Sesame Chicken and Broccoli

The first week of spring weather is here and

Mother Nature, 

if you are listening…

we're good with it, 

so these warmer sunny days can be here to stay. 

No more yanking us around with cold days, 

I'd like to pack up my boots and snow pants and leave them hidden until next winter.

K, thanks! 

With this beautiful weather, 

it can be hard to reel the kids in for dinner, 

but not if you serve up this

Sesame Chicken and Broccoli…

the aroma literally brought them in from the great outdoors

and I couldn't shake them, 

so I let them help me in the kitchen. 

That is another story in itself…

best part about kids helping in the kitchen is that 

soon they will be cooking for me!  

At least that is what I keep telling myself!

For a family size (but no leftovers - because it is THAT good) meal,

started with 3 eggs and 3 tbsp of corn starch

whisked together in a bowl large enough to 

add the chicken to for coating. 

I love this recipe! 

I love starting with eggs and corn starch…

I just know that a great texture will result from those two ingredients! 

Next, cut up 

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

and add them to the egg batter.

If you haven't tried them yet, 

these boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go! 

Not only to they have great flavor and texture, 

but they are also about half the price of chicken breasts.  

So, 2.5# of boneless skinless chicken is costing me just over $7

compared with nearly $15 for breast meat.  

When the pan with a couple tablespoons of your preferred vegetable oil 

was sufficiently pre-heated, 

pour the chicken, egg and starch mixture right into the pan. 

Here is where some patience will come into play. 

Don't over-stir!

You have to give the chicken and batter, if you will, enough time to brown up a bit,

in order to achieve that ideal, light, crispy texture. 

Here you can see the browning that is underway. 

While the chicken was cooking, 

my helpers were getting the other fixings prepared. 

Landon chopped up some broccoli,

which can be added to the pan towards the end to avoid mushy-broccoli syndrome. 

Ryker was measuring out the ingredients for the sesame sauce, 

which really makes the meal! 

He added 3 tbsp soy sauce,

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (my favorite!)

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp corn starch

It took both of them to grate the fresh ginger…

but, at least they weren't fighting! 

The broccoli was added and tossed a bit!

The sauce was whipped together…

It starts out pretty thin, 

but once added to the pan, 

the corn starch would do its thing

and next thing you know you have a nice, thick, sweet, nutty sauce over all of the delicious-ness.

(Sorry Jerry, I know you hate that word!)

Pour it in, 

stir it up 

and let is start to bubble just a little bit! 

Serve over rice and top with some scallions. 

I was REALLY disappointed that there weren't any leftovers! 

I'm already trying to come up with a time when I can make this again and 

manage to get some more for myself! 

RECIPE:

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 eggs

4 tbsp of corn starch - divided

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Broccoli

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

• Whisk together eggs and starch. 
• Cut chicken into bite-sizes chunks, add to egg, toss to coat. 
• Preheat oil over medium high heat, add chicken and egg mixture. 
• Stir occasionally, until no more pink remains. 
• Measure and combine soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, corn starch and sesame seeds. Mix well. 
• Add broccoli to pan and pour sauce over. 
• Allow to heat for about 5 minutes before serving over rice.