Cheap Eats :: Sesame Chicken

I am back! I took a bit of a break from blogging last month because we decided to cram a bunch of summer into a couple of weeks and I wasn't planning my meals as much as I should have or even cooking at home as much as I could have.

School is back in session and cooking at home is a necessity again and the budget is as tight as ever.

The husband has been working nights and my little boy has been with his Dad, so it's just been me and Lucy for dinner time around here. I make enough for Tim, but he eats it when he gets home.

When it's just me and the baby, my motivation to make difficult meals wanes...especially when I have gotten out of the habit of making daily meals.

To jump back into the swing, I hit Pinterest, ya know, like I do. I pinned lots of inspirational recipes and began planning my next two weeks and did my shopping, all along crossing my fingers that I follow through and actually cook my planned meals.

I love Chinese food, I can't afford to eat take out often and it's certainly not as healthy or tasty as making it at home. I am often intimidated by making Asian-inspired foods but I've been trying to dip my toe in one recipe at a time.

Last night it was this recipe for Sesame Chicken I found here.

This recipe is easy, reasonably quick and above all it was really really delicious. Sooo good. I had to stop myself for gobbling up my husband's portion.

Sesame Chicken

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken

1 large egg
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch each salt & pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)

Sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1½ Tbsp brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.

 

2. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.

 

3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (You can grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater).

 

4. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.

 

 5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

 

I love love loved this recipe and will definitely be adding it to the regular rotation. According to the author of this recipe, this will feed 4 and a grand total of $5.15. Not too shabby price-wise, eh?

 

Again, you can find the original recipe here.