Version from United States · family Chicken with sesame

Chicken with sesame — United States

Name: Chicken with sesame — United States
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 600 g chicken thigh, boneless; 80 g cornstarch; 2 eggs; 500 ml vegetable oil, for frying; 4 tbsp soy sauce; 3 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp chili flakes; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; 400 g steamed rice, to serve

Battered chicken pieces fried until crisp, then tossed in a sweet, sticky sauce and finished with sesame seeds, served in Chinese-American restaurants across the United States.

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This version belongs to the family Chicken with sesame, which holds 2 versions placed elsewhere. None is presented as the original.

25 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 4
Servings: Medium
Difficulty

Chicken with sesame, as served in the United States, is made from bite-sized chicken thigh or breast pieces coated in a cornstarch batter, deep-fried until crisp, and then tossed in a thick, sweet-savory sauce built from soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and a little chili, finished with a scattering of toasted sesame seeds. This version belongs to the Chinese-American restaurant repertoire found nationwide, from casual takeout counters to buffet-style restaurants, where it sits alongside other sauced fried-chicken dishes on the same menu. It is usually plated over steamed rice with a side of broccoli. The chicken is cut into even pieces, marinated briefly, then coated and fried twice for extra crunch before being tossed quickly in the hot sauce so the coating stays crisp rather than turning soggy. The sauce itself is simmered separately and thickened with a little cornstarch just before the chicken is added. Compared with lighter, home-style preparations of sesame chicken found elsewhere, this version leans toward a thicker batter and a sauce closer to sweet than savory, closer in spirit to other American Chinese sauced dishes than to a stir-fried home dish. Restaurants vary the level of sweetness and heat from one kitchen to the next.

Preparation

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and pat them dry.
Beat the eggs, dip the chicken in the egg, then coat each piece thoroughly in cornstarch.
Heat the oil and fry the chicken in batches until golden and crisp, then drain.
In a pan, simmer the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic and chili flakes until slightly thickened.
Toss the fried chicken quickly in the hot sauce so it stays crisp.
Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately over steamed rice.