The word on the street is that there’s a little cooking fatigue out there. I know we all have COVID fatigue, but having restaurants shut down and not being able to go to parties this time of year is a real drag.
That also means we’re all back to cooking a lot at home – just like spring lockdown. For me, I don’t mind at all. Pretty much nothing has changed with my cooking habits. I know there are a lot of you who like to eat out and this is killing you.
I love to cook and while I know some of you can’t fathom having the same sentiment, this might work in your favor. I will keep creating in order to keep you cooking.
I’m actually really excited to get back in the kitchen. My PhD classes this year have been pretty challenging and having kids at home for most of the year hasn’t helped me with my joy of learning.
I turned in my last paper this morning, and while I have a few things to wrap up for my current class, the semester is just about over and I get my only break of the year. I’m sure it will go faster than I would like.
Today, I celebrated by making something I’ve been craving for a few days, sesame chicken.
I’m not a huge take-out fan, but there are definitely some dishes I love to make at home. You might think the ingredient list is a bit long, especially if you’re not accustomed to making these types of dishes from scratch. Let me tell you though, once you have the ingredients, you can make so many different things with them…and they all last a while. It’s not like you’re buying 10 different types of flour and you aren’t going to ever use them again…these aren’t’ like that.
And this comes together so quick, it’s perfect for lunch or a quick weeknight meal. My brown rice takes longer than I would like, but you can cut the time by using a quick cooking rice, or buying rice packets and zapping them in the microwave. I like Seeds of Change brand, they have a good variety of rice and they always taste great!.
Another quick cooking tip is to cut the chicken small – it cooks up super fast and gets dinner on the table just a little faster.
Suggested sides:
- Roasted carrots
- Steamed broccoli
- Garden salad
- Fresh fruit
I hope you try it! Enjoy!
Sesame Chicken with Brown Rice
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Main Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 scallion, sliced thin
2 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
In a bowl, or glass measuring cup, add the first 9 ingredients for the sauce, garlic through water and stir together – set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, add canola oil and chicken. Cook chicken until cooked all over and just starting to brown, about 5-6 minutes for small bite sized pieces (this will take longer if your chicken pieces are larger)
When the chicken is cooked through (chicken is done at 165°F on a meat thermometer), push the chicken to the outer edges of the skillet, turn the heat to low. Give the sauce a quick stir and add the sauce to the middle of the skillet.
Start stirring the chicken into the sauce and let the sauce come up to a simmer to thicken up, this takes about 2 minutes.
Stir in the sesame seeds.
Serve warm with 1/2 cup brown rice per serving and garnish with sliced scallions.
Notes
Don’t wait until the end to cook your rice, unless you’re using minute rice or rice packets for the microwave.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes