The Best Chinese Sesame Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do the Chinese get their chicken so tender? ›

Ever notice how the chicken in stir fries at your favourite Chinese restaurant is incredibly tender? It's because they tenderise chicken using a simple method called Velveting Chicken using baking soda. It's a quick and easy method that any home cook can do, and can also be used for beef.

General Tso's chicken is a spicy and tangy dish made with a mix of chicken breast and thighs, while sesame chicken is a sweeter option made with succulent chicken thighs. Whether you're in the mood for something spicy or sweet, both dishes offer a delicious and crispy meal that's sure to satisfy your cravings.”

Chinese stir-fried chicken is extra tender due to the velveting technique. Chicken is sliced into thin, even-sized pieces and then marinated briefly in a mix of baking soda, cornstarch, wine, and seasoning. This seals in moisture and tenderizes the chicken.

You may have wondered how Chinese restaurants come to have such soft, silky textured meat in their dishes? Rather than stir-frying the meat and searing it all over until browned, they use a special technique called velveting.

To make the cornstarch marinade, combine 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 1 tbsp of cold water. Stir into a smooth paste and coat the meat in the marinade. Let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. After it's done marinating, you can lightly blanch the meat or pass it through boiling water for about 30 to 40 seconds.

Chinese sesame paste (or 芝麻酱 / zhi ma jiang in Mandarin), is a rich, nutty and aromatic paste made from heavily roasted and ground white sesame seeds blended with oil. Some versions are made with pure sesame, others are blended with up to 50% peanut.

Sesame chicken sauce is a balanced combination of sweet, sour and spicy that comes from light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.

While you may have heard of tahini, which is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean paste made from sesame seeds, it is different from Chinese sesame paste in that it contains hulled, raw sesame seeds. Because the Chinese version is made from toasted sesame seeds, it is significantly darker, nuttier, and stronger in flavor.

Sesame chicken is a Chinese delicacy that originated in the Canton region. The dish became famous in North America after it was brought over by immigrants who built restaurants serving their native country's cuisine.

Honey sesame chicken is essentially the same as honey chicken but with the addition of sesame oil for a nutty, aromatic flavor. It's the perfect combination of sweet and savory, with the honey providing natural sweetness and the sesame oil adding an authentic Chinese touch.

What is amazing chicken on a Chinese menu? ›

Chinese Amazing Chicken is usually prepared by marinating the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. The chicken is then stir-fried or pan-fried until it is cooked through. It is often garnished with green onions and sesame seeds for added flavor and presentation.

Velveting meat is a Chinese cooking technique used in Chinese restaurants. The process of velveting is one where you marinate raw meat in cornstarch and egg white or bicarbonate of soda to give it a soft, slippery, velvety texture.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

This process allows the baking soda to neutralize acid on the surface of the meat, resulting in less toughness and a cooked meat that is juicy on the inside while remaining crispy on the outside. Note: Some cuts of meat may take longer to soak in the baking soda to fully tenderize.

There are two popular velveting techniques in Chinese cooking: the baking soda method and the cornstarch method. Before making your favorite Chinese stir-fry, learn how to velvet thinly sliced beef with baking soda to ensure tender, juicy meat.

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

The best tenderizer though, is a salted yogurt marinade. The salt has the same effect as in a regular brine, but the lactic acid in the yogurt further tenderizes the meat. A 15-minute marinade with one cup of yogurt and one teaspoon of salt makes for the most tender chicken breasts imaginable.

This dish velvet chicken stir fry is a healthy, balanced, and easy weeknight meal! Chicken breast pieces are tenderized through a simple process using baking soda, which helps them from overcooking. The chicken is stir-fried with broccoli and water chestnuts, then coated in a light Chinese brown sauce.