Sesame Chicken

Adam and I moved into our apartment will be 2 years in August. We had bought a spice rack for our new place and just a few weeks ago, we went through it and threw out a bunch of spices we have never used, one of those was sesame. Never fails a week after throwing it out I found a recipe I really wanted to try and it had sesames. So I bought some for this recipe, and loved it so much I will be keeping some in the house!

Sesame Chicken (Nestie: TexasSmith)

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds, divided
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (see my recipe below)
• 1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package chicken breast strips, cut into chunks
• 8 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 6 tbsp. honey
• oil for frying

In a large ziplock bag, combine flour, 1/4 c. sesame seeds, black pepper, red pepper and Chinese spice. Place chicken in bag and shake to coat.

Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

Remove chicken from skillet and empty excess oil from pan. Reduce heat to low and return chicken to skillet. Mix in teriyaki sauce, honey and 1/4 c. sesame seeds, and stir until sauce thickens.Serve over brown rice.

You could also add sugar snap peas, onions, bell peppers or any other veggies you like.

***Tips: I marinated my chicken for about 4 hours in some teriyaki this really added to the flavor, I also made the Chinese spice using the recipe below. I used all that this recipe made, it was a lot more then a tsp. but it was really good!

Chinese five-spice powder

• 1 tsp. ground Szechwan pepper (I used regular pepper)
• 1 tsp. ground star anise (I used marjoram)
• 1-1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds (I used cumin)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I used allspice)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
  

Combine all ingredients in small airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place.

***Tips: I loved the flavor of these mixed, and would mix my own again, but would like to try a store bought one.