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15-minute sticky sesame chicken

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When you taste these chicken pieces coated in a sticky, super simple Asian sauce and toasted sesame seeds, you’ll be so impressed with yourself for getting something so flavoursome on the table in just 15 minutes!

15-minute sticky sesame chicken

Mr. Scrummy and I got all excited by a purchase we made a couple of weeks ago. Not a car or brand new sofa or anything like that, but a second-hand freezer we snapped up from Gumtree for only £30. It was a bit battered here and there, but after a quick wipe down it was (almost) as good as new. Most importantly, it ended our 4 months of frustration with having the tiniest freezer compartment known to man in our rented apartment. Many a day included a spell of me huffing and puffing while kneeling in front of said fridge-freezer while unsuccessfully trying to squish things in.

For the last week or so, then, it’s been frozen meals central around here (and ice cream central, but I blame Mr. Scrummy for that one). Not the preservative-laden pre-prepared variety, you’ll be relieved to know. Just loads of leftover portions of food that I immediately started smugly tucking into our new freezer drawers – just because I could!

spring-onions

But the day finally came when there were no more frozen-meals-for-two left and I had to start getting off my *** again and get cooking some meals. That day was yesterday, but I decided to ease myself out of my lazy ways by cooking something that wouldn’t take very long but would still taste really good.

After a quick leaf through my ‘to make’ list, I decided on a version of a recipe I found on the Weight Watcher’s website, of all places. Now just to be clear, I am not a ‘weight watcher’ (with no disrespect to any of you who are, of course) but I guess it’s still good to know that this recipe is a pretty healthy, light one. Even if you account for the fact that the Weight Watcher’s recipe is supposedly good for four, but Mr. Scrummy and I ate the whole lot to ourselves. AND, ahem, tripled the amount of sauce …

15-minute sticky sesame chicken

I definitely could have got away with making a little less of the sauce, but I figure that it’s best to have some extra for those who want it. You can always leave some in the pan, but you don’t want to feel like you don’t have enough now, do you? 😉

Mr. Scrummy raved about how flavourful this was … and it really is. There are only four ingredients in the sauce (maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and ginger) but they are all pretty punchy flavours which meld together beautifully to make a sort of sweet and sour, glaze-y sauce that clings to the chicken and makes it all sticky and delicious.

15-minute sticky sesame chicken

Spoon a good portion of the chicken and sauce over a bowl of rice, sprinkle nutty toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions generously over, grab some chop sticks and sit down and enjoy … only 15 minutes after you started cooking.

What’s your favourite 15-minute meal?

15-minute sticky sesame chicken
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15-minute sticky sesame chicken

This dish of tender chicken pieces smothered in a sticky sauce and sesame seeds is absolutely bursting with flavour. This is a real crowd-pleaser ... and you'd never guess it only takes 15 minutes to get on the table!
Course Easy mid-week meal
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 to 3
Calories 508kcal
Author Helen

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click button below for grams & ml)

  • 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine I used Japanese mirin, but Chinese rice wine is OK, too
  • about 2-inch piece fresh ginger grated or finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • about 3 spring onions chopped
  • oil for cooking
  • rice to serve
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat a large skillet/frying pan on a medium heat, then toast the sesame seeds until a light golden colour (about 2 to 3 minutes). Transfer to a bowl.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the water & cornstarch, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine, ginger & 5-spice. Set aside.
  • Put the flour, salt and pepper onto a plate and roll the chicken in it until all of the chicken is lightly coated.
  • Heat a good drizzle of oil in the pan on a medium-high heat, then brown the chicken for about 5 minutes until golden on all sides.
  • Add the sauce to the pan and let it bubble and thicken for a minute or two. Serve the chicken over rice, then sprinkle generously with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.

Notes

Based on Weight Watchers recipe for sesame chicken.
This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce (because that’s how we like it!) Just reduce the first 4 sauce ingredients (water, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine) to only 2 tablespoons if you’re a little less ‘saucy’!
This is lovely served with some simple boiled broccoli. Put frozen broccoli on to boil about the same time you start cooking the chicken and everything should be ready around the same time.
I took the lazy approach to my rice and bought a packet of the stuff you just bung in the microwave for a couple of minutes. If you'd rather cook your own, just remember to put it on to cook when you start making your meal so that it's ready in time.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2358mg | Potassium: 1001mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3.4mg
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Comments

  1. Chris Glenn says

    Worth a couple of extra minutes!

    Smooth Move – Velveting
    http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Smooth-Move-Velveting-Technique
    By Andy Baraghani 07-27-2011
    *
    Also I make a very similar dish, but because it calls for whole chicken pieces takes a lot longer, thanks for this wonderful/quick recipe. Also different with the recipe I make, (which came from my fathers care-giver 20 years ago), is that it calls for 2/3’s cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard & 2 tablespoons cider vinegar. (and no sesame seed!) Sometime when you’re in the mood to experiment, I suggest try adding about a tsp. or so of dijon mustard(?) and maybe also 1 or t teaspoons of Chinese Sesame Paste. (just some IDEAS for Variations) I have not tried this yet, but because of the similarities I know it has to be really tasty and with the added bonus of really QUICK!
    Chris

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Interesting idea to add mustard – I never would have thought of that! I bet the sesame paste goes wonderfully, too – I’ll definitely have to look out for some next time I go to my local Asian supermarket!

      Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi, Shashi! Haha … lol! We sure are enjoying that freezer. It’s already crammed full with yummy bread and frozen meals for lazy evenings. Love it!

      Reply

  5. Allie | Baking a Moment says

    Oh my gosh I would be so excited to score an extra freezer! Ours is a joke. And what a steal! This meal looks fantastic Helen, I think my hubby especially would love it. Pinning for him 😉

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Really? I didn’t think small freezers would ever be a problem in the states! Really happy this might please your hubby, Allie!

      Reply

  11. Ashley says

    Ooooo that sauce!!! It sounds so good! And with only those few ingredients …. I love it!

    We had the smallest freezer at our old house before we moved – I was so excited when I saw the freezer at our new place! It’s awesome! 🙂

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Isn’t it amazing how something so so simple can absolutely change you life?? I’m still loving that new freezer and packing it with all sorts of goodies!

      Reply

  13. Izzy says

    That’s awesome that you guys got a new freezer! Now you can keep so much stuff cold! Our freezer is pretty much filled to the brim so we could probably use one too! I love this sticky sesame chicken! For some reason Asian food that is sticky with yummy sauce is always so good!

    Reply

    • Helen says

      It is, isn’t it? The flavours are just so tangy and ‘oomph-y’ (is that even a word?) Glad you like this sticky chicken, Izzy!

      Reply

  17. [email protected] Eats says

    Helen, seriously, I am SO impressed with this recipe. It is genius! The use of cornstarch, the combo of flavours, the fact that it’s FIFTEEN MINUTES…..! You rock!! This is so perfect for fast midweek meals. Pinning! Pinning wildly!

    Reply

  22. Culinary Ginger says

    I remember the battle with the tiny freezers over there, congratulations on your purchase. I love sesame chicken and this is a delicious easy dish and perfect for freezing the leftovers 🙂

    Reply

    • Helen says

      I’m not sure ‘tiny’ quite communicates how small our freezer compartment is … lol! Oh well, we’ve fixed it now! Glad you like this, Janette!

      Reply

  24. Laura says

    Favorite 15 minute meal? Hmm. A cup of coffee. Ha. I’m not really very good at getting any meal together in just 15 minutes. Sesame seeds and chicken just go together, so eager to give this recipe a whirl Helen. I already know the family would like, can just tell. Thinking about throwing in some cashews too.

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Oh, it would be wonderful with cashews, Laura! I think doubling this recipe would easily feed five. Let me know how you go!

      Reply

  25. Karla - The Candid Kitchen says

    Hi Helen =) About 3 years ago we also bought a second-hand small freezer and OMG it changed our lives 😛 I could make great ice creams, freeze all the nice fresh stuff from the garden…. But since we had to make some changes in our place to fit one more family member, we had to sell the little freezer:´( so enjoy the happiness of freezing food as long as you can. And I know too well how it is to eat a meal for 4 (or even for 6!) when you´re just 2 😛

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi, karla! I so hope we don’t have to get rid of our freezer tooo soon. It has definitely changed our lives, too … in just 2 weeks!

      Reply

  26. Sofia says

    Hi Helen! What a coincidience, you need to look at my blog now, you’ll see what I mean! hahaha Ok, not identical recipes but they sure look nearly identical 🙂 I’m sure this is delicious xxx

    Reply

  27. Eva says

    J’aime bien lire tes histoires avec Mr. Scrummy ! Le poulet comme ça on est très fan à la maison ! Mon mari, raffole des plats comme ça, je en suis sûre que le tienne apprécierais beaucoup ! Jolie présentation.

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Merci, Eva! Mon mari raffole des plats comme ca, aussi … et c’est SI facile … mon plat favori ‘du moment’!

      Reply

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