Now we’ve all heard of this one

Time:55 minutes

Difficulty:1/5

Ingredient Availability:4/5

Sesame chicken is one of the most popular Chinese food dishes. It’s also one of my favorites. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a version that was baked instead of fried, but I was open to giving this one a try, as it looked pretty good. This recipe comes from The Woks of Life, which I’ve been visiting a lot recently. I’ve been mostly impressed so far, so I have high expectations for this recipe.

Key Ingredients and Omissions:

This recipe loses a point in ingredient availability because it calls for sesame paste, which isn’t super easy to find. I decided to use tahini instead, as tahini is basically sesame seed paste anyway. I’m not sure how much of a difference one or the other makes, so keep that in mind.

Tools:

• Wok (could get away with using a large pan)

Cooking Review:

Marinade and Flour Mixture: 10 minutes

To start, I chopped up my chicken thighs and prepared the marinade by mixing together the appropriate ingredients. Then, I added the chicken, mixed it in the marinade, and set it aside. Next, I made the flour mixture while the chicken marinated.

Chop Veg and Make sauce: 15 minutes

I chopped the green onion and garlic next. This was followed by mixing the ingredients for the sesame chicken sauce.

Dredge & Bake: 20 minutes

After the chicken had been marinating for 25 minutes, I dredged the pieces in the flour mixture and arranged them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I let the chicken cook for 9 minutes before flipping and broiling for another 3 minutes.

Finishing: 8 minutes

I heated my wok over medium heat and added the oil and garlic to cook for a few minutes before adding the shao xing wine. This was followed by the prepared sauce from a couple steps before. Once it reached a simmer, I added a cornstarch slurry and let it thicken before adding the chicken and green onion to the wok to coat. The chicken was done at this point.

Analysis:

There is a light sweetness reminiscent of sesame chicken, but that’s about where the similarities end when it comes to most sesame chickens. The chicken wasn’t very crispy at all and I think the most dominant flavor comes from the soy sauces that were used. I’m not sure how much the use of tahini instead of sesame paste is making, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people make the same substitution. It really kind of just tastes like a generic Chinese style chicken dish, which is to say that it is good, but not great. It’s nothing special. I’ll give it a 6/10, but it’s a high 6/10 if that makes sense. If you’re looking for something that tastes like what you’re used to or better, I don’t think this will be it. However, It won’t be bad and maybe you’ll come to enjoy it for its differences.