Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

When things seem out of the ordinary, like when you are approaching your last day of a job you've been going to every day for the past eight years, sometimes all you want is normal.  Well, tomorrow is my last day at Salon 9 and so tonight all I wanted was taco meat and my favorite orange blackberry muffins. 

But last week everything seemed totally normal, so I took a walk on the Asian side!

Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, whisked
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy!)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

How to do:
Pre-heat your oven to 350. 
For the chicken:
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
You'll want to do this in two batches.
Roll the chicken in the cornmeal, then in the egg.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook until just browned on the outside, not fully cooked.
In a 9x13, place the battered chicken in a single layer. 
For the sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, agave, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. 
Pour half the mixture over the chicken and place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.
In the meantime, pour the remaining sauce in a small saucepan, and reduce the sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently.
When the chicken is done, pour most of the remaining sauce over the top.  I reserved just a little bit of sauce to have on the side. 
Pour the sesame seeds on top of the chicken.

On a side note:  Next time I would either use less vinegar or more agave/sugar.  Breeze thought it tasted perfect though so do what you please!
Recipe adapted from  this Tasty Kitchen Member. 

Follow these photos for a wonderful dinner:

Everyday ingredients you have in your cabinet to make sweet and sour chicken!

Brown the chicken covered in cornmeal.

Bake the browned chicken for about less than an hour.

 Thicken the sauce over medium heat.

Serve with brown rice and mixed veggies!

Enjoy!!