Jak's Sesame Chicken

Recipe from my friend Jak:

Prep the Chicken:
* 2 lbs chicken breasts
* flour

Cut chicken breasts into narrow strips, about 1/2 inch wide, 2 inches long or so. Lightly coat the chicken with flour by shaking together in a paper bag.


Now for the batter:
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoon flour
* 2 tablespoon cornstarch
* 2 tablespoon water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon finely ground white pepper

Mix all of the above in a large bowl to make the batter for the chicken. Throw in the chicken and mix until it is coated well. Stick in the Refrigerator for at least a half an hour or so.
[You can store this up to two days at this point... there's really no other way to make this ahead of time, unfortunately]


Mkae a Slurry:
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup cornstarch

Mix these together well to form a cornstarch slurry. Set aside.


The delicious sauce:
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 3/4 cup vinegar
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons hot chili oil
* 1 teaspoon sesame oil
* 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

Heat all of the above to boiling in your favorite sauce pan, then stir in the cornstarch slurry from above, and bring back to boiling, cooking until it is thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and keep warm.


Back to the chicken:
* Vegetable Oil

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a wok to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Fry about 10 pieces of the battered chicken at a time for about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted metal spoon and drain on a wire rack (place the rack in a baking pan to catch the oil). Repeat until all of the chicken has been fried.

Increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Fry the chicken again, about 1/3 of the batch at a time, for about 1 minute--they should be golden brown. Remove, drain, repeat until done.


The big finish:
* Sesame Seeds

Heat the sauce back to boiling. Place the chicken on a platter, pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.
Serves 4.