Twice-fried chicken bites coated in a glossy glaze of honey, soy sauce and sesame, to serve with white rice and broccoli.
On the night a craving for Chinese takeout hits, this is often what you order. The golden bites crackle as you bite into them, then the honey and soy sauce glaze sticks to your fingers just enough, while the warm aroma of sesame rises from the bowl.
Itβs mild, with no chili, and is eaten steaming hot over white rice with a little broccoli. Made at home, it reaches the table while the crust is still crisp under the sauce.
What Is Sesame Chicken?
Sesame chicken is a classic of Chinese restaurants in the United States. Bite-size pieces of chicken are coated in a thin cornstarch batter, fried twice, then covered in a sweet-and-savory glaze of honey and light soy sauce. The sesame comes in at the end, with sesame oil poured into the sauce and sesame seeds scattered over the top.
Its cousins are General Tsoβs chicken, which is spicier, and orange chicken, which is tangier: the same fried chicken with a different sauce. In English, you order it by the name βsesame chicken.β
A Product of New Yorkβs Chinese Restaurants
Sesame chicken descends from General Tsoβs chicken. That Hunanese dish, created in Taiwan in the 1950s by chef Peng Chang-kuei, reached New York in the early 1970s. Cooks there made it much sweeter for American customers, and sauce-coated fried chicken became a mainstay of the countryβs Chinese restaurants.
Restaurants quickly realized that the same fried chicken base could carry several different sauces. Sesame chicken is the mildest version, for those who want the crunch without the heat.
Itβs served in takeout containers with white rice and steamed broccoli, sometimes with Cantonese fried rice or Chinese egg drop soup on the side. It belongs to Chinese cuisine as it has adapted to American tastes.
The Main Ingredients in Sesame Chicken
Boneless chicken thigh stays tender through double frying, whereas breast meat dries out more quickly. The batter combines cornstarch, a little flour, egg white, light soy sauce, white pepper and water. The cornstarch gives a light, crunchy crust, the flour helps it hold together, and the egg white makes it cling to the meat.
Honey and brown sugar give the sauce its sweetness and shine, while soy sauce brings salt and umami. Ketchup adds acidity, color and body, and rice vinegar cuts through the greasiness of the frying. Shaoxing wine adds depth, and a grated garlic clove livens everything up.
To finish, sesame oil provides the aroma and the seeds the crunch. Green onion adds a fresh note against the sweetness of the glaze.
Technical Tips for Good Sesame Chicken
The crispiness comes from double frying. The first fry, at around 165 to 170 Β°C, cooks the chicken. The second, at 190 Β°C and very brief, dries out the crust, which then stays crunchy once itβs in the sauce.
The sauce boils just long enough to turn glossy and sticky: if it cooks too long, it smells of burnt sugar and turns bitter. The chicken spends only a few seconds in it, then you serve it right away, while the crust is still crunchy. A wok or a large frying pan gives you room to coat everything without crushing the pieces.
Ingredients
Batter
- 65 g cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 egg white
- 0.25 teaspoon white pepper
- 80 ml water
Chicken
- 450 g chicken, preferably boneless thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Neutral oil, for frying
Sesame Sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey, to taste
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons ketchup
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, or sake, or dry white wine
- 1 clove garlic, grated
To Finish
- 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, chopped
- White rice, for serving
- Broccoli, for serving
Instructions
Batter
- Mix all the batter ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth batter with the consistency of paint.65 g cornstarch, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 egg white, 0.25 teaspoon white pepper, 80 ml water
- Add a little water if the batter is too thick.
Chicken
- Add the chicken pieces to the batter.450 g chicken,
- Stir gently to coat each piece well.
- Heat the frying oil to about 165 to 170Β°C.Neutral oil,
- Fry the chicken pieces for 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked through and golden.
- Remove the chicken from the oil.
- Turn the heat up to high to bring the oil to about 190Β°C.
- Fry the chicken a second time for 30 to 60 seconds, until deep golden and crispy.
- Let the chicken cool on a wire rack.
Sesame Sauce
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth.3 tablespoons honey,, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons ketchup, 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar,, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine,, 1 clove garlic,
- Pour the sauce into a large frying pan or wok.
- Bring to a boil and let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly into a glossy, sticky glaze.
To Finish
- Add the fried chicken, sesame oil and sesame seeds to the thickened sauce.1.5 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- Toss gently for 15 to 30 seconds, just long enough to coat all the chicken in the sauce.
- Sprinkle with the green onion.1 green onion,
- Serve right away with the rice and broccoli.White rice,, Broccoli,
