Sesame Chicken
Posted by in Food
My kids love sesame chicken takeout. If we get takeout (a rare occurrence) we have to get two large orders of this to prevent fisticuffs. I don’t mind it, but always seem to end up with a piece that is fatty or grisly, so I don’t eat much of it. They like it because it is sweet and deep fried.
I came upon a recipe for sesame chicken by Ellie Krieger in Food Network Magazine’s Sept issue. No deep frying involved, yet it promised a flavorful dish that is a good substitute. The verdict? They’re right. The chicken is browned in a bit of oil so it gets a nice flavor to it and the sauce is complex and rich. I really liked this a lot. I served it with some somen noodles. Like seemingly all Asian dishes, there are a lot of ingredients and steps, but I would say this was definitely worth it.
5 tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp honey
1 1/4 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
6 tsp canola oil
2 scallions
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c chicken broth
3 tbsp sugar
3-4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili paste
4 cups snowpeas, trimmed
cooked brown rice
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
whisk 3 tbsp of soy sauce with 2 tsp sesame oil and honey. Add chicken and marinate 20 min.
Remove chicken from marinade and cook in 2 tsp oil in nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook in 2 batches, turning once or twice, until done, about 3-5 min
Remove chicken and wipe out pan. Heat 2 tsp oil and add scallions (reserving some tops to sprinkle on dish), ginger, garlic and cook for 1 min. Whisk broth, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, chili paste, and remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce in a bowl. Add to the pan and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add remaining 2 tsp sesame oil.
Cook snow peas in a steamer 2-3 min.
Return chicken to pan and heat through. Serve over brown rice with snow peas. Top with sesame seeds and reserved scallion.
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Always wanted to make this but could never find a recipe. This sounds delish. Thanks so much for sharing, it’s now on my to make list!
Thank you for this recipe. I will make it. I’m not only always looking for another way to cook chicken breat, but I happen to like the flavor of Sasame Chicken but I share your dislikes of it as well.
This looks fabulous; I especially like that it is not fried. But the soy sauce…heavy on salt, which I need to steer clear from, even if it’s low sodium (which still has a LOT of salt in each tsp.)Same on the chicken broth. I wonder if there’s something else I can use…or need I skip this idea altogether? 🙁
They do make low sodium chicken broth too, I don’t know if that would help.
I’ve tried it a couple of times before with other recipes with no success. This is a good one though.
We’re sesame chicken fans at our house too. This looks good. I think the honey is definitely key in the sauce. I like using red wine vinegar for a bit of sourness instead of rice.
always enjoyed Ellie Krieger’s creative cooking ideas, wish she’d have another show on Food Network.
I don’t think I ever watched her – now I wish I had!
I have to admit to a weakness for this dish as well, but I’ve never tried to make my own. When we’ve raised up some meat birds, I’ll have to put this on the list of Recipes I Use to Give My Chickens The Royal Treatment.
Sounds like a good plan!
I love love LOVE sesame chicken. And it’s totally gluten free. 🙂
Looks fantastic. Now two of my little ones are vegetarians. But this is a recipe I’ll be making for my husband, son, and me! (I love chicken. We only buy free range organic chicken. Very expensive. But we don’t buy it often. And I feel like it’s worth it to know that the animals were not mistreated.
Yes, I agree with you.
Sheryl – you could probably use water instead of chicken broth (or simmer some celery, onions, & mushroom stems in water for 15 minutes to do a quick veggie stock) to cut down on the sodium. I feel like the soy flavor is more crucial to the recipe than the broth.
And Jennifer, I bet the baked tofu would be an excellent substitute for chicken here!
This looks good. I tried a recipe for sesame chicken awhile back that a mom swore by, and I found it to be terribly bland. With the rice vinegar and chili paste, I can tell already that this will suit my family better. Thanks!
I made this for our dinner tonight, using firm tofu and green beans instead of the chicken. Really tasty and totally worth the effort! The toddler and 5-year-old ate every bite and my husband said he’d like to have it again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad everyone liked it. It really was an excellent dish. I’m glad it worked with tofu as well.