Sesame Chicken

This Monday, I decided to make Paula's Sesame Chicken Strip recipe. I thought it would be something pretty easy to put together while I was waiting for my hubby to return from South Texas. I wasn't wrong about the recipe being pretty easy, I just don't know how delicious it really was.

Meet my sous chef!

It all starts out with a "marinade" of sorts. You basically mix together the sour cream and other seasonings, stirring in the chicken strips (see bowl on right).

I assumed that a lot of the sour cream mixture would be left in the bowl for me to wash out when the chicken had finished marinating. I was wrong!!! The marinade had almost completely soaked into the chicken! At least I knew that the meat would be moist :)

After my chicken soaked while I was hard at work, mind you it was Labor Day :(, I rolled the little strips in my Panko-Pita-Sesame mixture. Paula's recipe calls for simple bread crumbs. When I think of sesame chicken, I think of a more Asian flare. Though I have never used Panko bread crumbs, I have always wanted an excuse to give them a try. This was the perfect recipe!

Instead of pouring melted butter on my coated strips, I used Smart Balance. I think the lack of "real" fat had something to do with the lack of crispness. I really wanted these strips to be somewhat crunchy on the outside. Even though I broiled the strips at the end, they still weren't brown and crispy. I think next time I will spray them with Canola oil and broil them a little bit longer.

As far as taste, they weren't too bad. I think I was so disappointed with the crust that the flavor was already doomed in my mind. I had them reheated for lunch, and re-evaluated the taste. I was a little more pleased with my second test.

With a little "un-fried rice"...

Here are the stats:

I left Paula's the way she had it set. If she used 6 chicken breasts you would get about 3 oz of meat for 8 servings. That is the same amount of meat you would get for my recipe for three servings....which I am now realizing I put 2...it should be three, but the same nutrition info...oops!

Sesame Chicken
2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
¼ cup light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp garlic pepper
4 tbsp Panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp whole wheat pita crumbs
2 tbsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Smart Balance, melted

Mix chicken with sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and garlic pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and let soak for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with canola spray.

In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with sesame seeds. Roll each chicken strip in the breading mixture and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all strips are coated. Evenly pour the melted Smart Balance over the breaded strips. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, broil the chicken for at least 5 minutes, or until they are slightly browned. Enjoy!

***By the way, come back after lunch for an INCREDIBLE breakfast sandwich recipe!!!!!