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Sesame Chicken

Print Recipe
A Fijian-Chinese style sesame chicken - crisp sesame-coated chicken folded through a savoury soy and oyster sauce gravy. Rebuilt from memory and one photograph.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword sesame chicken, Fijian chicken recipe, Chinese Fijian food
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 3

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 2 chicken breasts sliced slightly thicker than you would for a stir-fry
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • White sesame seeds for coating
  • Oil for frying

For the sauce

  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • Soy sauce to taste
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • Cornflour to thicken

Instructions

  • Combine chicken with bicarb, salt, sesame oil and egg. Add cornflour and mix until evenly coated. Rest for 15 minutes.
  • Press each piece firmly into sesame seeds to coat.
  • Fry in oil over medium heat until golden and cooked through. Set aside.
  • In the same pan, sauté garlic until fragrant. Add onion and celery and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Mix stock, both soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and a little cornflour together, then pour into the pan. Simmer until thickened.
  • Add chicken back in and toss for one minute until well coated.
  • Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice with a side of steamed greens. This dish doesn't hold. The sesame crust softens as it sits, so bring it to the table the moment it's done.

Notes

Rest the chicken for the full 15 minutes, this is what keeps it tender through frying. Press the sesame seeds in firmly before each piece goes into the oil. Fry in batches over medium heat; overcrowding and high heat are the two things most likely to cost you the crust. Mix your sauce in a jug before you start cooking the aromatics so it's ready to go. Serve immediately.