Sesame Chicken

When Rick told me that he had taken out some chicken to thaw and was craving some Chinese food, I suggested that we try to make sesame chicken.  I've never done it before, but a quick search of the internet found this recipe from recipezaar.com.  There are actually quite a few version of it on various sites on the internet, but I opted to use it as my base recipe.  I served it with fried rice and steamed broccoli.  Admittedly, I'm not a huge broccoli fan, but Rick keeps going on and on about how it is a super-food.  How can I win against that? ;)  

Our meal turned out pretty good,  and I think that our version is probably a wee-bit better for you than what you get from your average Chinese restaurant.  Rick didn't deep fry the chicken, but did it in about an inch of peanut oil and turned them. I don't know that the marinade added all that much to it, and next time, I may marinate it longer.  It smelled great, though!

Here's the recipe!

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes

Peanut oil for frying

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Marinade

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cooking sherry
• 3 drops sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 

Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade together, and marinade the chicken for around 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

Add enough peanut oil to a cast iron or heavy skillet to have the oil be 1 inch thick.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when it is heated, add the marinated chicken pieces enough to cover the majority of the skillet.  Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels . Repeat with the remainder of the chicken. Just before you are finished frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Enjoy!