Panda Express Copycat: Honey Sesame Chicken

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

For the Chicken:

• 1 pound chicken breast , boneless skinless, cut into 1" chunks

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 pinch black pepper

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• Vegetable oil for frying

Honey Sesame Sauce:

• 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1/3 cup water

• 2 tablespoons white vinegar or rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

To Finish:

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed

• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

• 1 cup cooked white rice

Recipe:

1. Chop the chicken breast into 1 inch pieces, making them very small and thin.

2. In a large bowl, add your chicken pieces, egg, salt, pepper, and mix together thoroughly, making sure to break apart the egg yolk and cover the chicken in everything.

3. In the same bowl, add ½ cup corn starch and ¼ cup flour. Mix around thoroughly for a few minutes until the chicken is evenly coated.

4. In a large pan, Dutch oven, or a wok, heat oil to 375 degrees F (about 2 inches of oil).

5. Once at 375 degrees, fry the chicken in batches for 4 to 5 minutes (flipping halfway through), or until golden and crisp, then remove with a slotted spatula, draining the oil well and then add them onto a cooling rack, letting the rest of the oil seep off. Cook in small batches (it took me 3 different batches) to cook the chicken.

6. While this is cooking, make the sauce. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Add a small pot onto the stove (not the chicken pot that you’re already using) and bring to a medium/high heat. Add in your sauce mixture. Let cook until boiling. It will become much thicker. Once boiling, cut the heat and leave on the stove.

7. Once the chicken is all done cooking, add in your chopped veggies to the same pot you cooked the chicken in (leaving the oil in the pan): I cooked the green beans first, laid them in the cooling rack, and then cooked the bell pepper, then laid on the cooling rack. Cook/fry each for 1 minute.

8. In a large bowl, add your cooked chicken and pour the sauce overtop of it. Add on 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds and mix around thoroughly. Then, add in your cooked veggies.

9. Serve the chicken on top of white steamed rice. Serve and enjoy!