The combination of ginger and sesame oil in Chinese cooking can be really amazing. It’s what I call a sensory experience because before we even get to taste the dish, we would already get a whiff of aroma that fills up the entire kitchen while the chicken is braising in an enticing sauce. That’s exactly the beauty of this Sesame Oil Chicken dish.
Few Simple Ingredients
Making sesame oil chicken doesn’t require too many ingredients and only basic condiments of light & dark soy sauces, oyster sauce and Chinese cooking wine are needed for the braising liquid.
I use Double A 100% Black and White Sesame Oil (retails at $3.50 per 320ml bottle at FairPrice) which is my favourite brand of sesame oil. Give it a try if you’re unsure of which brand to buy. It’s pretty aromatic and perfect for all kinds of dishes.
Saute Ginger in Sesame Oil
One tip to a good sesame oil chicken dish is to saute ginger in sesame oil and then fry the chicken in the oil concoction before adding the rest of the sauce seasonings. This way, the sesame oil will get infused with the fragrance of the ginger and that combined flavour will also penetrate the chicken meat. This is a dish that goes best with steamed rice or rice congee because of its salty, savoury flavour.
Enjoy this Sesame Oil Chicken Recipe! 🙂
- 4 chicken thighs (or your preferred chicken parts) approx. 680g, skin removed
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 slices ginger, sliced into matchsticks
- chopped spring onions as garnish
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp each dark & light soy sauce
- 150ml water
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
This looks really good, Geri! I love the taste of fresh ginger.
Thank you, Jackie 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Awwh so yummmyy!!!
They were really tasty 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Looks very delicious. Is there any substitute for the Chinese wine ?
Thank you! I would say sherry is the closest substitute as its flavour is similar to Chinese rice wine.
Great oriental food recipe.
Thank you! 🙂
Those drumlets look tasty!
Thank you, Linda 🙂 They were really yum!
Sesame oil lends such a deep, luxurious flavor to food. Thanks for a recipe that tastes complicated, but is oh so easy! Gina
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Gina 🙂
Oh god! This is definitely yummy for sure!!!!
Go give it a try and let me know what you think 🙂
Brung a vegetarian can bet the taste of the dish …love the combo of sauces used in there …. shall try in my veggie dishes…. Thank you
You can try the recipe with firm tofu or even assorted mushrooms 🙂
Hi Geri,
Can I get your advice on what kind of sesame oil do you use for this dish ? I saw different kinds of sesame oil in the supermarket , there is 100%pure sesame oil, white or black sesame oil.
Can you help me to understand the difference between these above , and any taste difference , when do you chose which to use? What brand n type do you use normally for our Chinese cooking.
Thanks so much,
Sindy
Hello Sindy,
I normally use Double A Black & White Sesame Oil which is available at Fairprice ($3.50 for a 320ml bottle).
The main difference between black and white sesame seeds is that black ones have their casings on whereas the white ones have been hulled. In terms of taste, there is almost no disparity but somewhat I feel black sesame oil is a little more smoky in flavour and probably more aromatic too because of that. But I may be wrong because at the end of the day, it still depends on the brand and grade of sesame oil you buy. So far, I’ve been using the above brand for all my Chinese cooking (whether or not sesame oil is the main condiment to be used) and it has worked out perfectly fine so you might like to give it a try.
Cheers,
Geri
Dear GERI,
Thanks so much for your reply n sharing with. I enjoyed your blog n recipes you shared alot. May you be blessed in good health n happy always 🙂
Cheers, Sindy
Hi Sindy,
You’re most welcome and thank you so much for your kind words.
I wish the same for you 🙂 Take care and have a great day ahead!
Cheers,
Geri