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Sesame Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Mad Hungry: Cravings" by Lucinda Quinn


Recipe Introduction

"The thick crust and cloyingly sweet flavor of the typical take-out version of this dish turns me off. My kids disagree, brainwashed as they are by our local Chinese restaurant. But they also love this recipe. Skip the deep fryer and the thick batter, add some vegetables, and keep that delicious sesame umami-filled flavor."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup soy sauce
â—¦ 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) or sherry
â—¦ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
â—¦ 1 teaspoon sugar
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into ½-inch-wide strips
â—¦ 2 tablespoons peanut oil
â—¦ 4 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste
â—¦ 6 ounces snow peas, trimmed
â—¦ One 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
â—¦ One 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and halved
â—¦ 3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
â—¦ 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil


Recipe

Combine the soy sauce, wine, cornstarch, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.

Place a wok or a heavy skillet over high heat. When it smokes, add the peanut oil. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and add to the wok. Stir-fry, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned in places and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the chili paste and snow peas and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the snow peas are shiny and bright green. Stir in the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the scallions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Serves 4