Sesame Chicken and Fried Rice

I made this last night for my parents and I, we were all shocked by how tasty it was and how similar it tasted to restaurant style sesame chicken and fried rice. This is a definite must try for any Chinese food lover. I prepped all of the chicken in its batter and the sauce, then cooked the fried rice while frying the chicken so everything was ready at the same time. If you have someone able to help, this is much easier, or make dishes separately and just keep the rice warm until the chicken is ready.

Fried Rice (Serves 4): This is an incredibly easy and cheap dish to make and can have many variations on how you want to serve it, whether with meat or different vegetables. Here is how I made mine with some leftovers and random vegetables from the freezer (because when else are you going to eat them).

Ingredients

• 2 packets of Boil in the Bag Basmati Rice (The recipe recommends using cooked white rice (2 cups) and preferably leftover rice so it fries easier
• 1/2 cup leftover peas
• 1 cup of frozen edamame beans
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• soy sauce, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons of chopped spring onions

Process

• Put the vegetable oil in a frying pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat
• Fry the onions until they start to brown
• Add any leftover or cooked vegetables you like and cook for 2 minutes
• Add frozen edamame beans (or any other frozen vegetables) and cook until defrosted
• Add the cooked rice and sesame and soy sauce, then fry for about another 2 minutes
• Move all the rice to one half of the frying pan and add the beaten eggs to the other half, stirring quickly so they begin to scramble, when they have scrambled incorporate into the rice
• When all the rice and eggs are mixed, add the spring onions, then transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or cover with foil until ready to serve

Sesame Chicken (Serves 4) – Taken from Dinner at the Zoo with minor changes. 

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into approx. 1 inch pieces
• 2 eggs beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I substituted for tapioca flour for a crispier coating)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• oil for frying (depends on how deep your pan is, I used a wok and about 2 cups of vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium if possible)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Process

• I started by making the sauce for the chicken earlier in the day and left it in the fridge so it was one less thing to worry about when cooking everything all at once which can be overwhelming 
• To make the sauce just combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, sesame seeds, and sliced green onions in a bowl (or measuring jug for easy pouring later
• When you’re ready to prepare the chicken season your beaten eggs with salt and pepper and put it on a counter or table where you have space
• Next to the eggs combine the tapioca flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or plate
• Finally have a plate at the end to put your prepared chicken
• Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees F
• Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, then into the flour. Repeat the process with all of the chicken, I recommend putting the prepared chicken in a single layer on a plate
• Add 7-8 pieces of chicken to the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown, the last groups of chicken will take less time because the oil will be so hot. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken
• Drain the chicken on paper towels
• Heat the teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the honey sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until just thickened.
• Add all the chicken if your pan is big enough and coat all the pieces, if not coat as many as you can and put into serving bowl when coated, put all chicken and sauce into a serving bowl (if you want to put into separate dishes do that and make sure you get all that sauce. 
• Enjoy alongside rice or any other side!