Asian-Style Sesame Chicken
This is a kid friendly and relatively healthy sesame chicken. We pan-fry instead of deep fry some chicken which is marinated in a lemony asian mix. We decreased the sugar and vinegar and left out a teaspoon or so of chili paste for the kids' sake. Those of us that do like some spiciness would add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Originally served as part of: Chicken with Sprinkles.
Ingredients
- ¾ pound 3 boneless skinless breasts chicken
- 7 teaspoons cornstarch (divided)
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves smashed garlic (divided)
- 3¼ teaspoons toasted sesame oil (divided)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup boxed chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 point whole star anise
- 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon mix of white and black sesame seeds
- canola, for pan-frying oil
Instructions
We start by making the marinade for the chicken. In a large resealable plastic bag, we combine 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, the sherry, lemon, soy sauce, 1 of the garlic cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil. We mix well.
Next, we get the chicken ready. We rinse and pat dry the chicken cutlets, and cut each lengthwise into 4 strips. We put them into the bag and mix to coat well. We wash our hands and the cutting board area and place the bag of chicken on a plate and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Right before we want to fry, we mix the water, chicken stock, vinegar, dark soy sauce, the rest of the sesame oil, last garlic clove, and a star anise point in a measuring cup. We put the rest of the cornstarch (2 tablespoons) in a small pot, mix in the liquid from the measuring cup with our flat whisk and add the sugar. We heat over medium heat, stirring until it comes to a boil. We then lower the heat to a bare simmer to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
We begin heating our large deep pot over medium heat. We add the sesame seeds and dry toast them for just a few minutes until fragrant and the white seeds are turning golden. We spread them out on a plate to cool.
In the same pan, we heat ¼ inch of oil for pan-frying over medium heat. We remove the chicken from the fridge, and pat the pieces dry with paper towels. We discard the bag and the marinade. When the oil is hot, (we test this using the back of a wooden spoon - it's hot when bubbles surround it quickly), we add the chicken in 2 batches. We cook each batch for about 2 minutes, turn with tongs, and cook another couple of minutes until browned and cooked through. We drain the cooked chicken on a clean, paper towel lined plate.
When all the chicken is cooked, we transfer it to a serving bowl. We bring the sauce back to a boil, remove the garlic and star anise point, pour over the chicken and garnish with the sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp dry sherry
- ½ tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic (smashed)
- ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
- ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (3)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic (smashed)
- 1 point star anise
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 tbsp superfine sugar
- 1 tbsp white and black sesame seeds
- canola oil (for pan-frying)
Instructions
Mix the cornstarch, sherry, lemon, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil in a large resealable bag.
Grown-up
Rinse and dry the chicken and cut each piece lengthwise into 4 strips. Add to the bag, coat well, and refrigerate on a plate 2 hours. Wash your hands and the board.
Just before frying, mix the water, stock, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and star anise. Whisk it into the cornstarch in a small pot, add the sugar, and stir over medium heat until it boils. Keep warm at a bare simmer.
Toast the sesame seeds in a large deep pot over medium heat a few minutes, until fragrant. Spread on a plate to cool.
Grown-up
Heat ¼ inch of oil in the same pot over medium heat (it’s ready when bubbles surround a wooden spoon handle). Pat the chicken dry and throw out the marinade. Fry in 2 batches about 2 minutes a side, until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
Put the chicken in a serving bowl. Bring the sauce back to a boil, remove the garlic and star anise, pour it over, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.