Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken with Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms

Name: Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken with Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms
Yield: Serves 4 as a main dish with rice
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1/4 cup, soy sauce; 1/4 cup, dry sherry; 1 cup, water; 1 pound, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat, and prepared according to illustrations below; 2 tablespoons, toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon, cornstarch; 1 tablespoon, unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon, white sesame seeds; 1/2 cup, low-sodium chicken broth; 3 tablespoons, soy sauce; 2 tablespoons, dry sherry; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, Asian chili sauce; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon, cornstarch; 1 tablespoon, white sesame seeds, toasted in small dry skillet until golden, about 4 minutes; 2 teaspoons, toasted sesame oil; 3 medium cloves, garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon); 1 teaspoon, minced fresh ginger; , peanut oil or vegetable oil; 1 pound, green beans, cut on bias into 1-inch pieces; 8 ounces, shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced 1/8 inch thick

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2004

What's the key to tender, juicy stir-fried chicken? It's a technique called velveting.

SERVES4 as a main dish with rice

TIME1 hour, plus 20 minutes marinating

Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken with Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

To avoid chicken that got dry and stringy when cooked on high heat, we came up with a solution: We soaked the chicken in a combination brine-marinade to add flavor and moisture. For extra insurance, we dipped the marinated pieces of chicken...

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