Sesame Chicken Salad

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Ingredients

1. 1/4 pound vermicelli
2. 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
3. 3 scallions including green tops, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 )
6. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
7. 4 cloves garlic, chopped
8. 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
9. 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
10. 2 teaspoons sugar
11. 2 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
12. 1/8 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
13. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
14. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
15. 2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise, peeled, and seeded

1. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the vermicelli until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain thoroughly.
2. 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 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken steam for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the saucepan and shred it.
3. In a blender, puree the remaining 3 tablespoons broth, the ginger, garlic, tahini, sesame oil, sugar, cooking oil, red-pepper flakes, soy sauce, and pepper. Put the cucumber halves cut-side down and slice them lengthwise into thin strips.
4. To serve, put the vermicelli on plates or in bowls. Scatter each serving 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.