Juicy Sous Vide Sesame Chicken

This Sous Vide Sesame Chicken has got to be one of my favorite dinners. Traditionally, sesame chicken is deep-fried but I am cooking it in a sous vide to guarantee the meat will be juicy and tender. I am using chicken breasts today, but normally I use chicken thighs. After trying both, I think chicken thighs are much better. If you have thighs, definitely use them.

Can't get enough of sous vide? Try my Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken next!

🍗 About This Recipe

When I used to go to Chinese takeout with my family, one of my favorite menu items was sesame chicken. The version I am sharing today is a streamlined version that is cooked in the sous vide. The chicken is not breaded, and also there are no vegetables in the dish. If you are looking for a more traditional version, check out my PF Chang’s copycat.

My favorite temperature to sous vide chicken is 150℉. I use it for both chicken breasts and chicken thighs. The meat ends up incredibly juicy and the texture tastes like it was cooked using a traditional method. Sometimes lower temperatures give the meat a "raw texture," but at 150℉ it tastes perfectly good.

🧂 Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need boneless chicken, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and sesame seeds.

As I said earlier, I am using chicken breasts today but I highly recommend using chicken thighs. I have used both, and chicken thighs come out much juicier. The only reason I am using chicken breasts is because I did not have thighs when I photographed this recipe.

Dark soy sauce is primarily used to give the sauce a dark color. It contributes a little bit of flavor, but not much. If you do not have it, you can omit it.

🔪 Instructions

STEP 1: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, oil, garlic, and ginger. Use your hands to gently massage the meat and marinade for 30 seconds.

STEP 2: Transfer the chicken and marinade to a sous vide bag. Flatten the bag so the chicken is in one layer. Refrigerate for 40 minutes and up to a maximum of 4 hours. I find the chicken to get too salty after 4 hours.

STEP 3: Preheat your water bath to 150℉. Place the bag inside and cook for 1 to 4 hours. I usually go for at least 3 hours since I find more of the fat gets rendered and the meat ends up juicier.

STEP 4: Remove the bag from the water bath. Cut a small slit in the corner and pour the cooking liquid into a large nonstick pan. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Stir this into the sauce and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat until it thickens.

STEP 5: Add the chicken and stir to coat it in the sauce. Add the sesame seeds then transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy!

📋 Recipe

Juicy Sous Vide Sesame Chicken

This Sous Vide Sesame Chicken has got to be one of my favorite dinners. Traditionally, sesame chicken is deep-fried but I am cooking it in a sous vide to guarantee the meat will be juicy and tender. I am using chicken breasts today, but normally I use chicken thighs. After trying both, I think chicken thighs are much better. If you have thighs, definitely use them.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Marinating Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2 people

Calories 480 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken thighs (chopped into ¾ inch cubes)

Marinade

• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ▢ 4 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)

Finishing

• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and marinate ingredients. Use your hands to gently massage the meat and marinade for 30 seconds.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a sous vide bag. Flatten the bag so the chicken is in one layer. Refrigerate for 40 minutes and up to a maximum of 4 hours. I find the chicken to get too salty after 4 hours.
• Preheat your water bath to 150℉. Place the bag inside and cook for 1 to 4 hours. I usually go for at least 3 hours since I find more of the fat gets rendered and the meat ends up juicier.
• Remove the bag from the water bath. Cut a small slit in the corner and pour the cooking liquid into a large nonstick pan. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Stir this into the sauce and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat until it thickens.
• Add the chicken and stir to coat it in the sauce. Add the sesame seeds then transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 48gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 1719mgPotassium: 694mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Did you make this?Let me know how it was!

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