Sesame chicken is an American-Chinese dish made by deep-frying deboned and battered chicken pieces which are then dressed with a thick, translucent, sweet sauce consisting of chicken broth, sugar, corn starch, and vinegar or sake. The dish is additionally topped with toasted or untoasted sesame seeds, giving sesame chicken its name.
American Sesame Chicken
Course: MainCuisine: American, ChineseDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes15
minutes542
kcal30
minutesSesame chicken is an American-Chinese dish made by deep-frying deboned and battered chicken pieces which are then dressed with a thick, translucent, sweet sauce consisting of chicken broth, sugar, corn starch, and vinegar or sake. The dish is additionally topped with toasted or untoasted sesame seeds, giving sesame chicken its name.
Ingredients
5 tbsp oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
10 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
2 tsp paprika
3 chicken breast fillets chopped into bite-size chunks
- Sauce:
1 tbsp sesame oil optional – you can leave out and just sprinkle with plenty of sesame seeds at the end if you prefer
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar white wine vinegar will work too
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce use more or less depending on the brand and how spicy you like it
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
- To Serve:
Boiled rice
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Small bunch spring onions/scallions chopped
Directions
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.
- Whilst the oil is heating, place the egg in one shallow bowl and the cornflour in another shallow bowl. Add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika to another shallow bowl and mix together.
- Dredge the chicken in the cornflour, then dip in the egg (make sure all of the chicken is covered in egg wash), and finally dredge it in the seasoned flour. Add to the wok and cook on a high heat for 6-7 minutes, turning two or three times during cooking, until well browned. You may need to cook in two batches (I find I can do it in one batch so long as it’s no more than 3 chicken breasts). Remove from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen towels.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to the hot wok, stir and bubble on a high heat until the sauce reduces by about a third (should take 2-3 minutes). Add the chicken back in and toss in the sauce to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and divide between four bowls. Serve with boiled rice and top with sesame seeds and spring onions.
