Pat’s Seared Sesame Chicken
As I was buying a bottle of wine last week, I ran into Pat, a dear family friend who said she had a delicious recipe for me. Always happy to be on the receiving end of a great recipe, I listened as she described simple yet flavorful Asian ingredients and a very quick preparation. She was actually making the recipe that very night.
I knew right away that this chicken dish had the potential to become a go-to recipe for my family and many others as well. First, Pat is an excellent cook. So, anything she passed along was bound to be fantastic. And with a syrupy glaze created by three key ingredients and an Asian flavor adored by so many, what wouldn’t be to love?
This is the type of meal for which I often cook extra to guarantee leftovers, and I am so glad I did. The finished product was rated a definite ten, and I can already envision these leftovers in Thai Bok Choy Salad, Whole Wheat Cheddar Chicken Quesadillas or simply reheated with some veggies and rice.
Pat’s recipe calls for chicken thighs. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts this time around and also doubled her recipe to feed a few more mouths. Additionally, I deglazed the skillet with a little chicken stock I had in the refrigerator to incorporate all those little yummy, caramelized pieces that stick to the bottom of the pan.
SEARED SESAME CHICKEN:
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 teaspoons soy sauce
olive oil for coating pan
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, opened flat (I used boneless, skinless breasts, pounded to an even thickness)
3-4 tablespoons sesame seeds
optional: about a third of a cup of chicken stock or white wine for deglazing the pan.
Mix honey, soy sauce and ginger and set aside.
Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet over med-high heat and lightly coat with olive oil. Saute chicken for 5 minutes; turn and sauté the other side for 3-5 minutes more or until cooked through. (My chicken breasts took about 4 minutes per side.)
Pour the reserved sauce over the chicken and let it warm in the skillet for about 30 seconds, turning chicken to coat both sides. If desired, pour in stock or wine and scrape up the crusty pieces sticking to the pan, incorporating them into the sauce. There is a lot of flavor there!
Remove to dinner plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds…and thank Pat!
The Fountain Avenue Kitchen was my grandmother’s kitchen, the kitchen where I first pulled up a stool and watched the magic of turning basic, fresh ingredients into culinary wonders. Through today’s Fountain Avenue Kitchen, I hope to inspire people to try a new recipe, learn a new technique and eat more vegetables and wholesome grains ... but still enjoy a little dessert now and then. Pull up your chair and join me in the Fountain Avenue Kitchen!
Great recipe and ingredients I have in the house already…thank you xoxo
You are most welcome! I love it when a delicious recipe has such simple ingredients. Hope you enjoy!
My kids love sesame chicken! I gotta try making this for them … I would SO love to have a homemade recipe I can pull out when they start whining that they want sesame chicken. Thank you, Ann!
I hope they love it as much as my guys did! The leftovers will be wonderful in one of our much-loved salads: )
This looks amazing! It would be perfect in an Asian chicken salad…yum! I love Asian-inspired flavors, especially in chicken dishes, so I’m sure I’d love this.
I totally agree about the Asian chicken salad. In fact, I was hoping to have enough leftover to do just that! Good minds think alike! This is definitely a make-again (and again!) recipe here. Everyone really enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment, Rachel!
This looks amazing and sounds so easy! With 3 kids I am always looking for a quick go-to meal that everyone loves.
The quick meals can truly be a saving grace, and when they are delicious and rely on basic pantry ingredients, all the better! Hope you enjoy, Beth!