Name: Sweet and Spicy Sesame Chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast; 1 pc egg; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 80 g cornstarch; 500 ml vegetable oil; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon ketchup; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 120 ml poultry stock; 3 cloves garlic; 10 g ginger; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 3 tablespoons sesame seeds; 2 stems spring onion; 1 teaspoon salt

Step by step process

Prep and coating the chicken

1
Cut the chicken breasts into cubes about 3 centimeters across for the sesame chicken. Toss them in a bowl with a beaten egg and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Let them rest for 5 minutes.
2
Coat the pieces of meat in cornstarch until evenly covered on every side. Shake off the excess starch.

Frying until crispy

3
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan or wok to 170 degrees. Working in small batches, fry the meat for 3 to 4 minutes, until it turns golden and wonderfully crispy.
4
Lift the fried pieces onto a paper towel to drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.

Sesame sauce and finishing

5
Stir the soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup, chicken stock, pressed garlic, and grated ginger together in a saucepan. Warm it over medium heat and let it bubble gently for 2 minutes.
6
Whisk the cornstarch into a little cold water, then pour it into the sauce while stirring constantly. Cook for a minute, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy, then finish it with sesame oil.
TIP:
Dissolve cornstarch in cold water to create a smooth slurry, then slowly add it to the hot sauce while stirring continuously. The sauce will thicken within 1-2 minutes without lumps.
7
Tip the fried pieces into the sauce and toss fast, so the glossy glaze clings to every piece. Take it off the heat to keep the meat crispy.
8
Shower the finished dish generously with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve right away with warm rice.

More tips:

For maximum crunch, coat the chicken pieces right before frying and fry them twice: first at 160 degrees until pale, then again at 180 degrees until deep golden.

Toss the meat with the sauce only just before serving. If the pieces sit in the sauce too long, the coating softens and the chicken loses its crunch.

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