Sticky Garlic Sesame Chicken
Seasoned chicken cooked in a skillet with a tangy garlic and honey sauce with sesame seeds and topped with green onions. Served with rice for the perfect meal. We’re celebrating the Chinese New Year with this easy to make dish.
Our family loves chicken as much as we love Asian inspired dishes that pack a lot of flavor. Often times, we love to cook chicken with a delicious sauce and this Asian inspired dish hits the spot. Weeknight dinners can be hectic, but I promise that this dish won’t disappoint. There is something about Asian inspired dishes that are naturally satisfying, enriching and comforting. It’s no wonder why because there are so many sauces that can be made to fit any dish for versatility.
I’ve been using soy sauce to flavor dishes for years. In fact, our family loves to marinate meat with Kikkoman Soy Sauce because it’s a natural browning sauce and a flavor enhancer. We love to use it with steak to give it an extra kick and this chicken is no different. Soy sauce is a versatile ingredient that can be used to cook many different types of cuisines. I like to make Sticky Garlic Sesame Chicken a few times a month as it’s just the perfect dish to prepare for the family.
Since we’re kicking off the Chinese New Year, you’ll want to celebrate with this dish.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about the Chinese New Years, especially since New Orleans celebrates the occasion. My friends have told me that it’s a must to visit Yonghe Temple and burn incense sticks then make a wish for the family.
Equally important is having dinner with family. Even better, it’s important to make dumplings with company. Use things like nuts, peanuts, candy in a few dumplings as it’s a tradition and is thought to bring good luck. If it’s possible, use rice flour to make the dumplings. Have someone read you your zodiac sign as they can have different meanings. Find out if the new year will bring you good luck or not.
To make this dish, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Next, add the flour, pepper, red pepper and onion seasoning to large zip lock bag. Add the chicken and shake it around. Add it to the skillet and allow it to brown for about 10 minutes, flipping it half way through cooking.
Make sure to get a nice brown coat on it before flipping as this will make it more crispy. Meanwhile, cook rice according to box directions. Add Kikkoman Soy Sauce and honey to small bowl. Grate garlic and add to sauce. Mix everything well. Add it to the chicken once it’s done browning on both sides. Turn heat to low and cook on each side about 5 minutes, making sure to coat the chicken well. The sauce will become thicker the more it cooks. Make sure not to heat it too high, as the sugar may start to burn.
After cooking for 10 minutes, allow chicken to rest for 5 minute, coating it half way through. Once done and mixture has gotten thicker, dish up the rice and add the chicken to the top. Add sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
As always, celebrate the new year with fireworks with family and friends . Most cities celebrate the Chinese New Year with at least a parade. Make sure to watch it with other’s as the community is very proud of the culture and puts a lot of time into this unique parade. It’s often said to to put money under your pillow after the fireworks to keep away the monsters.
Our family loves to head to a local party store to pick up Chinese New Year items like fans, costumes, chopsticks and what not. Pick up a few red fans and other items to ring in the new year. Just be sure to pick up items to match the zodiac sign of that year.
One of the easiest ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year is to get involved with traditions. A lot of these traditions come from my friends living in Asia. When they visit here, we always make sure to attend a parade and eat traditional food. Even Asian inspired food is a great way to celebrate the day.
Soy sauce is often an ingredient to use with Asian cooking. I love to use it for our Thanksgiving casseroles, turkey, lemon chicken, fried rice and steak to give it an added boost of flavor. By using 1/2 teaspoon Kikkoman Soy Sauce in place of 1/2 teaspoon table salt, the sodium content of the recipe is cut by 1000 mg. Now, that’s a sauce I love to use while cooking. Kikkoman Soy Sauce is aged for several months to develop its characteristic rich, yet mellow flavor with an appetizing aroma and distinctive reddish brown color.
If you plan on celebrating Chinese New Year, make an Asian inspired dish to celebrate the day. What Asian inspired dishes do you like to make?
Sticky Garlic Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon onion
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 lb chicken tenders cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 4 green onions , chopped
- 1 + 1/2 cups rice
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Combine flour, red pepper, cloves and onion powder in a large zip lock bag and shake then add chicken pieces. Shake bag to coat everything well. Carefully place coated chicken pieces in skillet to start to brown. Meanwhile, combine honey, rice vinegar and Kikkoman Soy Sauce in a small dish. Grate or mince garlic cloves and place in dish with honey, soy sauce mixture and mix well; set aside. After 5 minutes, flip chicken and brown the other side. Once chicken has a nice brown on both sides, add sauce mix and reduce heat to low. Allow to heat for about 10 minutes, flipping once. Meanwhile, make rice according to package directions. After 10 minutes, turn stove top off and allow chicken to sit for at least 5 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds then chop up green onions and place over the top. Serve with rice.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
14 Comments
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'!
02/10/2016 at 11:00 pmThis looks amazing! When I first saw the picture I figured the sauce had to complicated with a lot of ingredients, but nope! I have all the ingredients for this one already. I love that you had the patience to get the chicken good and brown, too. I have to remind myself how much extra flavor you get just by giving the chicken TIME! This is a really beautiful dish.
Jessica Knott
02/11/2016 at 12:23 pmThanks, Erin! Such an easy dinner to make!
Jessica Knott
02/15/2016 at 11:45 pmLove browning the chicken as it adds additional flavor. Thanks, Erin!
Rebecca B.
02/14/2016 at 4:04 pmHappy Chinese New Year to you too and what a way to celebrate with your Sticky Garlic Sesame Chicken!! We love asian food and have a similar dish to this one regularly! I will try yours next time. YUM!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
02/14/2016 at 4:16 pmThis looks sooo good!! I will have to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jessica Knott
02/15/2016 at 12:27 pmReally loving this dish right now, thanks Sam!
Ali @ Home & Plate
02/14/2016 at 9:30 pmI think my boys would love this recipe. They have recently discovered Chinese food and I’d like to make more at home. This one is a keeper.
Jessica Knott
02/15/2016 at 12:27 pmChinese food is not half bad…I bet they’d love this recipe!
Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget
02/15/2016 at 5:28 amThis is definitely going on the weekly dinner menu! Love that it’s not deep fried like Chinese takeout.
Jessica Knott
02/15/2016 at 12:26 pmTotally not deep fried but tastes just like the real thing! Thanks, Rebekah!
Jim
05/10/2016 at 10:38 amJessica: Mega-confused by this recipe. “Cloves” in the flour bag — no cloves in ingredients. Rice wine vinegar — where to add in the prep? Would like to give the dish a whirl, but need clearer instructions. Many thanks!
Jessica Knott
05/10/2016 at 12:13 pmHi Jim, I’ve update the instructions to include the rice vinegar. The garlic will go in the same bowl as the honey/soy sauce mixture. Sorry for the confusion and I hope you enjoy it!
Adrienne Mather
02/19/2017 at 9:03 amDo you have the calorie contents? Nutritional Info
Jessica Knott
04/11/2017 at 3:31 pmHi, Adrienne! I’ll look into and see what programs are available to me, thanks!