3/4 cup pure maple syrup (eyeball it)
1/3 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
1/2 cup sweet hot mustard (eyeball it)
1 1/3 lbs. chicken breast tenders (the average weight of one package)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup sesame seeds a mix of black and white or all white
1/4 cup vegetable oil
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 it)
1 bag mixed baby greens (5-6 ounces)
1 /4 English (seedless) cucumber halved lengthwise and then thinly sliced on an angle
1 /2 cup shredded carrots (a couple of handfuls)
4 scallions thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 lb. snow peas sliced on an angle
Fried Chinese noodles perhaps leftover from take-out, for garnish (optional)
For a complete meal, serve with Special Fried Rice and Spicy Broccoli.
Combine syrup, soy and sweet hot mustard in a bowl. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper on both sides. Add chicken tenders to half of the marinade and coat. Set aside. Reserve the remaining half for dressing.
Pre-heat 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.
To make the dressing: 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 Chinese take-out.