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