Japanese-Style Bang Bang Chicken

Sichuan bang bang chicken, or shredded chicken and cucumber tossed in a spicy sesame sauce, evolved into a mellower, slightly different dish in Japan, where it is known as banbanji. Osaka cooking instructor Yoko Inagaki taught us how to make it. Hers was a simple, minimalist assembly of sliced poached chicken with no-cook, non-spicy but well-seasoned soy and sesame sauce, garnished with cucumber and tomato. She used Japanese sesame paste, but tahini works well in its stead. The recipe can easily be scaled up if you’re serving more than four, and the sauce can be made a couple days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container (bring to room temperature before use). The broth leftover from cooking the chicken can be used for another round of poaching, or use it to steam rice or make a curry or Asian soup.