, eyeball the amount

Salad:

• 5 to 6 ounces mixed baby greens, 1 bag
• 1 /4 English or seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 /2 cup shredded carrots, a couple of handfuls
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1/4 pound snow peas, sliced on an angle
• Fried Chinese noodles for garnish, perhaps leftover from take out, optional

Directions

Combine syrup, soy and sweet hot mustard in a bowl. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper on both sides. Add chicken tenders to 1/2 of the marinade and coat. Set aside. Reserve the remaining 1/2 for dressing. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spread sesame seeds on a sheet of waxed paper or into a shallow dish. Waxed paper will speed your clean up. Dip the tenders into the sesame seeds. Coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Cook chicken in small batches 3 minutes on each side and remove to plate.

Whisk ginger, vinegar and the reserved marinade together then stream in the oil while you are continuing to whisk dressing.

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss with dressing and serve, topping with sesame chicken tenders. Toss some crunch into your salad with fried noodles, if you have any leftover packets from ordering Chinese take out, for the last time!