Easy Sesame Chicken with Crispy Tempura Coating
By Lucas Morgan
Prep
12 min
Cook
15 min
Total
27 min
Servings
5
Level
Easy
Heating the oil to 350 degrees lets the tempura-coated chicken turn golden and crisp before it is tossed in sauce. This Easy Sesame Chicken is a takeout-style dinner of tender chicken pieces coated in a sweet, savory, slightly spicy soy and rice-vinegar sauce.
The sauce combines soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, water, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Separately, cornstarch, flour, egg whites, and cold seltzer water make the light coating for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The cold carbonated water and just-combined batter are the choices that support the tempura-style crust rather than a heavy coating.
Fry the one-inch chicken chunks in batches, watching for a golden-brown exterior before moving them to the wok or skillet. Garlic and crushed red pepper cook briefly in sesame oil, then the sauce and chicken are added for a quick coating. Crowding the frying oil can interfere with browning, while lingering in the sauce softens the crisp exterior.
Serve immediately with steamed rice, Lo Mein, or steamed broccoli, and add Crab Rangoon or egg rolls if desired. Leftovers can be reheated in an oven or skillet to help restore crispness; microwave reheating calls for a splash of water in the sauce.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Frying at the stated oil temperature creates the golden tempura-style exterior, while the chicken thighs stay tender inside each bite-size piece.
- Mixing the sauce before cooking lets the soy, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil coat the chicken quickly at the end.
- Cold seltzer water and a just-combined batter help keep the coating light, avoiding the dense texture that overmixed batter can produce.
- Cooking garlic and crushed red pepper briefly in sesame oil gives their flavor a short start before the sauce enters the wok.
- Batch frying gives each chicken chunk room in the oil, supporting even golden browning instead of pale pieces caused by crowding.
- Serving immediately preserves the contrast between the crisp fried coating and the sticky sweet-savory sauce clinging to the chicken on each piece.
Ingredients
- •0.25 cup soy sauce
- •0.25 cup rice vinegar
- •0.5 cup brown sugar
- •1 tbsp cornstarch
- •0.33 cup water
- •2 tsp sesame oil
- •0.5 tbsp sesame seeds
- •0.5 cup cornstarch
- •0.5 cup flour
- •2 egg whites
- •0.5 cup seltzer water (cold)
- •1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- •vegetable oil (for deep frying)
- •2 tsp sesame oil
- •0.25 tsp crushed red pepper
- •1 tbsp garlic (minced)
Instructions
- 1
Mix all sauce ingredients together.
- 2
Whisk the batter ingredients together in a separate bowl until just combined.
- 3
Add the chicken pieces to the batter and coat.
- 4
Heat 3 inches of frying oil to 350 degrees.
- 5
Add the chicken to the oil in batches and fry until golden brown.
- 6
In a large wok or skillet, heat the sesame oil.
- 7
Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
- 8
Add the sauce and chicken, coat quickly, and serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
434
Protein
19g
Fat
19g
Carbs
46g
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