Cold Sesame Chicken

Amarante

Sun, Feb 28 2021, 10:14 am

This was a definite keeper. It just looks intimating possibly because of the long list of ingredients. But these are just spices to rub on the chicken to enhance flavor before poaching and then more spices and flavors to add to the broth the chicken was cooked in which then becomes the sauce.

And since it is a cold dish everything is prepped and cooked ahead of time.

This is obviously not authentic Chinese/Asian but will appeal to people who like Chinese flavors. Five star powder is a great spice to have in your pantry if you enjoy Chinese food.

I did NOT keep the skin on - what is the point of having chicken skin unless is it is roasted to succulent crispy perfection. All it would do is to add fat to the liquid to no purpose - there is enough flavor without fat.

I did use chicken parts and you could probably use just the parts you like. I would avoid wings.

This was a very good cookbook since I do like tahini and so enjoyed the creative ways the author employed it.

Cold Sesame Chicken

Excerpt From: Amy Zitelman with Andrew Schloss - The Tahini Table: Go Beyond Hummus with 100 Recipes for Every Meal

SERVES 6

I know boiling chicken is unusual. I’d never done it until we tried this, but slowly simmering chicken with lots of aromatics ﬂavors the meat through and through and keeps it incredibly moist. It’s not going to get crispy like roasted chicken. The meat comes out soft and succulent, which is what makes it so good served cold (or warm or room temperature).

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon ﬁve-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ﬁne sea salt
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts or 1 (3 1⁄2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, split in half

For The Sauce

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as grapeseed - I used peanut oil as that is what is typically used in Chinese cuisine and it ups the flavor profile.
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped (green and white parts)
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 star anise pods
1 (2-inch) piece fresh turmeric, sliced, or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 small dried or fresh red chile
1 garlic clove, minced with coarse sea salt - I use either a garlic press or a mini Cuisinart to mine garlic but adding coarse salt to garlic is a good kitchen hack which helps break down the garlic. I use this when I am using raw garlic which has a harsh taste and you don’t want to get even small chunks
1⁄2 cup premium tahini paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons silan date syrup
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
12–15 roasted peanuts or other nuts, chopped

Mix the ﬁve-spice powder, fennel, ground ginger, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Rub it all over the chicken. Set aside for about 30 minutes or refrigerate for several hours.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and lightly brown each side, about 3 minutes per side. Don’t let it get too dark; it should be golden brown.

Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down to very low, so the water barely simmers. Stir in the scallions, fresh ginger, star anise, turmeric, and chile. Cover and cook as gently as possible until the chicken is just fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed sheet pan to cool.

While the chicken is cooling, raise the heat to high under the pot of broth and boil until it is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Every now and then, spoon some of the boiling broth over the chicken while it cools.

Pour ¹/₂ cup of the reduced broth into a medium bowl. Mix in the minced garlic, tahini, soy sauce, date syrup, and hot sauce.

Arrange the chicken on a platter in a single layer. Brush with a thick layer of the tahini glaze. Scatter the cilantro, sesame seeds, and peanuts over the top and drizzle on the rest of the tahini glaze