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This simple Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice is about to become your new go-to meal. Easy homemade Asian inspired chicken, tossed in a gingery, sweet, spicy, and extra sticky soy pomegranate sauce with toasted sesame seeds and broccoli. Serve over gingery rice for sticky chicken made quicker than any take-out meal…and healthier too.
December is the busiest month of the year. The days might be short, but our lists are a mile long. Between, work, family, and holiday festivities, it’s a lot. And I know for so many that dinner can quickly become an after thought.
I get it, but that’s why I love recipes this. It’s sticky Asian inspired chicken, but made at home, and with very littler effort.
When my brother Red was visiting last week he asked for a spicy Asian dinner. I knew exactly what I wanted to make him. And fortunately, it turned out perfect and everyone loved it!
Here are the steps
I wanted to make sure my “sticky sauce” would really stick to the chicken. So start out by coating the chicken in a bit of flour.
This is a very, very light coating, but it’s just enough to help all that sticky sauce actually stick. Once you’ve coated the chicken in flour, arrange it to one side of a large greased baking sheet. Then drizzle generously with sesame oil or olive oil. This is your answer to really getting the chicken crispy and creating the perfect “oven fried” chicken.
Next, the broccoli. I kept the broccoli basic, just oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll want to get the broccoli roasted and extra crispy in the oven. And since the chicken cooks at such a high temperature, the broccoli has just the right amount of time to roast, soften, turn crisp, and lightly char on the outside.
Delicious, especially when tossed together with the chicken and sauce.
The sauce
The sauce is really the key to this chicken. It’s honestly so addicting. Sweet, tangy, a touch spicy, and once boiled down, super sticky. I love to use pomegranate juice for the perfect amount of sweetness. I know it might sound odd, but the pomegranate juice adds sweetness, tanginess, and a deep dark color too. It’s one of my favorite ingredients to use in Asian inspired recipes.
The sauce takes only a few minutes to thicken up on the stove. It’s usually ready by the time the chicken has finished cooking.
Then just toss the chicken into the sauce with sesame seeds and let the sauce thicken around the chicken.
While everything is cooking, make a quick pot of gingery rice and then serve the chicken over the rice.
Nothing fancy here, just simple cooking. A delicious take-out-style meal made at home in way less than an hour – which we love!
Looking for other Asian style recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 450 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free all-purpose flour)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, use more or less to taste
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- green onions, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 475° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil.2. Add the chicken, egg, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the flour to another bowl. Dredge the chicken in batches through the flour, tossing to coat. Place the chicken on one side of the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the broccoli and shallots to the other side of the pan and toss with 2 more tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes. Toss the broccoli, flip the chicken, and return to the oven another 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the pomegranate juice, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, star anise, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Set over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3. Stir in the chicken, broccoli, and sesame seeds. Cook until the sauce coats the chicken. 4. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce over bowls of ginger rice (recipe in notes) topped with green onions.
Notes
Ginger Rice: Combine 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup basmati rice, 1 inch grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
This post was originally published on December 2, 2021
Tieghan,
I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while and been wanting to try literally every recipe you post. This was my first and I apologize to my tummy for not treating it this good sooner! This was soooo good and will be my go to when craving take out.
I did not use the star anise and substituted the pomegranate juice with some simply apple juice that I had in my fridge. Absolutely delicious. Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Sonille,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
Delicious! Such a great weeknight dinner that taste better than takeout! Thanks for the awesome recipe! ☺️
Hey Sonia,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious!!! So easy and will be on the regular menu!!!
I have your super simple cookbook, my daughter gifted me last year I use it ALL the time!!
Merry Christmas! What a blessing you are to so many!
Hey Lori,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
Amazing as always!
Hey Meghan,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
So yummy! Will definitely be making again. Left out the star anise because I’m not a big fan of the licorice flavor and it wasn’t missed with all of the other flavor! I also used regular soy sauce (vs. the suggested low sodium) because it’s what I had on hand; next time I’ll grab the low sodium or maybe use a little less since mine seemed a little salty (not sure if that’s why but just my thought). Thanks for the delicious recipe!!
Hey Maggie,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Would not make again. It had very interesting flavors. The “Asian” flavor here is mostly licorice side because of the anise. which is an acquired taste I am realizing. I used 1/2 anise seeds since I did not have 1 star anise. The sauce also did not get sticky until I added the food to the sauce after I hit the 8 minute mark. The shallots burnt in the oven while the broc /chix was perfect.
Hey Jess,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I’m a huge fan of ginger and this recipe did not disappoint. The chicken was tender and the veggies were perfectly cooked. The sauce was a bit too acidic for our preference so I’ll cut the vinegar in half next time but will definitely add this to our go to rotation.
Hey Shel,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
I loved this so much that I made it Sat for friends and Sun for the family! The star anise added a depth of flavor I wasn’t expecting. I used oj in lieu of pomegranate juice and it was delicious! Also, I used cornstarch to dredge the chicken and cooked it a little longer to crisp it even more. An AMAZING recipe!
Hi Jen,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
It was delicious, with a few caveats…
In anticipation of the deliciousness, I doubled the sauce recipe. But I didn’t double the sesame seeds and there were still too many. A couple of tablespoons for a double batch would be more than enough. Next time I will also cut way back on the red pepper flakes. Too spicy for a family meal.
Hey Patsy,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Hii! Quick question, is there something i could substitute pom juice with? Thanks!
Maybe cranberry juice…probably want to use the sweetened kind but look up sugar content in pomegranate to be sure.
I am sorry, he said orange juice in another response to the same question.
This was delicious and easy to make. Everyone enjoyed it!
Hey Annie,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Hey Ariana,
You could use orange juice in place of the pomegranate juice. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Very delicious and easy to make recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hey there,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
We LOVED this – definitely a keeper!!!
Hi Leslie,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Unique flavor, was expecting more umami, nice change! The finder rice is fabulous! Sometimes you use what you have, so I did cilantro instead of green onions and added haricot verts to the broccoli. Another winner!
Hey Kim,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
I made this the other night when our son and daughter in law came over for dinner. We devoured it! It was absolutely delicious!
Only thing I changed was leaving out the anise. Next time I make it I’ll make double batch. We’re not piggy eaters but it was definitely not enough for 6, especially since it was so yummy!
Hey Susan,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
It was amazing!
Also, can you please tell me where you got your utensils from? They are gorgeous!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Here’s a link for the silverware:
https://www.zarahome.com/us/dining/flatware/see-all/hammered-gold-flatware-c1020376359p301988588.html?colorId=301988588&ct=true
xTieghan
This was delicious! I loved the ginger rice and all the flavors. I used chicken thighs instead and they turned out great.
Hey Alan,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan