Sesame Chicken with Snow Peas

This is a “healthified” Chinese chicken dish that is great for a weeknight dinner.  You can use white or dark meat boneless chicken, according to your family’s preference, or a mix of both like I do, to make everyone happy! Serve it with some brown rice on the side to soak up the delicious sauce.  I love to make brown basmati rice, because it cooks up quickly, doesn’t get mushy and has a great flavor.

Sesame Chicken with Snow Peas

ingredients

• 5 tblsp low sodium soy sauce
• 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken cut into strips
• 6 tsp canola oil
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 tbslp grated ginger
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tblsp sugar, or substitute (I use 1 tblsp truvia)
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tblsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp chili paste, or sriracha (use less if you like it milder)
• 4 cups snow peas, steamed
• cooked brown rice to serve
• 2 tblsp toasted sesame seeds – if possible a mix of both white and black
• scallion greens thinly sliced on the diagonal for garnish

directions

• Mix together 3 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil and honey in a non-reactive bowl and add chicken.  Marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat a few tblsp canola oil in a wok or large skillet, and cook the chicken until browned and transfer to a bowl.  Add another tblsp of oil to the same pan and saute scallions, ginger and garlic until soft and fragrant.  Whisk together the broth, sugar, cornstarch, rice vinegar, chili paste and remaining 2 tblsp soy sauce and 2 tsp sesame oil.  Add to the pan and cook until thickened into a rich sauce, 3 -4 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan and heat through.  Sprinkle with scallion greens and sesame seeds and serve with brown rice and steamed snow peas.