Spicy Sesame and Honey Chicken

This perfect combination of spicy, sweet, sour and crunchyness of lightly floured strips of chicken dish was our dinner the other week. I wanted to put it up on this Blog on the same day, but haven’t had my act together until today. But as it is one of my favourite recipes, I thought it is not too late to put it up now. This is nothing at all compared to the one you find in the Chinese Restaurant where often you will find honey sesame chicken with thick batter, which is way to sweet for my liking. Here I find the combination in the sauce is just fine, the chicken is tender with nice crunchy coating. I served it with jasmine rice and extra freshly cut red chillies to add more heat.

Ingredients

2 – 3 chicken fillet

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch

¼ teaspoon baking power

Oil for prying

Paste

2 cloves garlic

2 red chillies

1 lemongrass (white part)

1 small piece of ginger (or a couple of slices or about the same size as one clove of garlic)

Rind from one lime

Marinade

Half of the paste

Juice of one lime

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

Sauce

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

Half of the paste

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 tablespoons honey (or more depending on taste)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (light)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons chilli paste (or more depending on taste)

1-2 tablespoon cornstarch (or more depending on thickness desired)

1 teaspoon of oil

salt

pepper

spring onions for serving

2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds

Steps:

1. Cut chicken fillet into equal strips  (~1-1/2 cm wide).
2. Mix together the plain flour, cornstarch and baking power.
3. Marinade the chicken strips with half the paste and the other marinade ingredients thoroughly. Then add the mixed flour to coat the chicken strips. Leave the marinaded chicken in the fridge for at least 30minutes.
4. Make the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Fry the paste until fragrance and then add the chicken stock and the rest of the ingredients except for the cornstarch. Seasons with salt and pepper and adjust sweetness as desired. Put on low heat while you prepare the other parts.
5. Roast sesame seeds and set aside.
6. Heat a generous amount of oil in a fry pan or deep fry pan. Fry chicken strips until golden brown and keep warm. You should do this in batches until all chicken strips are done.
7. Dissolve the cornstarch with some cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture into the sauce little by little and mix well (as you add the cornstarch, observe the thickness of the sauce, add more cornstarch if the sauce is too thin or add a bit of water if it becomes too thick).
8. Pour sauce into chicken strips and mix well. Add roasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions.
9. Note: the lime juice and lime rind can be replaced with lemon orange, choose what is easily available or is handy.