Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and it is SO good. Seriously, it's yummy. It takes a little time to prepare, but it's not bad at all. And it's totally worth it. It's even earned itself a place on my list of weekly rotated meals, haha. It's a must try!

And for the record, I never marinate the chicken. Just an extra step I don't have time for. I tried it once, and I couldn't tell much of a difference, so feel free to omit that part of the recipe if you want. Instead of marinating, I just throw some salt and oil on the chicken. Also, I don't always have the scallions and sesame seeds so they don't get used half the time either.

Ingredients:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)

Marinade:
1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)

Batter:
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce:
5 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons sugar
salt (to taste)
4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.

Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown)

Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.

Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

Karen's Alfredo

This is my mom's creation, and always a big hit. Here's her original recipe, but I only need half for my family.

1 stick butter
1 1/2 pkg. low fat cream cheese
1-2 tsp crushed garlic, to taste
up to 3 c. fat free half and half
3 oz parmesan cheese

Make it like a white sauce. Melt butter in saucepan over med/high heat. Add cream cheese, cut in small pieces a little at a time. Add garlic, heat and stir until smooth. Slowly add cream and parmesan cheese, constantly stirring. Cook about five minutes.

Even with the low fat cream cheese and fat free half and half, this is an awesome sauce. Serve over whole wheat pasta to alleviate any guilt may feel. :)