Sesame Chicken

A co-worker of mine came into my office the other day telling me about the sesame chicken she tried to make at home, that didn't turn out.  She was asking ME for advice.  This is so strange to me, I mean I know I have a food blog but I hardly consider myself a knowledgeable resource for food questions.  I had only made sesame chicken once before and it was long before I started this blog.  So I went home and made it.  What other choice did I have?  Oh, and I LOVE sesame chicken and once she planted the seed in my head I couldn't get it out.  Well, needless to say I'm glad I made it.  It was very yummy and not difficult.  You can spice this up as much or as little as you want, I kept it pretty tame for our liking.

To make the sauce you pretty much put almost all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir until it thickens.  Then you put the heat to low and just stir every so often until you're ready to serve it.

Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate for 20 minutes.  Then fry until golden brown.  By the time you've got all the sides golden the chicken will be fully cooked.

I served this with rice and it was wonderful.  Perfectly sweet with a slight hint of spice.  The pieces of sesame on top give it a little bit of texture.  Perfect.

I found this recipe here: Sesame Chicken



Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

•3 whole boneless chicken breasts

Marinade:
•2 tablespoons light soy sauce
•1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry (I used White Wine because that's what I had)
•a few drops of 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 for Sesame Chicken:
•1/2 cup water
•1 cup chicken broth
•1/8 cup vinegar
•1/4 cup cornstarch
•1 cup sugar
•2 TB dark soy sauce
•2 TB sesame oil
•1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired (I used tobasco because I didn't have chili paste)
•1 clove garlic (minced)

Other:

•2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (see recipe directions for link to how to toast)
•3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying

Preparation:

Directions for Sesame Chicken: Toast the sesame seeds and set aside.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce: 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.

To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Just before you are finished deep-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. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.