Easy Sesame Chicken
Who needs takeout when you can enjoy this Easy Sesame Chicken made right at home?! It's sweet and tangy and always a crowd pleaser!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 754kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking white or brown rice
- 6 oz. snow peas or sugar snap peas
- 2 large carrots, sliced 1/4 thick on the diagonal
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and dried and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. ginger finely minced
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds divided
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.
- Place a steamer basket in a medium pot filled with 1 inch water, cover pot, and bring water to a boil. Uncover and steam snow peas and carrots until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over high. Add chicken in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add extra oil when needed. Transfer to a plate.
- Combine soy sauce, honey, vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Transfer sauce to skillet and cook for 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet, and toss to coat. Cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in snow peas and carrots. Remove from heat.
- Serve, topped with remaining sesame seeds and rice on the side.
Notes
You can use regular sesame seeds for this recipe, toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds or a combination.
I love to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, but you could also use chicken breasts if you prefer white meat. If you use white meat, I would cut it into chunks and brine it first so it stays moist and juicy.
To brine your chicken, fill a bowl with 6 cups cold water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Add chicken pieces. Mix well. Let chicken sit in brine for 30 minutes. Drain the chicken pieces, rinse and then pat dry and then proceed with recipe.