This Asian Crispy Sesame Chicken is a delicious homemade alternative to that naughty takeaway!
I think I need to get me some bees.
The amount of honey we go through on toast (Gracey’s obsession) and in cooking makes we wonder why we don’t have a honey store like Winnie the Pooh! Honey filled Breakfast lollies, sticky Asian Pork Belly, balsamic-honey salad dressings., Asian Ribs, Sticky Pork Belly Burger, Chinese Crispy Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce, Chris even uses it in his Chilli Con Carne just install a honey-line into my house and let’s be done with it.
This crispy sesame chicken is another one for the honey archives. Sweet, salty, crispy, sticky and a little bit spicy – it covers all the bases for one of these meals that everyone polishes off. Not a scrap left.
Even while photographing this one I caught Chris hovering over the pan that had a few pieces of chicken still in it – waiting till I wasn’t looking so he could sneak a few pieces!
I let him off with the proviso that he fed me a piece too whilst I was snapping away.
I love this as an alternative to the Friday night takeaway. Can’t deny it’s not the healthiest meal – with the honey and brown sugar, and of course a little oil to crisp up that chicken – but it’s still way better than take-out. I serve mine with some steamed brocolli and sugar snap peas to just boost the health factor.
One thing I should say is that this isn’t a copycat recipe. I know sesame chicken is popular at Chinese takeout restaurants in the US, but it’s not something we really see on Chinese menus in the UK. I’ve never tasted the US version, so I can’t say it tastes anything like it.
It’s bloomin’ good though!
Equipment:
In order to make this Sesame Chicken recipe you will need:
- A good Kitchen knife. In the video I use my Leiths knife however I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Shallow White Bowls
- Measuring Jug
- Fying Pan/Skillet or a Wok.
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- A nice set of bowls to serve in. Something like these blue Bowls are really nice to serve in.
- Some Chopsticks for when you feel confident 🙂
The Crispy Sesame Chicken with a Sticky Asian Sauce Recipe:
Crispy Sesame Chicken with a Sticky Asian Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp vegetable 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
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 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.2 eggs, 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch), 10 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp garlic salt, 2 tsp paprika
- 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.3 chicken breast fillets
- 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.1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 4 tbsp soy sauce
- Turn off the heat and divide between four bowls. Serve with boiled rice and top with sesame seeds and spring onions.boiled rice, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, small bunch spring onions/scallions
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great recipe, and also good using tofu instead of chicken. One request: would it be possible to add a link allowing readers to change the number of servings (and therefore ingredients) in a recipe — for those of us who mostly cook for one? Thanks!
So glad you liked the recipe Susan!
Unfortunately we had to take out the functionality to change the quantities for different servings. We’ve found that the tool doesn’t always work correctly (especially as we include both cup and grams measurements), and also some recipes don’t work quite as well when when all of the ingredient quantities are changed by the same multiplier/divider. Normally this issue is for recipes that are tripled or more (i.e tripling slow cooker recipes can be a problem, because you usually wouldn’t triple the amount of liquid). We haven’t got the resources currently to check every recipe in every different serving amount. It is something I’ll put on my list to think further about though, as we’d like to be as helpful as we can to everyone x
When exactly do you add the 10 tbsp of plain flour?
Hi Aleyna,
Its at step 2 “Add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika to another shallow bowl and mix together.”
Thanks
Chris
Making this tonight. It looks so good. Question, is it 3 T of Corn Starch AND 3 T of Corn Flour?
Thanks,
Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Its 3 tbsp of Cornflour OR Cornstarch.
Thanks
Chris
Forward slash always mean “OR” !
Great recipe.
My partner cannot eat garlic, can you recommend a substitute please,
Hi Steve, I’d just leave the garlic out. There’s still plenty of flavour from the rest of the ingredients, so it will still taste great.
So good. Thank you so much for sharing.
The sauce she has is simply stunning. I use the sauce on multiple different foods it is so good. I am going to try more of her recipes. She’s got it!!!
So good!
Stunning dish and a go to every week for us at the moment! Succulent, tender and sooooo moreish. We simply can’t get enough of it. Love your recipes Nicky – they never seem to fail ;0)
Could you use the same method, but bake the chicken pieces in the oven rather than frying?
Unfortunately the chicken won’t be as crispy is baked rather than fried. You can use the same method I use for my baked sweet and sour chicken instead: Use the chicken plus
3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
Pre-heat your oven to 190c/375f. Put a large baking dish in the oven to warm up. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Put to one side. In a medium sized bowl, mix the cornflour, salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika. Pour your olive oil in another medium sized bowl. Place the chicken in the bowl with the cornflour, and mix, ensuring every piece of chicken is completely covered. Scoop out the chicken, and put it into the bowl with the olive oil in. Toss gently in the olive oil. Pour any leftover cornflour mixture onto the chicken, and mix it all up. You should end up with the chicken pieces looking well coated and a bit sticky. Carefully take your dish out of the oven and place the chicken into the dish in a single layer. Try not to bunch the chicken together. The more room it has, the more crispy it will get. Place in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked throughout.
I made this tonight and it was amazing. I like a lot of sauce so I doubled the sauce ingredients and used four chicken breasts instead of three. I made a similar recipe several years ago and it also was amazing but I couldn’t find the recipe that I used. I stumbled upon this one and it’s dead on! I will not hesitate to make this recipe again. I do not have a wok so I fried the chicken in my deep fryer and made the sauce in a separate skillet. I put both chicken and sauce in a large mixing bowl and tossed until coated and then into a serving plate and garnished it with sesame seeds and sliced scallions. It was a beautiful presentation. (Oh, and P.S…….after I coat the chicken pieces, I always lay them on a wax paper-lined tray for about 15 minutes or so to absorb the coating. I was taught that trick by a chef long ago. It makes the coating stick better.)