Sesame Chicken

Asian dishes are some of my favorite to make. There's a lot of flavor versatility, they can often be made quickly, and they're often a combo meal: protein, veggie, starch.

Sesame chicken, though not full of veggies on its own, is a simple meal. Similar to General Tso's chicken, this [American] Chinese food takeout special really hits the spot for dinner. The combination of lightly breaded chicken served in a thick, somewhat sweet sauce is a keeper.

The history of sesame chicken is a bit of a mystery. There's lots of speculation, and based on the forum reads and restaurant sites, it seems that Sesame Chicken is an American creation, or at least was created by Chinese restaurants in America.

It's not an uncommon evolution of food. Reaching a new geographic area with varying palates, chefs modify dishes to create new plates or adapt to meet local preferences. I couldn't even tell you where in the United States this dish first.

I made this similarly to Sesame Tofu, taking cubed up chicken and tossing it in cornstarch before lightly pan frying it.

I removed the chicken from the pan, added my sauce ingredients of garlic, soy sauce, honey, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, then cooked the sauce down until it thickened.

I poured the sauce over the chicken and sprinkled it with some sesame seeds to finish the dish. Steamed broccoli is a great pairing for this, but really, most vegetables pair well.

This dish is slightly sweet but quite savory and made a great, quick weeknight dinner. This is one of those meals that exemplifies the use of chicken thighs in cooking; they are versatile in adapting to flavors and retain moisture when cooked.

Sesame Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

3-4 chicken thighs, cut into cubes about 1 inch square (chicken breasts can also be used)

4 tablespoons corn starch

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon cooking oil

5 cloves garlic

1/2 cup soy sauce

2-3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 cups cooked rice, for serving

Instructions:

Lightly toss chicken in soy sauce, then in cornstarch. Heat a large skillet to medium high and add cooking oil. Once preheated, add chicken pieces, about 7-10 at a time, and toss to cook all sides. This should take 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, then repeat with remaining pieces, adding more oil if needed. After chicken has finished cooking, set the plate aside and add more cooking oil to the pan. Add garlic and sauté for about one minute, until fragrant. Add soy sauce, honey, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Add chicken back to pan and toss to coat. Serve over cooked rice with vegetable of choice.