Description
Honey Sesame Chicken is a flavorful, crispy fried chicken dish coated in a sweet and tangy honey sesame sauce. Tender chicken pieces are marinated with bouillon and white pepper, dipped in a light batter, and fried until golden. The sauce combines soy, oyster sauce, honey, garlic, and sesame oil for a perfect balance of savory and sweet notes, finished with toasted sesame seeds and green onions for garnish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Marinade
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast or thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon water
Batter
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sauce
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Cornstarch Slurry
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoon water
Garnish
- Green onion, sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, combine chicken pieces with chicken bouillon powder, white pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Mix thoroughly and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
- Prepare the Batter: In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, ¼ cup water, and vegetable oil until a smooth batter forms. The batter should be slightly thick to coat the chicken well.
- Coat and Fry the Chicken: Dip the marinated chicken pieces into the batter, ensuring each piece is fully coated. Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan or wok over medium-high heat. Fry the coated chicken pieces in batches until golden brown and crispy, about 4-6 minutes per batch. Remove and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a separate pan, heat sesame oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Thicken the Sauce: Mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Slowly pour the slurry into the simmering sauce while stirring continuously. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Toss Chicken in Sauce: Add the fried chicken pieces into the thickened sauce and toss thoroughly to evenly coat all the pieces.
- Garnish and Serve: Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately over steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
- For extra crispiness, double fry the chicken: fry once until just cooked, drain, then fry again for 1-2 minutes.
- You can substitute chicken thighs for more flavor and juiciness.
- Adjust sweetness by tweaking the amount of honey and brown sugar.
- Use low sodium soy sauce if preferring less salt.
- Ensure oil temperature is consistent to avoid greasy chicken.
Keywords: Honey Sesame Chicken, Crispy Fried Chicken, Asian Chicken Recipes, Sweet and Savory Chicken, Sticky Chicken, Easy Chicken Dinner