Being from Seattle, I love all types of Asian cuisine, but Chinese food holds a special place in my heart. One of my favorites is honey sesame chicken - crispy chicken coated in a thick sesame-flavored sauce with just a hint of sweetness, which is why I wanted to recreate it at home. I love the ease of ordering takeout, but I hate the way I feel the next day. In an attempt to make dinner a little healthier (hello, New Year's Resolutions!), I stir-fried the chicken instead of deep frying and threw in a bunch of vegetables for good measure.
While the honey sesame chicken recipe isn't exactly a meal you can throw together quickly (it takes some prep and time), the ingredients are all ones you may readily have on hand, with the exception of Sambal Oelek. If you're not familiar with it, Sambal Oelek is a spicy red chile paste with some salt and garlic thrown in. It's spicy (like Sriracha) but not sweet or tangy, and adds just the right amount of fire to this dish. You can buy it in any Asian marketplace, and most grocery stores will also have it in the ethnic foods aisle. If you don't have Sambal Oelek in your refrigerator, you can substitute with a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes.
Whether you're planning a movie marathon weekend or just a cozy night at home, throw this honey sesame chicken on a bed of rice and you'll enjoy all the Chinese flavor without the guilt (trust me, your waistline and wallet will thank you!).
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Honey Sesame Chicken with Stir-fried Vegetables
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or substitute ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
For Stir Fry and Garnish
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup avocado oil or vegetable oil, divided evenly
- 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- Salt, to taste
- Sesame seeds (to garnish)
- 1 bunch green onions, greens only, sliced thinly (for garnish)
Instructions
- Make the marinade by whisking the chicken stock, water, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch and sesame oil in a medium bowl. Place 8 tablespoons of the marinade into a plastic gallon zip lock bag with the chicken pieces, seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Set the remaining marinade aside.
- While the chicken is marinating, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Sauté the minced garlic and sambal oelek in the sesame oil until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining marinade to the garlic and sambal oelek and simmer, whisking until the marinade has thickened. Pour the sauce into the marinade bowl, set aside and cover with foil.
- Add ½ cup cornstarch and ½ cup flour in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- Add ¼ cup of the avocado oil or vegetable oil to the wok over medium heat until shimmering. Add chopped yellow onion, chopped bell pepper and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry until onions are begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli florets to the vegetable mixture and cover until broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp (or until the broccoli is heated and cooked through, but still has some snap), about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from heat in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Add chicken to the cornstarch-flour mixture bowl and toss until chicken is evenly coated. Heat ¼ cup avocado oil in the wok over medium heat until shimmering, then add the coated chicken. Stir fry the chicken until cooked through and browned on all sides.
- Return the stir fried vegetables to the wok with the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables until warmed through. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
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