Sesame. Er, Teriyaki? Ummm, 5 Spice Chicken. Yeah. That's what we'll call it!

Several of my friends found a crock pot sesame chicken recipe floating around Facebook and posted it to their wall.  Interesting premise.  But I didn't want it to cook 4 hours.  It was 11 AM and I needed something NOW for lunch!  

I took that recipe and changed it up some.  It turned out pretty good!  Husband has actually given the "official okay" to add into a rotation (which is why I'm putting here on this blog so I can actually find the recipe again!).  

Now, is this Sesame Chicken like what you'll get in a Chinese restaurant?  Nope.  Not even close, though it does have sesame in it.  It's actually more like teriyaki, which my friend (who made the original recipe in the slow cooker) said.  But it's not really teriyaki, either.  My addition of the five spice powder to this recipe kicked it up a notch, yet the kiddos gobbled it up, so it wasn't too hot.  I also figured: If I'm making "Asian" food (I use quotes because I'm really just tossing stuff together here!), why use ketchup?  Yes!  The original recipe had KETCHUP!  Though I suppose that would make it easier for most people to approximate in their own home.  Instead, I used Hoisin sauce.  

So, here you have it!  Oh, and sorry for the lack of photos.  They all ate it up so quickly, I didn't have a chance to snap a photo.

Sesame, Teriyaki, Five Spice Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed.
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced
1 - 2 carrots, peeled and cut into "matchsticks"
1 bell pepper, any color, sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon five spice seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil

SAUCE: 
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
dash of five spice seasoning

small jar (maybe 1/4 cup) of sesame seeds

Mix the honey, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and dash of five spice seasoning.  Set aside.

Place 1/2 cup of cornstarch and a couple dashes of five spice powder in a gallon size baggie.  Add the cubed chicken.  Close the bag and toss until the chicken is coated.  Heat the olive oil in a wok or large pan.  Cook the chicken (leave out the left over loose cornstarch) until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.  

In the same pan, add the onion, carrots, pepper, garlic, and five spice seasoning.  Cook/stir fry over high heat until  done.  Add the chicken back into the vegetable mixture.  Stir.  Pour the sauce mixture over the top and stir again.  Add in the sesame seeds.  Cook until mixture thickens up.  The cornstarch from the chicken helps, as does the honey.  

Serve over steamed long grain rice.  

Dang, I wish I had a photo!  It was beautiful!