Making restaurant-style crispy sesame chicken without a ton of sugar or deep frying. The chicken is juicy and tender with a chewy coating and a flavorful sauce full of umami. You can’t miss this dish! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
Sesame chicken is a popular dish on Chinese takeout menus. But did you know that you can easily make it at home?
You typically see two types of sesame chicken recipes. The first type replicates the takeout-style crispy sesame chicken but requires you to deep fry the chicken. The second type uses a simple stir fry approach, but doesn’t give you that crunchy surface. This recipe provides a better solution, so you can create the perfect crispy, crunchy chicken without deep frying.
Why this recipe
Now here is the trick to creating crispy chicken with a crunchy coating that is like the takeout you’d get from a Chinese restaurant, without making a mess.
- The killer coating for extra crispy chicken
Simply use the formula: oil + salt + egg + cornstarch
Not only does it season the chicken and make it flavorful, but it also yields an extra crispy exterior, even after you coat it with sauce.
- How to make crispy chicken with less oil
The answer is by pan-frying, which requires just 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil to coat your skillet. Simply cook the chicken one side at a time until golden brown, and transfer it to a plate for a minute to cool. Taste a piece of chicken. You’ll be surprised at the juicy and flavorful interior and super crunchy coating.
- Extra flavorful sauce with less sugar
This recipe uses cooking wine, Chinkiang vinegar, and plenty of fresh herbs to create an extra fragrant sauce that is rich and delicious. Many recipes out there use half a cup (or a whole cup!) of sugar. This one uses just a quarter cup, but I guarantee the results will be amazing.
Sesame chicken ingredients
Which cut of chicken to use
My favorite cut for sesame chicken is chicken thigh. It results in very juicy tender chicken bites with the crust properly crisped up. However, you can use chicken breast as well. The chicken will end up a bit less tender but will be flavorful as well.
Chinkiang vinegar
Chinkiang vinegar is also called black vinegar. It has a dry, tart flavor that is balanced by a malty umami and accented by a slightly woody and smoky aroma. The malty umami is what makes Chinkiang vinegar special, as it gives dishes and sauces a characteristic flavor and fragrance, in addition to its sourness. You can learn more about this ingredient HERE.
I used Chinkiang vinegar in my recipe to give the sauce a bit of an extra tangy taste with a ton of umami. But if you don’t have this ingredient on hand or need to make the dish gluten-free, you can replace it with rice vinegar.
You can easily find Chinkiang vinegar in large Asian markets or Chinese grocery stores. You can also purchase it on Amazon.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Marinated chicken
- Mixed sauce
- Sliced aromatics (garlic and onion)
When you get everything ready beforehand, your cooking will take no time and you’ll be less likely to forget to add important ingredients.
How to make sesame chicken
Making sesame chicken is super easy:
- Pan fry the chicken until crispy
- Take the chicken out of the pan and let it cool slightly (very important, the chicken will keep crisping up as it cools)
- Saute the aromatics
- Add the sauce
- Add back the chicken and mix them together
- Garnish with a bit more green onion and serve
How to serve sesame chicken
Sesame chicken is very easy to make and it makes a great one-bowl meal served over steamed rice.
You can also serve it with other side dishes to make a multi-course dinner. For example:
Ready to make some killer sesame chicken at home? Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy the dish as much as I do!
More Chinese takeout recipes
- Chinese Beef and Broccoli (One Pan Take-Out)
- Sweet and Sour Chicken (Without Deep-Frying)
- Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)
- General Tso Tofu (Crispy Tofu without Deep Frying)
- Real-Deal Beef Chow Fun
Crispy Sesame Chicken (without Deep Frying)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) chicken thighs (or breast) , cut to 1” (1.5 cm) pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cook
- 1/4 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 green onions , sliced (reserve some for garnish)
Instructions
- Combine chicken pieces and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 10 to 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
- When you’re ready to cook, add the oil and beaten egg into the bowl with the chicken. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with little dry cornstarch left unattached.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken into the skillet with minimal overlap. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks to ensure even searing.
- Cook without touching the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let the chicken cool for 2 to 3 minutes (it will increase the crispiness of the chicken).
- Wipe the extra oil from the pan using a few layers of paper towel held in a pair of tongs (if needed), leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add the garlic and green onion. Stir fry for a few seconds to release the aroma.
- Stir the sauce again to thoroughly dissolve the cornstarch. Pour it into the pan. Stir immediately to thicken the sauce. When the sauce is bubbling and thickened, add back the cooked chicken and turn off the heat. Stir quickly to mix everything well. Transfer to a plate and serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.
First class recipe. My wife loved it. A few comments. I added less sugar, but it needed more rice vinegar. When serving, I should have kept the crispy chicken separate and warmed and served aside from the sauce. I made the mistake of serving the crispy chicken in the sauce and it was slightly soggy. Nevertheless 10 out of 10
Thank you Maggie for your many delicious recipes. I especially appreciate your hints and explanations as to WHY this step or ingredient is important, such as corn starch or cooling the chicken to help it crisp up or marinating the chicken in salt for 15 minutes. My meals have especially benefited from your vegetable recipes. You have taught me a great deal. Much appreciated.
Ran into a problem — chicken pcs coated with egg and cornstarch, into oil — do you drop the pcs one by one into hot oil? I ended up with a mess of “bunches” of chicken stuck together. Also, do you slice the chicken or cut into chunks? Thank you for advice.
Hi Evelyn, you can add the chicken one piece at a time, which prevent them sticking together. I do directly dump all the chicken together. Then I use cooking chopsticks to separate the pieces (you can use a pair of tongs to do this too, but it’s much easier with chopsticks). It takes a minute, and by the time I separate the chicken pieces, they are almost ready to be flipped over to cook the other side.
I slice the chicken into large bite size chunks.
Do you cut it leaving the skin on? And is there a trick to deboning the thighs easily?
I usually just use boneless skinless thighs. For bone-in skin-on chicken, I would leave the skin on because I really like its taste. The deboning could be a bit annoying. It helps if you use a very sharp paring knife or a smaller knife. But there’s no super easy way to do it.
I made this last night and it was delicious! I’ll definitely be adding this in my meal rotation.
Soo lecker 😋!!!Werde ich bestimmt noch öfter kochen.