Rinse brown rice with cold water. In a saucepan with add rice, salt, pepper, and water. Bring to a boil with the lid on and immediately turn down to a simmer. Let all the water evaporate and remove from heat, fluff with a fork and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on.
In a saute pan heat 1 tbsp of oil add in chicken and saute until fully cooked. (to an internal temperature of 160 degrees)
In the meantime, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and add the edamame. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until they are tender yet still crunchy. Drain edamame and run under cold water.
To make the dressing, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and 1-2 tablespoons of water until well combined. Stir in the sesame seeds.
In a large bowl, combine the rice, chicken, edamame, cucumber, avocado, and baby spinach and toss together gently. To serve, transfer salad to a plate, drizzle with dressing, season with salt and black pepper, and top with the sesame seeds and nori strips.