Sticky, nutty Sesame Hen coming in for din! A wholesome spin on the Chinese language-American takeout favourite, it is a 30-minute dinner that’s right here for you tonight. You’ll love any surviving leftovers tomorrow too!
Stir fry recipes have been a key to meal sanity round right here since Ben and I had been married greater than a decade in the past (!).
From Teriyaki Hen Stir Fry to Candy and Bitter Hen, the truth that stir fries are quick and that the leftovers give us one thing quick and filling to reheat the subsequent day for lunch means it’s simpler to eat wholesome extra typically.
Of the completely different kinds of stir fries I prepare dinner (of which there are many), the one “style” that by no means fails to hit the spot is something involving juicy items of hen coated in a thick, sticky, sweet-and-savory sauce.
We’re speaking Normal Tso Hen, Bourbon Hen, Wholesome Orange Hen—the mall takeout standbys we beloved as children.
Sesame hen is most just like Normal Tso hen however with a couple of key variations:
- Normal Tso’s is good and spicy, whereas sesame hen is good with deeply nutty umami notes from the sesame oil.
- Normal Tso hen can use breasts, thighs, or a combination, whereas sesame hen usually requires hen thighs.
- Each hen stir fries function inexperienced onions for chunk and sesame seeds for crunch.
Tips on how to Make Sesame Hen
Historically, sesame hen sauce accommodates soy sauce, brown sugar, and its signature ingredient, sesame oil.
To make this a wholesome stir fry recipe, I’ve minimize down on the sugar, changing it with a modest quantity of honey.
Most genuine sesame hen recipes don’t embrace different greens, however you possibly can definitely add any you want. We combined ours with Roasted Broccoli.
The Components
- Hen. Delicate in taste and protein-packed, hen works famously in stir fry recipes. It makes the dish filling, retains it nutritious, and turns into tender and flavorful within the sauce.
- Sesame Oil. An important ingredient, it provides scrumptious nuttiness and savoriness.
- Scallions. For onion taste, colour, and chunk.
- Ginger + Garlic. The traditional taste constructing blocks of a stir fry dish. Utilizing recent is price it right here.
- Crimson Pepper Flakes. Whereas this dish isn’t spicy, pink pepper flakes give it a little bit warmth.
- Sesame Seeds. For nuttiness and texture.
- Contemporary Basil. Contemporary herbs are a delicious option to end this dish. Cilantro would additionally work nicely right here.
- Sesame Hen Sauce. Soy sauce provides umami, honey provides sweetness, rice wine vinegar brings acidity, and cornstarch helps make it thick.
The Instructions
- Stir the hen, salt, and pepper collectively in a bowl. Add the cornstarch.
- Stir the sesame hen sauce substances collectively.
- Stir fry the inexperienced onions and aromatics.
- Stir in additional sesame oil and the hen. Pour the sauce into the skillet. Let simmer.
- Stir within the sesame seeds and herbs. ENJOY!
Storage Ideas
- To Retailer. Refrigerate leftover hen fries in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low warmth or within the microwave.
- To Freeze. Freeze hen stir fry in an hermetic freezer-safe storage container for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.
Meal Prep Tip
As much as 1 day prematurely, minimize the hen, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Refrigerate every ingredient in a separate hermetic storage container till you’re prepared to complete the recipe.
What to Serve with Sesame Hen
Beneficial Instruments to Make this Recipe
The Finest Solid Iron Skillet
This skillet is well worth the funding. It can final a lifetime, cleans up simply, and switch seamlessly from stovetop to oven to tabletop.
What are the meals that your loved ones comes again to time and again?
I hope this sesame hen recipe joins that illustrious checklist!
Steadily Requested Questions
Sure, you may make this recipe soy-free by swapping the soy sauce for coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are often much less salty, so add extra to style. This swap may even make the recipe gluten free.
Wrap leftover sesame hen in a lettuce leaf for a scrumptious spin on my reader-favorite Asian Lettuce Wraps. Or add it to fried rice for a short-cut tackle Hen Fried Rice.
If you happen to take pleasure in making stir fry recipes at residence, I extremely advocate grabbing a bottle of rice wine vinegar. I haven’t tried a swap for it myself, however I believe apple cider vinegar would work finest. Nevertheless, there can be a slight taste distinction between the 2. Additionally, apple cider vinegar is stronger, so use much less.
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 1/2 kilos boneless, skinless hen thighs or breasts minimize into bite-sized items (thighs can be extra tender)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon floor black pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
FOR THE STIR FRY:
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or grapeseed oil or one other impartial cooking oil
- 1 bunch scallions about 5 or 6, minimize diagonally into 2-inch items
- 2 tablespoons minced recent ginger
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pink pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped recent basil or cilantro
- Cooked Immediate Pot Brown Rice quinoa, or Cauliflower Fried Rice, for serving
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
-
Place the hen in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. With a big spoon, stir to coat. Sprinkle the cornstarch excessive, then stir as soon as extra, making certain the items are evenly coated.
-
Stir collectively the sauce: in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, stir collectively the soy sauce, honey, water, vinegar, and cornstarch. Maintain close to the range. Make sure that your ginger and garlic are minced and able to go and that you’ve all the substances and measuring spoons you will have near the range (stir fries transfer quick).
-
Warmth a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet (well-seasoned forged iron or nonstick each work nicely) or a wok over excessive warmth, till it is vitally scorching, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and the canola oil and swirl to coat the pan. Let the oil warmth for about 15 seconds, then add the inexperienced onions, ginger, and pink pepper flakes. Prepare dinner, stirring always for 1 minute. Stir within the garlic and prepare dinner 30 seconds.
-
Add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and the hen, and prepare dinner, stirring periodically, 4 to five minutes. Give the sauce a fast stir, then pour into the skillet. Simmer till the sauce thickens and the hen cooks by, 2 to 4 minutes.
-
Take away from the warmth and stir within the sesame seeds and basil or cilantro. Style and alter for seasoning as desired. Serve heat with rice.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate hen in an hermetic storage container for as much as 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low warmth or within the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze hen in an hermetic freezer-safe storage container for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.
Serving: 1(of 4), with out riceEnergy: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 36gFats: 20gSaturated Fats: 3gPolyunsaturated Fats: 6gMonounsaturated Fats: 8gTrans Fats: 0.04gLdl cholesterol: 162mgPotassium: 557mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 297IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 3mg
Be a part of right this moment and begin saving your favourite recipes
Create an account to simply save your favourite initiatives and tutorials.
