Hi everyone! This is recipe adding to our series on Chinese American Food Hacks, reproducing the Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken. This particular version toys around with one of my favorite deep frying methods of all time, which is the tempura fry. I had a lot of fun experimenting with some of the more authentic Chinese flavors and ingredients on this classic Chinese American dish that are pretty common in Chinese cuisine, but a little less often found in Chinese American food. Hope you try it!

 

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 tbsp ginger (about 1 inch)

  • 8 oz chicken thigh

  • sesame seeds

  • vegetable oil

TEMPURA BATTER

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1/4 cup corn starch

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 2 egg whites

INGREDIENTS (sauce)

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

  • 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

  • 2 tbsp doubanjiang

  • 2 tbsp fish sauce

  • 2 tbsp corn starch

  • water

PREP

  • MINCE ginger and crush/mince the garlic, then set aside

  • LARGE DICE the chicken thigh into 1/2 inch pieces, then set aside

  • COMBINE the tempura batter ingredients and whisk until no solids remain

  • COAT each piece of chicken in batter, then set aside

  • COMBINE all sauce ingredients except for the corn starch and water

  • IN A SEPARATE BOWL, combine the corn starch with equal parts water into a slurry, and mix until no lumps remain

ON THE STOVE

  • HEAT 12 oz of vegetable oil in a wok to 350F, then add the chicken about 10 pieces at a time. Fry for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown

  • REMOVE all but 4 tbsp of vegetable oil from the wok, and reheat the wok as hot as possible

  • ADD the ginger and garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the chicken, sauce, and corn starch slurry and toss to combine, 1-2 minutes

  • REMOVE from heat and finish with sesame seeds

 

tagged with woo can cook, tempura, sesame chicken, honey sesame, panda express, chinese american food hacks