Sesame Chicken: Better Than Takeout!

Get ready to make sesame chicken that tastes better than any takeout. I’ll walk you through every step and solve the common problems! You won’t believe how tasty it is! Absolutely amazing!

Sesame Chicken Recipe

Serving: 2 to 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinate time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

For the chicken and marinades:
1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
1/2 tablespoon rice wine
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

For the batter
1 ½ cups cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup water

For the sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

For the frying and garnish:
4 cups oil
2 tablespoons scallions

Sesame Chicken Instructions

To marinate the chicken:

• In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, salt, white pepper, rice wine, egg white, and cornstarch slurry — 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. (Both the egg white and cornstarch slurry will solve the problem of dry chicken! So our chicken will be extra tender and juicy on the inside!) 
• Mix well and marinate for 20 minutes.

To make the sauce:

• In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, sugar, and chicken stock.

To make the batter:

• In a large mixing bowl, add the cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, egg, salt, oil, and water. Whisk until smooth. (The baking soda and baking powder are going to make our batter extra crispy and airy!)
• Add the chicken to the batter and mix well.

To fry the chicken:

• In a pot over high heat, add the oil. Heat it up to 350°F or 177°C. Deep fry the chicken in batches for about 5 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove the chicken. Do the same with the rest.
• Heat up the oil to 375°F or 191°C. Return the chicken fry for 1 minute until crispy. (Tada! Double frying will solve the problem of soggy chicken. Here’s the logic behind it. When the exterior temperature is hotter than the interior temperature, it forces the oil from the inside to come out.)
• Remove and drain the chicken.

To put together the sesame chicken:

• In a pan over medium heat, pour in the sauce and bring it to a simmer. Add the roasted sesame seeds, and pour in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce — 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until it’s thickened.
• Transfer the chicken inside. Stir and coat the chicken with the sauce. Garnish it with the scallions. Enjoy!