Sesame Chicken
A satisfying Chinese chicken built around boneless skinless chicken thighs and toasted sesame seeds β roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, toss with the beaten egg, then dredge thoroughly in the 5 tablespoons of cornstarch so each piece is dry-coated.
- Heat the frying oil to 175 C and fry the chicken in batches for about 5 minutes until golden and cooked through to 74 C inside, then drain; for extra crunch re-fry for 1 minute.
- In a clean wok combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger and water and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 minute until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Add the fried chicken and toss quickly over the heat so every piece is lacquered in the sweet sesame sauce.
- Sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately over steamed rice.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Saucepan Β· Wok Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener)
- Soy Sauce
- tamari (gluten-free) Β· coconut aminos
- Honey
- maple syrup Β· agave
- Rice Vinegar
- apple cider vinegar Β· white wine vinegar
What to serve with Sesame Chicken
- Kung Po Prawns Seafood
- Ma Po Tofu Beef
- Wontons Pork
- Sweet and Sour Pork Pork
Tips & common questions
How long does Sesame Chicken take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 6 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
Try 2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Sesame Chicken is an original Chinese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Sesame chicken wth broccoli.jpg by Paul Keller, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.