Lighter Sesame Chicken

Yet another version of sesame chicken! This one comes from Martha Stewart, and as the title states, is a healthier version as it coats the chicken in egg whites. This was a much different sesame chicken then the one I previously made from Joy of Cooking. While Joy of Cooking's recipe was a thick sauce with peanut butter, this recipe turned out a strong soy flavored chicken that was very crispy. Both were good- though I may prefer Joy of Cooking's better just because I liked the peanut butter flavor. However, the crispiness of this dish made it more like a traditional sesame chicken. So... try both and decide for yourselves!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown rice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2 inch chunks
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut in large florets, stems peeled, and thinly sliced

1.) Place a steamer basket in a large sauce, fill with 1 inch of water, and set aside for broccoli. Cook rice.

2.) Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and cornstarch. Add the chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

3.) In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Return all the chicken to the skillet; add the reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.

4.) Place the saucepan with the steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook til crisp tender, 4-6 minutes. Serve the chicken with the broccoli and rice.


*A few changes I made: I used frozen chopped broccoli that I just heated in the microwave, and instant brown rice. I also omitted the scallions.