Make restaurant-quality Asian sesame chicken at home, combining super crispy battered chicken with a sweet and savory sesame sauce. It's ready in under 30 minutes and is even better than takeout!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites into a foam, add the soy sauce and vinegar, and whisk to combine. Add the baking soda and cornstarch, and whisk once more.
Toss the chicken into the marinade, ensuring it's thoroughly coated. Set it aside - 15 minutes is enough, but you could leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Mix well and prepare the dry coating by mixing the flour, cornstarch, paprika, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Make the Sauce
Combine the cornstarch and soy sauce and whisk/mix until lump-free. Then add the vinegar, water, sugar, honey, chili sauce, and sesame oil. Stir and set aside.Also, mince the garlic and ginger.
Heating a large pan (skillet) over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for 2 minutes.
Stir the sauce once more and pour it into the skillet, using a silicone spatula or spoon to scrape the cornstarch and sugar from the bottom of the bowl if needed.
Cook the sauce, stirring often, until the sauce boils, reduces, and thickens. This will take about 1 minute.
Stir in the sesame seeds and remove the pan from the heat.You can taste the sauce at this point and adjust any of the ingredients to your liking: chili sauce, sesame oil, sugar, etc.
Fry the Chicken and Assemble
In a large, high-sided skillet, add at least 1 ½ inches of oil and heat over high heat until it reaches 350ºF/175ºC.If you don't have a thermometer, dip a wooden skewer into the oil. It should bubble immediately. If it smokes, it's too hot.
Transfer the chicken from the marinade to the dry coating and coat each well, pressing the coating into the chicken and shaking off any excess.
Carefully transfer the coated chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook until it's cooked through with a golden brown crispy outer shell (about 4 minutes).It’s important not to overcrowd the pan; otherwise, the temperature of the oil will be affected. Fry the chicken in batches if necessary.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken from the oil to layers of paper towel to drain any excess oil. Toss the fried chicken with the sesame sauce until thoroughly coated and serve. Enjoy!
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Notes
The oil must be the correct temperature: Too cold, and the chicken will soak up excess oil and not cook properly. Too hot, and it can burn your food or even begin to smoke and become a hazard. When possible, use a thermometer.
Adjust the sauce flavor: Tweak any ingredients to customize the flavor.
For a thicker/thinner sauce: Add more cornstarch slurry for a thicker glaze or more water for a thinner one.
For healthier sesame chicken: Ditch the batter/deep-frying. Instead, stir-fry the chicken with the garlic and ginger, then pour in the sauce ingredients and cook until thickened and reduced.
Make Ahead and Storage InstructionsYou can meal prep both the sauce and chicken 2-3 days in advance and store them separately. When reheating, cook the chicken in a little oil so it's crispy before tossing it with the sauce.If you prefer crispy chicken, it's best to enjoy the honey sesame chicken immediately. However, leftovers will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.You can also freeze the leftovers in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.How to reheat sesame chicken? I prefer using a skillet over low heat, adding a splash of water to loosen up the sauce. You can use a microwave if preferred, but there's a higher risk of overcooking the chicken, so I usually avoid it. Note, either way, the chicken won't be crispy anymore.Check the blog post for serving recommendations!