Sesame-Orange Chicken

We used to order Chinese take-out close to once a week, back when I was working.  Quick and cheap, it was usually on the weekends when neither my husband or I really wanted to spend time cooking!  Now that I'm home, I think we are down to about one time a month ordering Chinese. My kids had recently taken a liking to sesame chicken.  Yes, those chicken chunks deep fried and smothered in that sticky sauce with sesame seeds.  I don't want to think about how unhealthy it is because I have to admit it tastes so darn good!  However, I've been on the lookout for a healthier version of the dish.  Cooking Light is my trusted go-to cookbook.  I have six of the annual cookbooks and tons of magazine rip outs of recipes.....and I'm still a current subscriber!  I usually have luck finding tasty, health recipes. Well, we were truly disappointed with this recipe.  The chicken was supposed to have a sesame-orange sauce but it was really thin and tasteless.  No one liked this.  I ended taking out some teriyaki sauce and dipping the chicken in that to give it some flavor.  I was very disappointed, but my hunt for a tasty sesame chicken recipe continues....

Sesame-Orange Chicken
Cooking Light, May 2005

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
Dash of ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon whipping cream

 Preparation:
Combine sesame seeds, rind, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until butter melts. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add ground sesame mixture to pan, stirring with a whisk. Add broth, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook broth mixture until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 3 minutes). Add orange juice and cream; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken.

Family Rating: thumbs down!