Sesame Chicken

I haven't had Chinese food since London in January. And it's July now. No one should have to go 7 months without Chinese food!

So this week I picked out a recipe and we tested it. I can now see why there is such a shortage of Chinese restaurants in Moscow – Mom had to go to three different grocery stores to get all of the ingredients!

But oh boy was it worth it! I mean, yes, we did also find out why you only ever find sesame chicken in restaurants (it is a little time consuming to make) but it's not like we have a Chinese restaurant to go to.

There are, however, some advantages to making Chinese food at home. 1) There's no too-big-for-your-mouth chunks of chicken, only nice little morsels of tastiness that you can pop perfectly into your mouth. And 2) you know exactly what is in your food...those chunks of chicken really are chunks of chicken.

Part of what is time consuming is the marinade, which could be skipped but the dish wouldn't be quite as flavorful.

Cornstarch gives this chicken its crunch!

Rice cooks while the chicken fries.

Don't forget the sauce! It's nice and flavorful. If you are using the Chinese 5 spice powder, don't add it all at once without tasting along the way...it can be a little overpowering!

Drizzle that sauce on. Or keep it separate, your choice.

Garnish!

And (at long last) eat! Mix in some broccoli or peppers for added flavor.

Sesame Seed Chicken

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup chicken broth

1-2 Tbs. sesame oil (to taste)

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 Tbs. chopped garlic

1/2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 dash red chili pepper flakes

2 tsp. cornstarch (or more for a thicker sauce)

Marinade and chicken:

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. sherry wine

1/2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder (optional)*

2 drops sesame oil

cornstarch, to coat

To cook:

vegetable oil or peanut oil (for frying)

sesame seeds (to garnish)

sliced green onion (to garnish)

prepared rice, to serve

Directions:

1. Marinade and chicken: Cube chicken into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine all chicken ingredients except the cornstarch. Mix the chicken into the marinade until it is completely coated. Marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes.*

2. Heat enough oil in a wok or pan to about halfway cover the chicken. Do not completely cover the chicken.

3. While the oil heats, remove chicken from marinade and toss about 7 pieces at a time in cornstarch (sift cornstarch first if there are many lumps). Using cornstarch for frying creates tiny air pockets, resulting in a puffed up, crunchy outer layer. Many Asian restaurants also use cornstarch.

4. Fry the breaded chicken in the hot oil until cooked through. Remove from wok, place in slightly warmed oven to keep hot while more chicken and the sauce are cooking.* Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

5. Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients except cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium heat.

6. In a small bowl or cup, mix cornstarch with about 1/4 teaspoon water until dissolved (this will prevent the cornstarch from clumping). Slowly drizzle it into the sauce and stir, heating until thickened. Repeat with more cornstarch until thickened to your liking.

7. Add chicken to sauce on the stove. Remove and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over rice.

*Chinese 5 spice powder is usually made up of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and peppercorns. A recipe to make your own can be found here. However, I simply skipped the powder; it wasn't missed.

*If you are short on time, skip marinating the chicken. The final dish will be less flavorful but still good.

*Alternatively, skip coating the chicken with cornstarch and frying, instead simply grilling the marinated chicken.

Recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/family-favorite-sesame-chicken-239398