Sesame Chicken

Have you heard the phrase Take-Out Fake Out? Because this recipe definitely falls into that category. In a blind taste test I really don't think I would have been able to tell which dish came from my kitchen and which one came from my favorite Chinese restaurant. Seriously.

I loved the breading recipe for the chicken and the chicken came out so tender. The sauce was great - in fact, I just took a quick break from writing this post so I could go eat some of the left-overs :-) So next time you don't want to get take-out, make it at home!

Sesame Chicken

adapted from AllRecipes.com

for the chicken

2 T flour

2 T cornstarch

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

2 T low-sodium soy sauce

1 T dry sherry

2 T water

1 t vegetable oil

1 dash sesame oil

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

for the sauce

1 c chicken broth

1/4-1/2 c brown sugar (depending how sweet you like your sauce)

1 T rice wine vinegar

2 T dark soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

1/4-1 t garlic chile paste (depending how spicy you like it)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T cornstarch

1/4 c water

1 quart oil for frying

2 T toasted sesame seeds, divided

2 green onions, sliced

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder. Add soy sauce, sherry, water, vegetable oil, and sesame oil and stir until smooth. Stir in chicken to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water. Lower heat on the sauce and add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce. Stir well and let simmer to thicken the sauce. Stir in 1 T sesame seeds. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time. Cook each batch 2-4 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces) or until they float to the top and turn golden brown. Let drain on paper towels. Just before serving, toss chicken pieces with sauce and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and green onions.