Perfect Sesame Chicken

SUBMITTED BY: Doreen P

"If you want the perfect sesame chicken recipe this is it! You may want to increase the vinegar or lower the amount of sugar. It all depends on how sweet you want the sauce."

PREP TIME	35 Min
COOK TIME	20 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 15 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 6 servings

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INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 dash sesame oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 quart olive oil for frying
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

READ REVIEWS (8)

DIRECTIONS

Sift flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, sherry, 2 tablespoons water, vegetable oil, and a dash of sesame oil; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm.
Heat olive oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to a temperature of 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and float to the top of the oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, place fried chicken pieces onto a serving platter, and pour the hot sauce overtop. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

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REVIEWS

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Reviewed on Sep. 5, 2007 by Dianemwj

I was very impressed with this batter. The chicken fried up with a shatteringly crisp crust and was moist inside. Unfortunately, as soon as the sauce was poured over it, that great crispness was lost. It made a nice presentation, but next time I'll serve the sauce on the side. I reduced the amount of sugar in the sauce to 3/4 of a cup, and 2/3 cup would probably work too. I only needed to use about 2/3 of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. I fried the chicken in a wok and used peanut oil instead of olive oil and I only used about 1 1/2 cups of oil instead of a quart. All-in-all this had a very good flavor and I'll make it again

3 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on May 12, 2008 by Viv

This recipe was excellent! I only ate Sesame chicken once before this recipe, and it was when I decided that I need to make it at home. I searched for recipes for it, and this recipe on the site resembled the sesame chicken I had had before. I must agree with some of the users though: I cut back on the amount of sugar, and added a LOT more pepper (we like hot food at my house). I also lightly seasoned my chicken before adding the batter to it (the batter, by the way, fries up the chicken so the outside is really crisp and the inside is moist and tender--it's even perfect on it's own!). Overall, it is a recipe I will DEFINITELY be making again, mark my words!

0 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Apr. 29, 2008 by MLALAK

This recipe is truly a high quality restaurant style meal. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 C. and I added 2 tsps. of chile paste because we like a little heat. I took the advice of other reviewers and used peanut oil- which has a high smoking temperature, and is more traditional in Chinese cooking. I served it withe steamed broccoli and white rice, which the sauce tasted great over. Although it is a little time consuming it tasted alot better than Chinese takeout. My 2 year old loved it, and so did my husband- he wanted to know if there were seconds!!This recipe is definitely going in the rotation.

0 users found this review helpful

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