Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken is a delicious weeknight meal! Crispy bite-sized pieces of chicken are tossed in a sweet and savoury sesame sauce to make the perfect bite.

Welcome back to Part 3 of our Classic Takeout series…So far, we’ve made Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef, and after so many requests, I’ve finally come up with this recipe for Sesame Chicken.

You can find this in many American-Chinese food chains (think Panda Express or Manchu Wok). I always get torn with all the choices, but this has to be within my top three of Chinese takeout meals.

While similar in tastes, orange chicken varies greatly in terms of what makes up their sauce. Orange chicken, uses a generous amount of orange juice in its sauce to give it a signature tang and citrus taste.

Sesame chicken, on the other hand, is slightly sweeter, with a more nutty/toasty flavor due to a greater addition of sesame oil and sesame seeds.

What is Sesame Chicken?

If you’re unfamiliar, Sesame Chicken is a delicious Chinese-American classic. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are coated in a light batter, fried until golden crispy, and tossed in a sticky, sweet, and savory sauce.

Thanks to the sesame oil and sesame seeds sprinkled on top, the chicken takes on a toasty flavor that’s absolutely heavenly, especially when paired with freshly steamed veggies and fried rice.

Ingredients

Chicken: The best cut of chicken to use is dark, tender chicken thighs. They remain juicy, and there’s minimal risk of them drying out due to their high fat content. You could also use chicken breast if you prefer.

Cornstarch, Flour: In almost all of my fried chicken recipes, a combination of both cornstarch and flour are my secret to a crispy fried batter. Cornstarch is commonly used in Asian fried dishes, as to give the foods a lighter coating. I like to add just a bit of flour to give the coating a bit of thickness to stand up to the stir frying we’ll be doing as a final step.

Egg white, water: These two will transform the dry coating into a wet, paint-like batter that will crisp up perfectly in the oil.

Soy sauce: As a base in many Asian recipes, soy sauce provides the much-needed savoriness and umami flavor to our Sesame Chicken.

Honey, brown sugar: A mix of both honey and brown sugar creates a more complex sweetness to the sauce as opposed to if you were just to use standard white sugar. The sweetness here is essential in balancing out all those savory and tangy notes from the other ingredients.

Ketchup, rice vinegar: Ketchup and rice vinegar gives our sauce an acidic brightness that keeps things from being flat.

White pepper, garlic: While in small quantities, these ingredients give our sauce depth. The white pepper provides a delicate, earthy taste; while the fresh garlic is sharp and pungent.

Shaoxing wine: Also known as Chinese cooking wine, this is made by fermenting glutinous rice, water, and wheat-based yeast. It adds depth to almost all Chinese and Taiwanese dishes through its signature savoriness and mild saltiness.

*If you’re worried about alcohol content, don’t worry, since we use it minimally in this recipe. The alcohol also tends to cook off right away as we’re stir-frying the dish anyways. Otherwise, feel free to omit this ingredient altogether.

Sesame oil, sesame seeds: Sesame chicken isn’t sesame chicken without the sesame! The oil gives the sauce a delicious, nutty, aroma; while the seeds provide its signature toasty flavors.

Instructions

Prepare the batter by combining all the ingredients together in a bowl until you have a smooth, paint-like batter consistency (add more water if too thick). Add in the chicken and gently mix to ensure the chicken pieces are well coated.

Deep fry the coated chicken pieces (~330-340 F) for about 5-7 minutes, or until fully cooked through and golden. 

Double fry (optional, but highly recommended): Turn the heat to high, and fry the chicken for a second time (~375 F) for 30-60 seconds until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Mix together all the ingredients for the sesame sauce. Pour the sauce into a large pan or wok and bring to a boil for about 1-2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Once thickened, add in the fried chicken pieces and sesame seeds. Gently toss until the chicken is fully coated in the sesame sauce and seeds.

Serve immediately. Top with green onions. Enjoy!

Tips for Amazing Sesame Chicken

Don’t overcook your sauce

One of the most common inquiries I get is how the sauce ends up being too sticky or bitter by the time the chicken is mixed in. This may be the direct result of overcooking your sauce.

Boiling the sauce for 1-2 minutes is essentially working to reduce the sauce into a sticky glaze, making it glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken. If you go past this point (usually signalled by the smell of burning sugar), then the sauce becomes bitter and almost candy-like.

If this happens, I’d recommend to just toss the sauce and restart -it’s not worth coating your glorious fried chicken in it. However, if you do find that your sauce is reducing a bit too fast, you can either reduce your heat, or add a splash of hot water to dilute the mixture and let it reduce again.

Drizzle in the sesame oil last

Sesame oil is almost always added at the final moments of cooking within Asian cuisine. The reason being is that the oil retains its bold flavor and aroma better when the heat isn’t as intense

By doing this simple step, you’re able to actually taste the toastiness of the sesame oil in the foreground, as opposed to it being muted in flavor.

Briefly toss the chicken in the sauce

10-20 seconds is really all you’ll need to quickly toss the chicken in the sesame sauce. Overdo it, and your crispy chicken may risk getting soggy due to the steam and heat produced in the pan.

Once all the chicken is adequately coated in the sauce, immediately transfer them to a plate for serving.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

Leftover sesame chicken can stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Feel free to meal prep these as well! Though they may not exactly be as crunchy the very next day, I think they still taste pretty good.

What vegetables can I eat this with?

The possibilities are endless. Feel free to go takeaway-style by pairing this with some stir fried greens like broccoli and cabbage.

You could also add in chopped veggies into the stir-fry, such as carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini. Just be sure to adjust by adding more sauce to accommodate the larger portions.

If you loved this recipe, check out these other trending recipes!:

• Orange Chicken
• Beijing Beef
• Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly)
• Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice)