EASY SESAME CHICKEN

This Easy Sesame Chicken is seriously so easy that you’ll be tempted to toss those take out menus. The delicious sauce takes only a few ingredients, all of which you can keep on hand indefinitely (keep your ginger in the freezer). You know, just incase you need some sesame chicken like, now. Oh, and this take-out fake-out sesame chicken works great for your weekly meal prep, too!

So what did I change to make this recipe better? First, I doubled the sauce because the reviews almost unanimously agreed that it needed to be more saucy. Second, I rebalanced the flavors in the sauce. They’re the same ingredients, just a little more in balance. And lastly, I reduced the cornstarch in the sauce so that the texture of the finished sauce is a bit more smooth and doesn’t seize up quite as much.

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN

1 large egg $0.23
2 Tbsp cornstarch $0.06
1 pinch each salt and pepper $0.05
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs $3.23
2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08

SAUCE

1/4 cup soy sauce $0.24
2 Tbsp water $0.00
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.33
3 Tbsp brown sugar $0.12
1 Tbsp rice vinegar $0.12
1 tsp grated fresh ginger $0.10
2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
1 Tbsp sesame seeds $0.8
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch $0.02

FOR SERVING

4 cups cooked jasmine rice $0.70
2 whole green onions $0.22

INSTRUCTIONS

First, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (Grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater). Set the sauce aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium flame. Wait until the skillet is very hot, then swirl the skillet to make sure the oil coats the entire surface. Add the batter coated chicken and spread it out into a single layer over the surface of the skillet.
Allow the chicken pieces to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom. Then, carefully flip the chicken, breaking up the pieces into smaller clumps as you flip. Continue to cook the chicken until golden brown on the other side. Stir the chicken as little as possible to avoid breaking the egg coating from the surface of the chicken.
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