Dinner - Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken {aka Jack Astor's ~ my version}

Ok, so apparently as of lately it's much easier to blog about what I cook, then what exactly is going on in my life - great eh? Can you tell I love food - when I have nothing else to say, food comes pretttyyy naturally... 


Tonight's Dinner - Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken.. on a work night, very easy and very delirious! I do not hide, this is no no way a "deep down home cooked meal" - but it's simply a pretty darn close attempt at trying to make Jack Astor's Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken, in which they now charge close to $20 for, for around.. $5 per person at home. Again, this isn't made from complete scratch, so don't judge me ok - it was taste I was going for.. 

You'll need...

3 good size Chicken Fingers per person - M&M's are THE BEST to use! (http://www.mmmeatshops.com/en/products/product.asp?productID=343&catID=4)

A bottle of Thai Sweet & Spicy Sauce (I just checked their website for it, and it's not showing anymore, but you can also buy a bottle of "cock" brand, {thats rooster my friends} Thai Sweet & Spicy Sauce at No Frills, it's a big bottle and it has a red label - it's about $2.00 per bottle. The one from M&M's hands down tastes WAY better, but I have used this brand before and it was okay too. 

Honey

Sesame Seeds, toasted 

Carrot, cut like matchsticks 

(did you know...you can buy them this way, found in some stores by the baby carrots!!)

1 Red Pepper, cut into fine strips

Sweet Snow Peas, rinsed

Bean Sprouts

3-4 Green Onions, finely chopped

Jasmine Rice, cook as directed

Bake chicken fingers as directed on package. 

Start Jasmine Rice in rice cooker or stove stop. We love our rice cooker and it makes it perfect every single time! We rarely use a rice cooker, but for the $20 is cost us for the cooker, these ethnic rices cook so nicely in it - it's SO worth it!! 

Prepare vegetables. In other words, if you bought the match stick carrotes, chop the green onion and red peppers - quick, yep!!

Toast your sesame seeds, have you done this before? It adds so much flavour to them! Put a frying pan on medium low and put your sesame seeds in the pan. Keep them moving in the pan, you will smell the aroma and notice they start to turn a light toasty brown. Shut the heat off when they are all equally toasted.

Meanwhile, add 3 parts Thai Sweet & Spicy Sauce and one part honey. I use about 3/4 cipe of the Sweet & Spicy and 1/4 honey. Pop is in the microwave in a small microwave safe bowl and heat until it's hot. Stir and heat again. The heating process will thin out of the sauce, and that's ok! 

Once the chicken fingers and rice are all done, turn a large wok or frying pan, add a little olive oil and stir fry the carrots and red peppers. The amount of vegetables you want, depends on if you like them - we love ALL of these vegetables, so I tend to cook a lot! Once they are soft, throw in a handful or two of bean sprouts, the snow peas and toss. Basically you just want the sprouts and snow peas to be warm, not cooked. Once this is achieved, add 3/4 of the green onions and shut off the heat. Toss again. 

Now you're ready to plate.. lay a bed of Jasmine Rice, then chop up the chicken into bit size pieces, then add the stir fried red pepper, carrot, snow peas and bean sprouts on top. Drizzle with the hot Thai Sweet & Spicy Sauce/Honey mixture, and spring toasted sesame seeds and reserved green onion on top! 


You're ready to eat, hope you enjoy!