Chinese Sesame Chicken

Chinese Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken is a popular Chinese dish in most Chinese Restaurants in many countries including the United States. It is a similar recipe to General Tso’s Chicken, except this one has a sweet flavor, with a slight tangy rather than spicy.

As a fan of sweet and sour sauces, I am usually tempted to try similar recipes with slightly different flavors. This recipe boasts a slight hint of sesame flavor to the sweetness. It was definitely a winner in my home, even with the kids, you can’t go wrong. It also tastes better, if not as good as Chinese take-out.

I personally prefer to use boneless chicken thighs as the meat is much softer. This is fried in a batter so it is crispy on the outside and then added to this lovely sauce to make an amazingly satisfying dish. Then garnished with the sesame seeds gives it a nice nutty flavor mixed with the sweet as well. I am sure you will definitely enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken

• Chicken Thighs – boneless, or may use breasts.
• Salt
• Sugar
• Egg
• Cornstarch

Sauce

• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Vinegar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dark or Mushroom Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Garlic
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Sesame Seeds – toasted

How To Prepare Sesame Chicken

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1. First you would wash your chicken, cut off the fatty pieces, and cut into bite size pieces on a cutting board.
2. You would add the beaten egg, sugar and salt in a covered seasoning bowl for 1-2 hours or until ready to cook.
3. Add the cornstarch and coat all the chicken.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add oil and wait a few minutes until hot.
5. Start adding a couple pieces of the chicken at a time frying a few minutes on each side until golden brown, then remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat doing this in batches until all your chicken is fryed.
6. In the meantime, combine all your sauce ingredients in a small pot except the cornstarch, 1/2 cup of water and sesame seeds. Bring sauce to a boil. Dilute cornstarch with the water and add to the sauce while stirring 1-2 minutes until thickens slightly.
7. Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet on med-low heat until starts to brown.
8. When ready to serve, toss chicken in the sauce in the skillet and garnish with sesame seeds.

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Chinese Sesame Chicken

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6

Author Dianne

Ingredients

Chicken

• 12 Boneless Chicken Thighs Cut in 1” pieces
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 Egg beaten
• 1 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
• 1 Cup Oil for frying

Sauce

• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dark or Mushroom Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch + 3 Tbsp. Water to dilute
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 2 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds toasted

Instructions

1. Clean out the fatty pieces off the boneless thighs, wash chicken & cut into about 1” pieces. (May use breasts if preferred). Using a big bowl, Add egg, salt, & sugar, mix well. Place in fridge for 1-2 hrs or until ready to cook.

2. Add 1 1/2 cup of cornstarch and coat all chicken.

3. In a medium pot or saucepan, add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water. Dilute those together separately in a small cup.

4. Heat oil in a deep saucepan on Medium-high heat for about 1 minute or until hot. Drop in chicken pieces, a few at a time, not too close together. Fry on each side until golden brown around 3-4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

5. Bring sauce ingredients to boil, then add diluted cornstarch while stirring until thickens slightly and turns clear. About 1-2 minutes. Turn off.

6. To toast sesame seeds, just place in a small skillet on med-lo to medium heat and stir until starts turning brown. About 1-2 minutes.

7. When finished, combine chicken with sauce. Sprinkle each serving with a little sesame seeds as desired. Or may add to the sauce. Add 1/4 cup of water to sauce and stir to thin out.

Recipe Notes

*If you are unable to find Sesame Oil, you can make it ahead and store the rest for future use. (Which also works out cheaper).

To make sesame oil, heat up 1/2 cup of oil on med-hi heat, add 1/4 Cup of sesame seeds to the oil when hot, stir & simmer 1-2 minutes, turn off heat and cover for about 2 hours. when cool, strain off oil from seeds in a glass jar to store.

* This dish serves best with rice, stir-fry vegetables, or quinoa.

When re-heating, if sauce is too thick, add a little more water to thin out.