Sesame Chicken and Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy

We had the opportunity to have some of our new neighbors over a week or so ago, for dinner together. Naturally, Will decided this was the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe that he had seen on Budget Bytes. He enlisted my help in the preparation of sauces and monitoring of cooking, as well as being in charge of ice cream. However, what he didn't really think about until after he started cooking was that he had way more chicken than was necessary for this dish! As a result, there was a bit more scrambling than anticipated, to get the sauce to turn out correctly and it still never really achieved the glazed look we were hoping for. Nevertheless, the flavor of the chicken was like a gourmet version of take-out sesame chicken and satisfied our guests. The stir fried baby bok choy was also a hit, although it shrunk more than expected so there was not as much to eat as I would have liked! Overall, the dinner was a big hit and we thoroughly enjoyed the company of our new neighbors, in addition to all gorging on this tasty Asian dish.

Sesame Chicken Cooking Notes: We used chicken breasts instead of thighs, which Beth originally suggested. We also had more than 1 lb. of chicken, so we had to adjust things like cornstarch and toasted sesame oil while we were cooking, making it hard to track and blog about. We also threw in a little hoisin sauce before the end, since some of our other proportions were off, which also helped thicken it a bit. I've reflected (mostly) the original recipe below, since we imagine it would work if you use the right amount of chicken!

Sesame Chicken (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4)
Chicken
1 large egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch S&P
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp veggie oil
Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp cornstarch
Rice
Green onions, sliced for serving

In a large bowl, whisk the egg, 2 tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of S&P. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces, then toss in the egg and cornstarch mixture. Heat a large skillet with 2 tbsp veggie oil over medium-hight heat. When oil is very hot (when it looks wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally until it is golden brown and cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Drain off the excess oil, if desired.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce, which will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce is thickened, turn off the heat. Serve over rice and top with sliced green onions.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Easy Sesame Chicken

Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy Cooking Notes: You can make this with any veggie, so we adapted it for baby bok choy. If you want to read in more details, click on the link below to learn how to do other veggies!

Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy (cooking technique adapted from The Kitchn; serves 4)
8 baby bok choy
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp chicken broth
2 tsp soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 inch ginger, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Prep baby bok choy by cutting them in half. Slice garlic and minced ginger in preparation. In a small bowl, combine the sherry, broth and soy sauce. Set bowls of bok choy, garlic/ginger, and sauce near your stove. Also keep a small bowl of water nearby as well.

Begin to heat the wok over your stove, which should be on its highest setting. Once it's hot enough, pour in 1 tbsp of canola oil (never use olive oil for this because it will smoke uncontrollably) and swirl it around in the wok. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Push the garlic to the sides of the wok and add the baby bok choy. Season with S&P and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until the bok choy begins to wilt. Pour the sauce over the pan (around the edges-not directly in the center). Continue to stir-fry and toss to coat the baby bok choy. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 seconds. Uncover and stir-fry for another 30-60 seconds, or until the baby bok choy is crisp-tender and bright green.

Recipe: The Kitchn: Stir Fry Veggies