This is Sesame Chicken. This crispy classic Chinese takeout dish may seem like it could be complicated to make but it’s actually super easy. You can get that super crispy batter and delicious sesame sauce right in your home, made fresh. Trust me. You will want to skip the takeout from now on. Sesame chicken is a dish commonly found in Chinese restaurants throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The dish is similar to General Tso’s chicken but the taste is more sweet than spicy. I always find myself craving sesame chicken when the topic of Chinese food comes up. The savory-sweet brown sauce coating crispy chicken is my weakness. The dish involves chicken (usually thigh) pieces that are de-boned, cut into smaller pieces, battered and deep-fried, then dressed with a translucent, reddish-brown, semi-thick, somewhat sweet sauce. The finishing touch is the sesame seeds, which may or may not be toasted, hence the name sesame chicken. It is sometimes, but not always, served with vegetables such as broccoli and baby corn. Enjoy this recipe from all of us at Filipino Chow.
Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
Batter and Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of cornstarch
- cooking oil for frying
Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1/3 cup of soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1/2 cup of ketchup
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons of green onions, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste Instructions
Instructions
- Put the eggs, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Stir with a whisk or fork until the egg mixture is well blended.
- Now put the flour and cornstarch in a separate mixing bowl.
- Stir that until the flour mixture is also well blended.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture first.
- Now quickly cover the chicken pieces completely with the flour.
- Repeat this process until all the chicken pieces are covered in the egg and flour mixtures.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully put the pieces of chicken in the oil, but don't overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the chicken in the hot oil until the outside is crispy and has a golden brown color.
- Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the oil and put them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- If you weren't able to cook all the chicken at once, repeat the process until all the chicken is cooked.
- While the chicken is cooking you should begin preparing the sesame sauce at the same time.
- Combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch in a mixing bowl.
- Stir these ingredients until they are well blended.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the vegetable oil to the pan.
- Once the oil gets hot, add the garlic to the pan.
- Stir the garlic as it cooks until it turns light brown.
- Now add the sauce mixture to the pan.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.
- Stir the sauce continuously while it cooks.
- Let the sauce cook for 5 minutes or until it thickens.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside while you finish cooking the chicken (if you haven't already).
- Once the chicken and sauce are done, proceed with the final steps.
- Add the cooked chicken to the pan with the sesame sauce in it.
- Toss and turn the chicken repeatedly until it is completely coated with the sauce.
- Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving dish.
- Serve with white steamed rice and garnish with more sesame seeds and green onions if you prefer.
The sauce can be prepared up to two days before you plan to cook the chicken and serve it. Simply reheat the sauce in a pan before you combine it with the chicken. Be very careful when you put the chicken pieces in the hot oil. Hot oil can splatter when you first put the chicken in the pan.