Being from San Francisco, I love Chinese food, but I find that a lot of it is also very heavy and filled with empty calories. I came up with these Lighter Sesame Chicken and Fried Rice recipes to cut back on fat and still get that unmistakable flavor that I crave. Like with any dish, by cooking it yourself, you can control the level of salt, fat, and the quality of ingredients, which is really important to me. Best of all, you can probably make this dish with ingredients you already have in your kitchen!
For the chicken:
- 1 tbs canola oil
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1 egg white
- 2 heaping tsp corn starch
- 2 tbs honey
- 2 tbs sesame oil
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs sesame seeds
- 2 cups broccoli florets
For fried rice:
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used leftovers)
- 3 carrots, diced into pieces about the size of peas
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbs canola oil
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 2-4 tbs soy sauce
- Squirt of siracha (optional)
First, mix the egg white and corn starch in a bowl until it creates a thick, smooth mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Next, chop chicken into bite sized pieces and put it into the bowl with the egg white. Mix to coat everything, and let sit and marinate while prep everything else.
Mix together sesame oil, honey, and soy sauce to become sauce for chicken, and taste for seasoning. You can add more of anything you’d like.
Next, start on the rice. Chop the carrots so that they are about the same size as the peas, and all the veggies are uniform size. Sauté in the canola oil until veggies are just soft. Add in the rice and stir to evenly distribute veggies. Add in additional tbs of sesame oil, and soy sauce to taste. Sauté for another few minutes to slightly crisp of the rice and let the flavors meld together. Once done, turn off heat and let sit in pan while you cook the chicken.
Get your pan hot, then put in the tbs of canola oil. Cook chicken until a golden brown crust is formed on the outside, and chicken is about 90% cooked (about 5-8 minutes). Add in broccoli and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next add in sauce, and simmer down so it creates a sticky and delicious coating on chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!