Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 30 min |
| Cook time | 15 min |
| Source | The New Basics Cookbook (page 141) |
| Yield / serves | 6 servings |
| Rating | Excellent! |
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine or bow-tie pasta
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T brown sugar
- 6 T chunky peanut butter
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 6 T sesame oil
- 1 T hot chile oil
- 2 boneless and skinless cooked chicken breast halves
- 5 T sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
- 3 scallions (green onions) white bulb and 3 inches green, cut into 2-inch julienne
- 1 small cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook at a rolling boil until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly add the sesame and hot chili oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.
Shred the chicken into 2-inch julienne, and toss with the linguine. Add the sauce and 4 tablespoons of the sesame seeds, and toss to coat well.
Cut the asparagus on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.
Place the linguine and chicken in a large flat serving bowl, and arrange the asparagus on top. Sprinkle with the scallions, cucumber, and remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
