Soy-Ginger Sesame Chicken Onigiri

• While rice cooks, wash and dry produce. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. • Open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid. Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and scallion whites; cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.  • Add stir-fry sauce, scallion greens, and sesame seeds. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens and chicken is coated, 30-60 seconds. Turn off heat; set filling aside to cool for at least 15 minutes. 

• Fluff rice with a fork. Add rice wine vinegar and ½ tsp sugar and gently stir to combine.  • Crumble two roasted seaweed sheets over rice and stir to evenly combine until rice becomes slightly sticky.  • Set rice mixture aside, uncovered, until cool enough to handle, at least 15 minutes (but no more than 1 hour!). 

• While rice and filling cool, cut or tear remaining roasted seaweed sheets along perforation lines into 1- to 2-inch-wide strips. Cover seaweed strips with a dry kitchen towel. 

• Once filling and rice are cool enough to handle, fill a medium bowl with warm water. Place pot with rice and pan with filling alongside. • Dip both hands in bowl of water (TIP: This will help prevent the rice from sticking to your hands—repeat as needed throughout the process!). Using both hands, form ⅓-½ cup rice into a ball, slightly compressing as you go (it doesn't need to be perfectly round). Place rice ball in one hand, then gently flatten into a 3½-inch-wide disk using the other. • Add about 2 tsp filling to center of rice disk. Using your fingers, gently fold rice up and around filling (like you're stuffing a meatball), adding another 1-2 TBSP rice on top as needed to help enclose filling. Shape and seal into a ball.

• Once filling is enclosed, gently form into a 2-inch-thick disk (TIP: Avoid flattening it too much!). Hold the disk in one hand; use your other hand to begin forming a triangle shape by pinching with your fingers. • Continue pinching and shaping the sides into angles, rotating the onigiri in your hands, until triangular in shape. TIP: Compact the rice without squeezing too hard. A gentle touch helps the onigiri hold its shape while keeping the rice tender. • Working one at a time on a clean work surface, wrap one seaweed strip around onigiri by placing onigiri in center of seaweed strip, then folding it up and over to other side. • Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until all rice and filling have been used. TIP: You may have seaweed strips left over. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. We like crumbling them on top of rice bowls, stir-fries, and ramen!