Sesame Chicken

Sweet and Sticky Sesame Sauce

• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 garlic cloves minced

Crispy Chicken

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed into bite sized pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup cold seltzer water

salt and pepper to taste

frying

• 2 cups vegetable oil

garnish

• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 green onion thinly sliced

Sesame Sauce

1. Combine Sauce Ingredients. First all the sauce ingredients are combined into a mixing bowl and set them aside.
2. Sesame Chicken
3. Prepare chicken and batter. Next, the cubed chicken is generously seasoned with salt and pepper.
4. Combine Batter Ingredients. The batter ingredients are then combined into another mixing bowl and whisked together.
5. Dredge chicken. The oil is preheated in a large wok or pot and the chicken is dredged into the batter.
6. Fry the chicken. The battered chicken is then transferred to the hot oil and fried until they’re just cooked through and the coating is crispy. This may have to be done in batches to prevent overcrowding in the oil, which will prevent the pieces of chicken from crisping up.
7. Heat sauce. Once all the chicken has been fried, the oil is discarded and the sauce ingredients are added to the wok (or into a clean skillet) over medium-high heat.
8. Toss chicken and sauce together. Once the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened the chicken is quickly added back to the pan and tossed with the sauce until evenly coated.
9. Garnish and eat! The sesame chicken is finished with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and green onions. Serve with rice.
10. Place all sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
11. Preheat oil, in a wok or tall sided pot, to 350˚F.
12. Toss cubed chicken thighs generously in salt and pepper.
13. Batter: In a mixing bowl whisk together cornstarch and flour. Whisk in eggs and seltzer water until a smooth batter forms.
14. Add seasoned chicken cubes to batter and stir to coat.
15. In small batches remove chicken from batter, allowing excess to drip off and transfer to hot frying oil.
16. Frying: Fry coated chicken for 4 to 5 minutes or until crispy and cooked through. Transfer fried chicken to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack (or lined with paper towels) and repeat until all chicken has been fried.
17. Drain oil from wok and place over medium-high heat (or place a clean, large skillet over medium-high heat). Add sauce to wok or skillet and stir together until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
18. Assemble: Add chicken to sauce and quickly toss together until all chicken is fully and evenly coated. Top with more toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions and serve with steamed rice.
19. Variations
20. For a healthier version, you can omit the batter all together and pan fry the cubed chicken with a fraction of the oil. Once the chicken has cooked through, add the sauce ingredients and allow the sauce to thicken and coat the chicken. The sauce won’t stick to the chicken as well and the texture will be different, but the delicious flavors will all be there.
21. For a vegetarian version, try using cauliflower florets for an equally tasty dish!

Freeze Ahead

To freeze: Batter and fry chicken. Once the fried chicken has cooled, place the chicken onto a baking sheet, making sure the pieces aren’t touching one another. Once the pieces are frozen, transfer the chicken into a resealable bag. Pour sauce into a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce into an airtight container and freeze.

To reheat: Thaw sauce completely before using. Pour a thin layer of oil into a hot skillet and re-fry frozen chicken pieces (be careful of oil spatter). Remove chicken and drain oil. Add sauce to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. Add chicken and toss together until well coated.