Sesame Chicken with Spicy Dipping Sauce

by Joan on Mar 31, 2010

This recipe comes from the Simon Pearce Restaurants and appears in the new book “A Way of Living” by Pia and Simon Pearce. It’s a wonderful book and it’s now available at Hammertown! Read our review by clicking here.

I actually had this Sesame Chicken dish when I visited the Simon Pearce store in Vermont. It was absolutely delicious!

There are several steps to making this tasty Asian-style chicken. The chicken marinade, soy-ginger vinaigrette, and spicy apricot dipping sauce can be made a day ahead to make it easier. Use free-range chicken if you can obtain it, and marinate if overnight to allow it to absorb the flavors and become tender. We recommend using Polaner All Fruit Apricot spread for the dipping sauce, which is closest to the flavor we offer in our restaurant.

Ingredients -

Marinade for Chicken:

6 oz. lemon juice
1 small onion
6 oz. olive oil
2 tablespoons grated ginger
3 oz. soy sauce
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
3 oz. dark rum
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons salt

Chicken:

1 cup sesame seeds
2 cups of flour
4 –5 pounds of chicken breasts cut into 2” strips

Sesame Noodles:

1 lb. of angel hair pasta
1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro
1 bunch chopped scallions
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 oz boiling water

Spicy Apricot Sauce:

2 cups apricot glaze
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin

Methods/Steps -

Marinade for Chicken: Mince onion, garlic & ginger and combine with the remaining ingredients. Shake or stir well before use.

Chicken: Toast seeds. Cool and combine with flour.
Marinate chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Dredge marinated chicken strips in the flour-sesame mixture. I n a skillet, heat canola oil until hot, but not smoking. Cook chicken strips on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a shallow roasting pan, and finish in a 400F degrees oven (or deep fry).

Sesame Noodles:
Cook angel hair pasta in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Add cilantro, scallions, olive oil and toasted sesame oil. Combine well.

Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette:
Combine all ingredients, except for the water, in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds, and then add the water and blend for another 10 seconds.

Spicy Apricot Sauce:
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the glaze melts. Whisk until smooth and serve at room temperature. Add water if it gets too thick.

To Assemble:
Prepare chicken according to the recipe. Toss the noodles with some soy-ginger vinaigrette and some fresh greens. Place the noodle salad on a plate and top with the cooked Sesame chicken. Drizzle some apricot sauce over the chicken. Garnish with pickled ginger and a side of the apricot dipping sauce.

Additional Tips
Please note that many of these recipes are for large quantities and may need to be adjusted to suit smaller serving sizes.