Cucumber Chicken Salad with Sesame and Noodles

Ingredients

• • 8 ounces Chinese egg noodles or other thin noodles or pasta, fresh or dried
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup rice vinegar 
  • 2 tblsp sesame oil
  • 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons Bragg soy sauce
  • 2 heads baby romaine or 1 head regular romaine lettuce
  • 1 1/2 pounds cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and chilled
  • 1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Toasted sesame seeds for garnish 

Directions

• 1 Fill a large bowl with water and add ice cubes. Cook noodles in boiling water until just tender, 2 to 4 minutes if fresh, about 6 minutes for dry (or according to package directions). Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When the noodles are cold, drain well and transfer to a very large bowl. Set aside.
• 2 Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil in a bowl until smooth. Add scallions, cilantro, if using, soy sauce, and stir to blend.
• 3 If using baby romaine, half lengthwise, notch out the core, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. If using regular romaine, remove the tougher outer leaves. Halve lengthwise, notch out the core, halve again, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. You should have about 8 cups.
• 4 Add the lettuce, chicken, and cucumber to the noodles. Add three-fourths of the dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining dressing if desired.
• 5 Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the salad for up to 1 day or prepare the dressing (Step 2), cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days; thin with a little water as needed.