Sesame Chicken
Biweekly

Sesame Chicken

45 min
Serves 9
chickensesameAsian

Chicken breast cubes dredged dry-wet-dry and deep fried at 375°F, then wok-tossed with vegetables in a savory brown sugar soy sauce and finished with sesame seeds.

The Story

Sesame chicken is the one that takes the most setup but delivers the biggest payoff. The dry-wet-dry dredge is the whole game — flour and cornstarch for the first dry coat, egg wash in the middle, then a heavier flour-cornstarch blend for the final coat. That outer layer fries up thick and shatteringly crisp and holds its crunch even after you toss it in the sauce. Fry in batches at 375°F and rest on a rack, not paper towels — the rack keeps the bottom from steaming and going soft. The sauce is the same family as the beef stir fry but with ketchup added, which sounds wrong and tastes exactly right. It gives the sauce a little brightness and body that makes it cling to the chicken instead of pooling at the bottom of the wok.

Equipment

  • Dutch oven with oil, deep fry setup @ 375°F
  • Wok or large skillet
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

  • 1 cupchicken broth
  • 1 cuplow sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cupbrown sugar
  • 2 tbsphoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsprice vinegar
  • 2 tspsesame oil
  • 1 tbspminced ginger
  • 1 tbspminced garlic
  • 1 tspblack pepper
  • 1 tbspketchup
  • 2 tbspcornstarch (for slurry)
  • 1 tbspcold water (for slurry)
  • 2 1/2 cupscooked rice
  • 2 stalkscelery, bias sliced
  • 2medium onions, radially sliced
  • 6chicken breast halves, diced into bite-sized cubes
  • 1 cupflour (initial dry dredge)
  • 1/2 cupcornstarch (initial dry dredge)
  • 2eggs
  • 1/2 cupmilk
  • 3 cupsflour (final dry dredge)
  • 1 cupcornstarch (final dry dredge)
  • 1 tbspvegetable oil
  • 1 tspsesame oil, for cooking
  • 1 tbspsesame seeds, for serving

Pudgy's Notes

Use a cooling rack, not paper towels — the rack keeps the crust crisp by letting air circulate underneath. Fry in batches and don't crowd the Dutch oven or the oil temperature drops and the coating goes greasy. Start with half the cornstarch slurry and add more as needed; it thickens fast. Optional additions: grated carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, or other vegetables. Add chili pepper flakes or paste for heat. Can also be served with macaroni salad and rice.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and ketchup in a bowl. Stir well and set aside.

  2. 2

    In a small ramekin, stir together 2 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp cold water until smooth to form a slurry. Set aside.

  3. 3

    Bias-slice the celery and radially slice the onions. Set vegetables aside.

  4. 4

    Dice the chicken breast halves into bite-sized cubes.

  5. 5

    Mix 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish for the initial dry dredge. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk to form the egg wash. Mix 3 cups flour and 1 cup cornstarch in another shallow dish for the final dry dredge.

  6. 6

    Dredge the chicken pieces using the dry-wet-dry method: coat in the initial flour-cornstarch mix, dip in the egg wash, then coat thoroughly in the final flour-cornstarch mix. Spread the dredged pieces on parchment paper without letting them touch.

  7. 7

    Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 375°F. Fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes per batch until cooked through and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack to drain — not paper towels.

  8. 8

    Heat the wok over high heat. Add vegetable oil and sesame oil. Sauté the vegetables for about 3 minutes until the onions are just slightly translucent. Don't overcook.

  9. 9

    Add the fried chicken to the vegetables in the wok over medium heat. Stir to combine.

  10. 10

    Pour the sauce over the stir fry and heat until it just approaches a boil, about 3 minutes.

  11. 11

    Push the stir fry to the sides of the wok, clearing the center. Add the cornstarch slurry a little at a time, stirring frequently, until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Fold everything together.

  12. 12

    Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over cooked rice.

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