Crispy Baked Sesame Chicken

PREP: 20 MINUTES  COOK: 20 MINUTES  YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHICKEN:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon corn starch, mixed with 2 Tablespoons water
  • Sesame seeds, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE CHICKEN:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease it generously with cooking spray.

Trim any fat from the chicken thighs and cut them into 1-inch pieces.

Add the flour and salt to a sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag, press out any air then seal the bag shut. Shake the bag until the chicken pieces are coated on all sides.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs.

Add the breadcrumbs to a second shallow dish.

Remove each piece of chicken from the bag and shake off any excess flour. Dip the chicken in the eggs, shake off any excess, then dip it in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat the chicken on all sides. Repeat the coating process with all of the chicken pieces, arranging them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Spray the chicken pieces with cooking spray then bake them for 10 minutes. Flip each chicken piece once then continue baking until cooked through and crispy, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. While the chicken is baking, make the sauce.

MAKE THE SAUCE:

In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, add the vegetable oil and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and brown sugar. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil then whisk in the cornstarch mixture and boil until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and add it to a large bowl. Drizzle the sauce on top and toss to combine. Garnish the chicken with sesame seeds and serve.

Sheet Pan Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken

INGREDIENTS

  • 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 large red onion, chopped (use can use either frozen or fresh packages of chopped onions)
  • 2-3 cups ounces broccoli florets (I used a 15 oz. bag of frozen broccoli florets)
  • 3 carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch-thick slices (I used about 1 cup from bag of carrot “chips” or “coins”
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • To make this super easy: you can purchase either frozen or fresh stir fry veggies

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (I used No Sodium Soy Sauce)
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used the squeeze tube of garlic)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I used the squeeze tube of ginger)
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
  2. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
  3. To make the teriyaki sauce:  add all the sauce ingredients except cornstarch, to a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk to combine and bring it to a simmer. 
  4. Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until fully combined. Stir in cornstarch mixture into the sauce, and simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Let the sauce cool to room temperature. Reserve 1/2 cup and set aside.
  5. Add chicken to a gallon size Ziploc bag and add the remaining sauce. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight, turning the bag occasionally to make sure the chicken marinates uniformly. 
  6. When ready to cook, drain the chicken from the sauce. Do not discard the sauce yet.
  7. Add the chopped veggies to a large bowl, add the olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir to combine.
  8. Add the veggies to the prepared baking pan. Top with the chicken and the remaining teriyaki sauce.
  9. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked,  about 25-30 minutes. With an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
  10. Check the chicken and turn on the broiler for the last 5 minutes, for a crispier top on the chicken.
  11. Serve immediately over rice if desired, with veggies on the side, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.

Chicken Salad with Grapes

Prep Time15 minutes Servings8 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cubed or shredded chicken rotisserie chicken works great
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2/3 cup pecans halves, or chopped
  • 1 cup grapes, halved red, green, or combination of both
  • croissants, sandwich rolls, bread, or wraps for serving
  • (had bacon crumbles in the refrigerator, so I added those)

light and creamy chicken salad dressing

  • 1/2 cup light mayo
  • 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Instructions

  • Stir together all dressing ingredients until smooth, set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine chicken, celery, pecans, and grapes.
  • Pour dressing over chicken salad. Toss well to combine and coat evenly in the dressing.

Notes

I fixed 8 generously-filled croissant sandwiches with this recipe. You could easily make 10 lesser-filled sandwiches, or double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. 

This recipe can easily be halved for a small batch OR it keeps very well in the fridge in an airtight container for several days. 

Pecans can be left out, or substituted with walnuts or cashews.