Sesame Chicken

Tonight we decided to do a little Chinese dinner at home and settled on sesame chicken. I've tried a few times to make a decent sesame chicken dish that is worth keeping and attempted a new one tonight. I'm pretty sure I found this recipe on Weight Watchers, but I do not have it credited properly on my recipe program. This was a pretty easy dish to make, and was pretty good! One thing I have learned tonight is that I'm not a huge fan of five-spice powder because of how much anise is in it. And I learned what anise is! For those who don't know, anise is a spice that has a strong licorice taste, and I personally am, and always have been, anti-licorice. If you are like me in that respect, I'd recommend adding it in little by little to taste, or just skipping it all together. Next time I make this I will just tone it down (1 teaspoon is a ton if you aren't too crazy about it!). Other than that, everyone agreed that this was a pretty good dish and is worth making again. That doesn't mean that I am stopping my hunt for the perfect sesame chicken recipe, though!

Sesame Chicken

Serves 4

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons ginger root, fresh, minced

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 teaspoons peanut oil

1. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds and cook until lightly toasted, shaking pan frequently, about 2 to 3 minutes; transfer seeds to a shallow dish and set aside.

2. Whisk water, soy sauce, maple syrup, sherry, ginger and five-spice powder together in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Combine flour, salt and pepper together in a shallow dish; add chicken and turn to coat. Shake chicken pieces to remove excess flour.

4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to chicken and cook until sauce thickens and is almost evaporated, about 2 to 3 minutes more.

5. Dip chicken pieces in toasted sesame seeds and serve, drizzled with any additional soy sauce mixture. Serve with rice.