Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken is lightly breaded chicken breast. Combined with a delicious sweet and sour sauce, then sauteed in onion and bell pepper. Drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onions at the end of cooking.

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what is the advantage of using a wok

I’ve been using a wok for sauteing, frying, and cooking my fried rice. I love it! It has several advantages. First, the shape of the wok allows you to spread the food out in a thin layer, which helps it cook quickly and evenly. The sloped sides also make it easy to distribute the heat evenly across the food. Additionally, the large surface area makes it easy to stir fry quickly, which is especially helpful when cooking larger batches of food. Finally, the concave shape helps ensure that the food does not stick and makes the wok easier to clean. 

If you want to find out how to season your wok, check this blog. 

Ingredients

• CHICKEN BREAST – cut into bite-sized pieces
• SALT AND GROUND PEPPER – season the chicken well with salt and pepper
• EGG WHITE – make the coating light vs using the whole egg
• CORNSTARCH – helps crisp up the chicken when frying
• FOR THE SAUCE – soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and cornstarch
• OIL – for sauteing
• GARLIC – for the aromatic
• RED BELL PEPPER – deseed and cut into bite-size pieces
• SESAME OIL – add at the end of cooking
• GREEN ONIONS – garnish the dish with sliced green onions
• TOASTED SESAME SEEDS – sprinkle after cooking

how to make sweet and sour sesame chicken

PREP THE CHICKEN:

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Transfer them to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, then add the egg white and cornstarch. Toss to coat, and set them aside. 
2. MAKE THE SAUCE – In a measuring cup or a bowl, combine soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Use a whisk or fork, and stir the sauce until the sugar and the cornstarch dissolve. 

FRY THE CHICKEN:

• Heat a wok or nonstick skillet with oil. Fry the chicken in batches, and avoid crowding the pan. Cook them for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Set them aside. 

SAUTE THE SWEET AND SOUR SESAME CHICKEN:

1. Use the same pan, add the garlic, and saute until aromatic. Stir in the bell pepper, and continue sauteing until the pepper is tender. 
2. The cornstarch tends to get stuck at the bottom of the measuring cup. Stir the sauce before adding it to the pan to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. 
3. Pour the sauce into the pan, and stir until thickened. Add the chicken back to the pan, stir to combine, and make sure the chicken is well coated with the sauce.
4. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil and turn the heat off. Garnish with green onions and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. 

Other dinner recipes you might like:

Teriyaki Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

Korean Grilled BBQ Chicken

Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

Jen Paleracio

Easy, lightly breaded chicken breast, fried until golden brown. Combined with delicious sweet and sour sauce. Sauteed with garlic and bell pepper.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Equipment

• Wok or wide pan
• knife
• cutting board
• Large wooden spoon

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• neutral oil, for frying

FOR THE SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, this is a Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

FOR SAUTEING

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, deseed, diced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 2 stalks green onion, sliced

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, combine chicken, salt, ground pepper, egg white, and cornstarch. Toss to coat well.
• Heat the wok with oil, add the chicken, fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set them aside.

MAKE THE SAUCE

• In a bowl, add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Stir to combine or whisk until the brown sugar and cornstarch dissolve. Set it aside.

FOR SAUTEING

• Heat a wok with oil. Add the garlic and bell pepper, saute for a minute or until the bell pepper is tender.
• Add the sauce, stir, simmer until the sauce thickened.
• Add the chicken back into the wok. Stir, until the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Drizzle the sesame oil, sprinkle sesame seeds, and green onions. Serve with steamed rice.

Video

Notes

NOTE: #1 – If you want this recipe alcohol-free, instead of using Shaoxing wine, use apple juice or eliminate the wine. 

NOTE: #2 – You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Cut them into bite-size pieces. 

NOTE: #3 – Shrimp also work with this recipe. The same exact procedure, just less cooking time when frying the shrimp. 

 

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @leanbellaskitchen and hashtag #leanbellaskitchen

Keyword bell pepper, chicken, crispy garlic, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce

equipment

WOK

WOODEN SPOON

GLASS MIXING BOWLS

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Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.

I’m a mom and a wife, and just like you, cooking is something I love to do! Let’s make something delicious but let’s not make ourselves run around like a chicken without a head. The recipes I share are inspired by my grandma’s cooking. She also thought me how to save time and money, and eat better with fresh ingredients. I grew up in a household where home-cooked meals are part of our day-to-day life. Cooking is not a chore but a way of living and connecting with each other. I created these recipes to help everyday cooking simple and flavorful…

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