Homemade and Healthier Sesame Chicken

I could eat commercialized Chinese food day in and day out. The rice, the spice, the sweet, the sour, the deep fried deliciousness. It's heaven to me.

My thighs, on the other hand, do not love Chinese food. Either that, or they do not love me. The verdict is still out. So we've been experimenting with making our own, healthier versions of our favorite dishes in the imperfect household. And while my thighs appreciate the extra leg room in my favorite jeans, our budget appreciates our creativity - after we bought a few ingredients that we normally don't have around, that is.

We'll start with my all-time fave: Sesame Chicken. Sesame chicken and I have a long history together. When I was in trouble everyday in middle school and my parents figured out that taking me out to lunch at least once a week was easier than another visit to the principal's office I would always push for Chinese and Sesame Chicken. When I knew that I was very probably going to lose my old job, Kevin and I indulged in Sesame Chicken in the conference room and "who will it be" chatter way more often than our waist lines would have liked. We're tight, me and sesame chicken. But I digress.

Let's make Sesame Chicken, shall we?

Here's what you're going to need:



(1 teaspoon minced Ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 Tablespoons flour, 2 Tablespoons Sesame seeds, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon water, 1 Tablespoon cooking sherry, 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1/2 teaspoon five spice mix, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 - 4 chicken breasts).

And here's what you'll need to do:
1) Over medium-high heat, toast the sesame seeds. Transfer to a separate bowl.

2) Meanwhile, coat the chicken in the flour and salt and pepper. Pour the sesame oil into the skillet (still at medium high heat) and saute the chicken - this should take about 5 minutes.



3) Stir together soy sauce, water, ginger, sherry, maple syrup, and spices. Pour into the skillet and simmer until sauce thickens and starts to evaporate.

4) Cover the chicken pieces with your toasted sesame seeds. Cover each piece well - the sesame seeds are -get this- a key to sesame chicken.
5) Serve over rice with extra soy sauce. Love every second of it.