Super crispy crunchy chicken coated with thousands of nutty sesame seeds, dipped in the ultimate tangy homemade sweet and sour sauce! Do you have that ultimate dish that you enjoyed as a child or maybe it’s from a restaurant that has now closed down or is too far away from you, but you can still taste it and yearn for it often? Well, meet my long distance lover, this sesame chicken! I am beyond thrilled to be writing this recipe today.
What is Chinese Takeout Crispy Crunchy Sesame Chicken
This sesame chicken is from a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in Tualatin, OR, where I grew up, and they are known (at least by my family) for having killer sesame chicken. For most of my life, I knew this to be sesame chicken and I had no idea that this style was very unique and hard to find. Because this is my favorite dish of all times, and it’s completely off the grid, I feel a big responsibility to spread this for the masses to enjoy 🙂
After moving to Atlanta I have dreamt of this chicken and tried finding recipes similar online but it’s literally un-googleable. Everything I find is the typical version of mushy breading doused in a brown sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds on top – no! I’ve never found this crispy sesame coated chicken anywhere else I have traveled or lived.
Since 2013 I have been trying to make this recipe and every time I failed miserably. The breading was constantly the wrong texture and taste, I didn’t know how the sesame seeds were incorporated. Ugh, I failed so many times at making this recipe that I just gave up and never bothered again until a few weeks ago. I guess building up my food knowledge over the past few years made a big difference. The process and ingredients suddenly became clear and after a good retry, it was amazing.
I am so happy to share this with you and would love to hear your comments below. And if you have any insight to the origins of this style of sesame chicken, I would LOVE to learn!
Crispy Crunchy Fried Sesame Chicken
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1-2
- vegetable oil for frying
- Serve with jasmine rice
Crispy Sesame Batter
- 1/2 cup self rising flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 3oz sesame seeds
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar / white vinegar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup corn starch
Directions
| Prepare for Frying | |
| Heat your oil to 375 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to monitor and adjust the heat as needed, throughout the process as it will fluctuate. Prepare a baking sheet or cooling rack lined with layers of paper towels beside the frying pan for placing the cooked chicken when finished. | |
| Batter & Frying Chicken | |
| Make the batter by mixing together all batter ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Dip chunks of chicken in the batter, ensuring full coverage, then place into the oil. Work quickly so chicken cooks evenly. Don't overcrowd the pan. You will need to cook them in a few batches. Fry for 5-6 minutes, making sure to get even browning on all sides of the chicken. I use a spider/skimmer to flip and move the chicken around, preventing them from sticking together as they cook. | |
| Sweet & Sour Sauce | |
| To make the sweet and sour sauce, put a small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, vinegar and water to the pan. Stir and allow to cook until the sugar is dissolved. In a small dish, whisk together the ketchup and cornstarch until combined. Add this to the sugar mixture. Whisk well to combine, bring to a boil. Keep whisking as needed to create a smooth, thickened sauce. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. I like to serve the sauce while it's still warm. | |
2 Comments
Angelique Berry
January 5, 2020 at 7:48 pm I am so excited to have found you and this recipe! I too have been searching the northwest for this. I had it in oregon. My aunt brought us to a chinese restaurant I think it was close to west Linn like 20 years ago and I have never forgotten the taste. I just asked my aunt about and she said they closed. Super sad. I'm excited to try your recipe! Thank you again.badbatch
January 26, 2020 at 2:13 pm OMG this makes me so happy! I made this recipe thinking I was the only one on the planet that was searching for this style of Sesame Chicken. Everyone here in Atlanta thinks I am crazy when I ask for it at restaurants. I feel so misunderstood haha. I hope you do make this recipe, you will be the happiest person! I make it almost once a month, it's my husbands #1 favorite recipe and he was one of the people who heard me talk about it for years and didn't understand. Now he won't touch the saucy type of sesame chicken, he only wants it crunchy and from my kitchen. Please keep me updated if you try it :)