Michelle's Sesame Chicken & Pork Fried Rice

I was surfing the web one day at work browsing all my favorite blogs when I came upon Michelle's Sesame Chicken recipe on Rookie Cookie (the blogger's name is actually Whitney but she got the recipe from Michelle. Read all up on it in her original post.)  This is one of my hubby2B's favorite chinese dishes so I quickly bookmarked the recipe and decided to try it soon.

As fate may have it, I came also came upon a Pork Fried Rice recipe in Family Circle within just a few days (another one of hubby2B's favorites).  I took this as a sign to make it right away!

You might think I'd have some initial hesitation trying to pull off a few of my honey's favorites that he usually only gets in restaurants, especially considering I never make chinese food.  For some reason that thought didn't even occur to me.  I was so excited to make the best chinese food ever! On my first try! In my own kitchen! Cheaply! Hoooray! Before I gave it another thought it was already set in stone.

Since I really get back into the swing of cooking in September (when my kitchen is not a million degrees) I think this is a great way to kick a plain old weeknight meal up a notch (or maybe a Friday dinner? That's what we did.) I had just walked into the other room for napkins when I heard Hubby2B take his first bite. "WOW!" he said outloud (to himself). "This is good."  I came back in the room smiling ear to ear.  "Really? You like it?!?"  He responded, "Babe, this is better we get in some restaurants."  Which I guess justified the kitchen full of dishes I created.

Bon Appetit.

Michelle's Sesame Chicken
by Rookie Cookie

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of any fat and cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp flour
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped (forgot to pick-up, omitted.)
2 cups white or brown rice, cooked according to package directions (I subsituted for Pork Fried Rice.)
In a bowl, combine soy sauce and sugar and stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken pieces and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces onto a plate and put the pan back on the heat. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. With a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked bits on the bottom of the pan while the soy sauce mixture simmer. Let simmer for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and toss well, coating all the chicken pieces in the soy mixture. (After doing this I took chicken out of pan and tossed them again in more flour to thicken the outside a bit, and reintroduced them to the soy mixture - essentially double coating them.)

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Yields 6 servings.



Pork Fried Rice
by Family Circle

1/2  cup  reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth.)

1/4  cup  light soy sauce

1  tablespoon  oyster sauce (I couldn't find this in the store, omitted.)

1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger

1/4  teaspoon  red pepper flakes

1  pound  boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (I picked up some very thinly pounded ones in the butcher case at Whole Foods.)

2    eggs, lightly beaten

1  tablespoon  canola oil

1    large onion, peeled and chopped

1    large red sweet pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced

3  cups  cooked brown rice

4    scallions, sliced (forgot to pick-up, omitted)

1  cup  frozen peas, thawed

1  tablespoon  sesame oil (forgot to pick-up, I substituted olive oil.)

1. In a small bowl, mix together broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and pepper flakes. Set aside.
2. Heat broiler. Broil pork chops for 4 minutes per side. Dice and reserve.
3. Heat a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add eggs and cook for 2 minutes, until set. Remove to a plate and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Reserve.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Add onion and red pepper and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened. Stir in broth mixture and rice. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add reserved pork, egg strips, scallions, peas and sesame oil. Stir gently to combine and heat through, about 2 minutes.

Family Circle, October 2010