Crispy sesame chicken. Perfectly crispy and absolutely delicious lightly battered chicken tossed with honey sesame sauce. The sticky sweet sauce complements the crispy chicken for that lip-smacking wow factor. Sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds bring in the classic flavor in this recipe. And it’s better than take out!
Why I Love This Crispy Chicken
What’s your Asian take out favorite? The list is literally endless, right? It’s just all about the multitude of flavors working harmoniously to create the best dish. Like this crispy chicken coated with glossy sweet and savory sauce.
Of course, the sticky sweet sauce turns a simple crunchy chicken into something extraordinary. The bold flavor of sesame oil in the sauce simply brings in amazing flavor alongside the other sweet and savory elements. I also have the secret to making the chicken unbelievably crunchy and let them stand out against the glossy sauce. If you haven’t tried this deliciously crunchy recipe at home yet, consider this as a sign to give it a go.
Key Ingredients In Crispy Sesame Chicken
- Chicken - Thighs for maximum flavor.
- Sesame oil - Add it to the sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar.
- Sesame seeds - The second sesame element that needs to be lightly sprinkled on top.
- Brown sugar - For the sticky sweetness.
- Honey - The second sweet element.
- Soy sauce - The classic ingredient of most Asian dishes.
- Flour - To coat and deep fry. This makes chicken more crispy.
How To Make Crispy Sesame Chicken
Fry chicken - First, you will need to make a coating for chicken with cornstarch or corn flour, soy sauce and white pepper. Then, coat the chicken with flour and deep fry. This will give you the ultimate crunch. If you are after extreme crunch, fry the chicken pieces again.
Make sauce - The simple stir fry sauce consists of honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and tomato sauce or ketchup to bring in notes of sweet, tangy and savory. The sticky glaze is used to coat the chicken in the final step of cooking.
Stir fry - In the final step, bring all the elements together and stir fry in sesame oil for the classic flavor. The sesame seed topping also adds more sesame flavor making this your new favorite fakeaway dish.
Crispy Sesame Chicken - Better Than Takeout
Ingredients
Fry chicken:
- 600 g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
- White of 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ cup all purpose (plain) flour
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons ketchup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Sesame chicken:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Chopped spring onions (scallions)
Instructions
Fry chicken:
- Place chicken in a large bowl.
- Add cornstarch (corn flour), egg white, soy sauce, garlic powder and ground white pepper. Toss.
- Season with salt.
- Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Place flour in a shallow plate. Roll each chicken piece in flour and add to hot oil.
- Fry for about 5-6 minutes until golden and crispy, and the chicken pieces are cooked through. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding.
- Drain on an absorbent towel.
Make sauce:
- Place ketchup (tomato sauce), honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bow. Stir to combine.
Make sesame chicken:
- Heat oil in a a large wok or frying pan over high heat.
- Add garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add sauce. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add fried chicken. Toss.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions (scallions).
Video
Notes
- To serve - Steamed rice, fried rice, noodles, stir fried Asian-style vegetables, Korean cucumber salad.
- White pepper - Replace with black pepper if you like.
- Frying chicken - You can fry chicken twice for extra crispiness.
Nutrition
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Julie says
Tisa says
Thanks. I made this last night and it was delicious. The whole family loved it.