Sesame Chicken

Description:

Sesame Chicken is widely considered a "North American Chinese" dish that was designed for American tastes. But regardless of its origin, it´s a dish that brings together a variety of unique flavors. Having studied most of the traditional versions of this dish, I designed this recipe to have a little kick to it and toss it with low main noodles. I also leave the bones intact when I cut the chicken into cubes of about 2" x 2".

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breasts cut into cubes (with bones intact)
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
6 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Lo mein noodles blanched

For the Marinade:
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hoisen sauce
1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce
1 tablespoon honey
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Serrano pepper minced

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisen sauce
1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. 

Put chicken cubes in a large storage bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate and store for at least one hour.

Blanch the lo mein noodles in hot water. This should only take a few minutes and the noodles should become flexible yet very firm in the middle (not fully cooked). Remove from water, drain, and set aside to cool.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade for use in the sauce.

In a preheated wok or large pan on high heat, add the oil and brown chicken on all sides. This can be done in batches until all of the chicken pieces are thoroughly browned.

Put all of the chicken in the pan and add the sesame seeds. Stir fry for at least 5 minutes more.

Add the sauce ingredients to the marinade and mix thoroughly, then pour mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove cover and add the green onions. Cook until sauce reduced and for at least 20 minutes more. The sauce should completely caramelize and adhere to the chicken. Remove one of the largest pieces of chicken and test for doneness by cutting it in half.

Toss the partially cooked lo mein noodles with the chicken and sauce until the noodles are cooked al dente and fully covered with the sauce (about 4-5 minutes). Serve immediately.