Orange Sesame Chicken

You’re looking at beer-battered chicken (yup beer battered), coated with an irresistible orange-sesame sauce that brings it all together in one fabulously sticky awesomeness. This recipe features a few staple Asian ingredients, and a few secrets I’ve learned from my dad, but it’ll take you right back to a takeout menu favorite.

Although this sesame orange chicken recipe is not traditional Chinese by any stretch of the imagination. It’s fried, sticky, sweet, and salty. Everything that everyone loves about Chinese Take-out. this sesame orange chicken brings me back to meals past with my dad. Chinese American takeout is something we always enjoyed and this particular dish I actually craved a lot when I was pregnant with my son AJ.

While this sesame orange chicken recipe requires making a few things in a specific order, you will love how the recipe comes together. Fry everything first. If you’re worried about it staying hot, you can keep it warm in the oven. It’s not necessary, the sauce doesn’t take long to make. While you’re frying up the chicken, you can have your rice cooking (a rice cooker comes in handy for this). You make the sauce last, it takes just a few minutes. Once it’s all done, it’s assembly and then dinner time.

Some notes on this sesame orange chicken

Ingredients and possible replacements

• If you can’t find Chinese Cooking Wine, you can use sherry or extra chicken broth/stock
• Light Soy Sauce is NOT low sodium or “lite”. It’s actually saltier than Soy Sauce and both Saltier and Thinner than Dark Soy Sauce.
• For the chicken, you can use breasts or thighs. Just make sure they are boneless and skinless (either when you buy them or you will need to remove them)
• My beer batter recipe is enough for all the chicken. If you choose store-bought, check the cooking instructions and see how much meat (usually fish) is recommended. I find most boxes are for 1 pound, so you would need 3 boxes.
• If you don’t want to use beer you can use Mineral Water, Sparkling Water, Seltzer Water, N.A. Beer or even Plain Water. Since I use baking powder, it will still create the lift for a puffy crunchy crust. however, the beer does add a wonderful taste to it, which you won’t get with water.

Other sesame orange chicken cooking notes

• You can cook the sauce first and set it aside on warm until you’re done with the chicken. But honestly, the sauce doesn’t take long at all.
• Mixing the cornstarch with a small amount of liquid before adding it back into the sauce is pivotal. If you don’t do it you’ll end up with white clumps and the sauce won’t thicken correctly.

Cooking Equipment

Below are some of the items you see featured in this post that I use to make this recipe. All linked items are part of the Amazon Affiliate (Affiliate Disclaimer), but I do use them and truly love them

• Stainless Steel Baking Sheet Tray Cooling Rack with Silicone Baking Mat Set
• Wok
• Bamboo Short Turner

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Need more Chinese Take Out at Home inspired ideas? Try these:

• Crab Rangoon
• Chinese Almond Cookies
• Pork Wonton Burgers
• Asian Cucumber Salad

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Sesame Orange Chicken

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• Author: Jenn Giam Smith
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 people 1x

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Description

This take on the Chinese-American Takeout fav, Sesame Orange Chicken, uses my beer batter for the chicken and a secret ingredient to make the perfect sauce! It’s sweet, a little salty and it’s full of umami goodness!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Fried Chicken Pieces

• 3 lbs Chicken (cut into 1-inch size pieces. See notes 1 for options)
• Beer Batter Mix (See Notes 2 for details)
• 12–16 oz Light Colored Beer (like a golden Ale (See notes 3 for substitutes))
• Peanut Oil (Or vegetable oil for Frying)

Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (AKA Shaoshing / Shaoxing wine (See notes 4 for substitutes))
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 1/4 cups orange marmalade ( or an 18 oz jar)
• 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce (see notes 5 for details on this)
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup chicken broth/stock

Topping

• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. beer batter Make the Beer Batter Mix in a medium-large bowl
2. Chicken Add the 3 lbs Chicken, folding the batter over the chicken pieces until well coated.
3. fry Drop a few pieces into the Peanut Oil (you want a single layer as the float, I would say no more than 8-10 pieces at a time so you don’t cool the oil down too fast), fry until golden brown and float.
4. cool Take out and lay on a cooling rack.
5. sauce Then make the sauce (See notes 6 for details): Heat ¾ cup chicken broth/stock, sesame oil, 1 Tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, rice wine vinegar, and 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce in a pan on medium-high heat in a wok or skillet (I’ve used either) until boiling, add the orange marmalade and continue heating for about 2-3 min. It will start to thicken.
6. sauce continued Ladle a good amount of liquid into a small bowl, add the cornstarch, and whisk together until all clumps are gone (see note 7 for details on this step). Add this creamy-looking liquid into the pan, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it thickens into a thick syrupy sauce. Remove the sauce immediately from the heat.
7. toss in chicken Add the chicken into the wok/pan and toss until all pieces are completely coated.
8. sesame seeds Transfer the chicken onto a platter/shallow bowl, and top with the sesame seeds of your choice.
9. serve Serve with rice and veg of your choice (We like to put ours right on top, but you can have them in individual dishes).

Equipment

Bielmeier 12.5″ Carbon Steel Wok Pan with Lid, Gloves, & Cookware Accessories

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KitchenAid Universal Bamboo Short Turner, One size, Wood

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Stainless Steel Baking Sheet Set with Silicone Mats and Cooling Racks (Set of 9)

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Notes

1. You can use breasts or thighs, just make sure they are boneless and skinless (otherwise, you will need to remove the bones and skin)
2. My Beer Batter Mix is enough for all the chicken. If you choose store-bought, you’ll have to look at the cooking instructions and see how much meat (usually fish) is recommended. I find most boxes are for 1 pound, so you would need 3 boxes.
3. If you don’t want to use beer you can use Mineral Water, Seltzer Water, N/A Beer, or even Plain Water (since I use baking powder, it will still create the lift for a puffy crunchy crust. However, the beer does add a wonderful taste to it, that you won’t get with water).
4. If you can’t find Chinese Cooking Wine, you can use sherry or extra chicken broth/stock
5. Light Soy Sauce is NOT low sodium or “lite”. It’s actually saltier than Soy Sauce and it is both saltier and thinner than Dark Soy Sauce.
6. You can cook the sauce first and set it aside on warm until you’re done with the chicken. But honestly, the sauce doesn’t take long at all.
7. This step is pivotal. If you don’t do it you’ll end up with white clumps and the sauce won’t thicken correctly.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner, lunch
• Cuisine: Chinese American

Nutrition

• Calories: 868
• Sugar: 111
• Sodium: 4275
• Fat: 10
• Saturated Fat: 2
• Carbohydrates: 136
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 61
• Cholesterol: 174

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