Chicken Noodles

f you can pronounce tahini (it’s ta-HEE-nee, rhymes with bikini), you can make these noodles. OK, even if you can’t, you’ll ace them, because few things in this book are so good and so frigging easy. There’s even a magic chicken breast that you cook in hot water off the flame. Then you cook the pasta in the same water before you coat the cold pasta in a sticky, nutty dressing and realize you can pull off this dish smoothly without taking a Xanax.

Ingredients :

Kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 ounces dried fettuccine
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chili oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions :

• Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Salt it so that it tastes good, add the chicken breast, and remove the pot from the heat. Cover and let the chicken sit until cooked but very tender, about 15 minutes. (If you’re using 2 smaller breasts, decrease the time by about 3 minutes.) Remove the chicken from the water (don’t throw the water away! You’ll see why in a minute) and cut into it to check its doneness; if it’s still a little pink, return it to the water for another minute or two. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it rest while you cook the noodles.
•  Bring the water the chicken was cooked in back to a boil over high heat. Add the fettuccine and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Drain, rinse the pasta in cold water until cool, then shake it dry in a colander.
•  While the pasta cooks, in a medium bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the peanut oil, tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, honey, cayenne, and garlic until smooth.
•  Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and use a clean paper towel to gently pat the noodles as dry as is actually reasonable. Toss the noodles with the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
•  Shred the chicken with your hands or chop it into bite-size pieces and add it to the noodles. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with the scallions.