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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
Delicious! The sauce is a perfect spicy/sweet combo. I added carrots and peppers for extra veggies! Overall it was an easy recipe and I don’t think it will take me as long next time (and there will definitely be a next time)!
Hey Allison,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was DELICIOUS! I doubled the sauce which gave us plenty.. The sauce was so unusual but with a wonderful Asian flavor! Everyone loved this! Thank you for your wonderful recipes Tieghan…?
Hey Geraldine,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious! We absolutely loved it – quick and easy. It felt like having takeout at home. We will definitely make this again!
Hey Krystin,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This dish is really delicious! I didn’t get my sauce as sticky as it probably should have been, but another minute or two on the stove probably would have gotten me there. The ginger rice is fantastic and really complements the spicy, saucy chicken well. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, all these quick dinners usually still take me well over an hour to complete when you factor in the prep work, but this dish was well worth it.
Hey Liz,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! So sorry this took you longer than expected! xTieghan
This was such a flavorful weeknight dish! The perfect balance of spicy, salty, and sweet! Will definitely be making this a staple dinner dish in our household 🙂
Hey Sarah,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Absolutely loved this!! Was so good. Love the chicken in the oven. Seems to just make it more simple.
We will be enjoying this dish again.
Hi Helena,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this tonight and followed the recipe to a T. It took about 45 minutes and was pretty mediocre. I love HBH but this one is not it!
Hey Paula,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious. Lots of ingredients made for lots of flavor. I didn’t have star anise and subbed 1/2 tsp of Chinese 5 spice instead. Will def make again.
Hey Julia,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
So so good. I used white wine vinegar and didn’t have star anise but didn’t think we’d miss it. It takes longer than stated from chopping to finish but other than that it was perfect.
Hey Jenn,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it came out great! I made one small change- instead of soy sauce I used Golden Mountain. If you aren’t familiar with it, I highly recommend seeking it out. It makes all Chinese takeout fakeout taste like the real thing. Golden Mountain is easy to find in Asian markets. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Casey,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Thanks for the suggestion Casey. I just ordered it and can’t wait to try it!?
I have no honey what could I replace with that wouldn’t mess up the flavor?
Hi Jessica,
I would use maple syrup or agave in place of the honey. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
SOOOOO good! My family loved it. I couldn’t quite grasp how these flavors would come together for an Asian flare but they did and it was amazing.
Hey Jen,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
Followed directions exactly. Very delicious. The rice was very flavorful. Both of my kids liked it too. Definitely a keeper for us.
Hey Debbie,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! The sauce however didn’t turn out sticky as in your photos despite boiling and reducing it. I used Boathouse 100% pomegranate juice instead of Pom. Could that have made the difference? Otherwise I followed everything as listed. Thx.
I meant Bolthouse Farms %100 pomegranate juice
Delicious! Next time I want to double the sauce, just to have extra. Really good with Jasmine Rice.
Hey Linda,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
Hey Judy,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Did it need to boil longer? You could also add some cornstarch to help with the thickening.❄️ xTieghan
I made this pretty close to recipe – using less red pepper flakes. My husband still thought it was too spicy for him but he’s a bit wimpy about “spicy” dishes. My issue with this recipe is the 2 inch chunks of meat. It did get done in pretty close to the expected time – not terribly brown but it was the chicken was tough. I’m wondering about cutting in smaller pieces and baking for shorter time if I find someone else to prepare this for.
Hey Pam,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan