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Sesame Orange Chicken

Recipe by Jenn Giam Smith

  • Total Time45 minutes
  • Yield12 (4oz) servings 1x

This version of the Chinese-American takeout favorite, Sesame Orange Chicken, uses my beer batter for the chicken and a secret ingredient to create the perfect sauce. It’s sweet, slightly salty, and full of umami goodness!

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Orange Sesame Chicken on top of green beans and white rice in an oval platter.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Fried Chicken Pieces

  • 3 lbs Chicken (cut into 1-inch size pieces. See notes 1 for options)
  • 1 batch of Beer Batter Mix (See Notes 2 for details)
  • 12-16 oz Light Colored Beer (like a golden Ale (See notes 3 for substitutes))
  • Peanut Oil (Or vegetable oil for Frying)

Sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine [AKA Shaoshing / Chinese cooking wine] (See notes 4 for substitutes)
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 1/4 cups orange marmalade (or an 18 oz jar)
  • 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce (see notes 5 for details on this)
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth/stock

Topping

  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Batter the Chicken
In a medium-large bowl, prepare your beer batter. Add chicken pieces and fold until fully coated.

2. Fry the Chicken
Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F (175°C).
Fry chicken in small batches (no more than 8 pieces at a time) until golden brown and floating.
Remove and place on a cooling rack to drain.

3. Make the Sauce
In a saucepan or wok over medium-high heat, combine wine, broth, vinegar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
Stir in marmalade and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into a ladleful of the hot sauce. Return the cornstarch mix to the pan and stir until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

4. Combine & Serve
Transfer chicken to a serving platter or bowl. Pour sauce over top and gently toss to coat.
Serve immediately with rice and vegetables.

Equipment

Notes

  1. You can use breasts or thighs, just make sure they are boneless and skinless (otherwise, you will need to remove the bones and skin)
  2. My Beer Batter Mix is enough for all the chicken. If you choose store-bought, you’ll have to look at the cooking instructions and see how much meat (usually fish) is recommended. I find most boxes are for 1 pound, so you would need 3 boxes.
  3. If you don’t want to use beer you can use Mineral Water, Seltzer Water, N/A Beer, or even Plain Water (since I use baking powder, it will still create the lift for a puffy crunchy crust. However, the beer does add a wonderful taste to it, that you won’t get with water).
  4. If you can’t find Chinese Cooking Wine, you can use sherry or extra chicken broth/stock
  5. Light Soy Sauce is NOT low sodium or “lite”. It’s actually saltier than Soy Sauce and it is both saltier and thinner than Dark Soy Sauce.
  6. You can cook the sauce first and set it aside on warm until you’re done with the chicken. But honestly, the sauce doesn’t take long at all.
  7. This step is pivotal. If you don’t do it you’ll end up with white clumps and the sauce won’t thicken correctly.

Find it online: https://www.jenn-smith.com/orange-sesame-chicken/