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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.
made this last week and it was delicious! the chicken was awesome and the ginger rice is the perfect base!!! YUM!!!
Hey Christine,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy New Year!? xxT
Me and my husband really liked this dish. I will say I think to get the chicken crispy I had to cook it longer than the listed time which left my broccoli a little too charred. Next time I’ll wait 5-6 minutes before adding broccoli to oven. I also will either double the sauce or increase ingredients by a third. I wanted a little more sauce. But very tasty.
Hey Kim,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
Where do u find star anise
Hi Sharon,
Your local grocery store should carry it in the spice aisle, if not try ordering from Amazon. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi! What could you substitute for the pomegranate juice? I live in a small town and it’s hard to find here.
Hi Lisa,
Cranberry juice would also work well. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was straight up delicious! I didn’t use the star anise as I’ve run out, but even so this was so good. A definite keeper. Thanks for a great recipe. Xx
Hey Kelly-Jane,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
My husband said this was one of his favorites we’ve made so far! So much flavor for not a lot of time or effort. Great amount of heat and definitely do not skip the sesame seeds! Another great recipe and even better for getting that takeout fix!
Hi Rachel,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
This is delicious! I am vegan, so I swapped out the chicken for extra firm tofu and used Just Egg (3-4 TBSP) for egg. Otherwise, we followed the recipe entirely. We have made it twice in the past two weeks, and our 20 month old loves it! Great base recipe using pomegranate juice.
Hi Julia,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT
This was great! A welcome change after the traditional Christmas foods of the past week.
Hi Susan,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT
Excellent!!!!
Hi Cottie,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xT
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!
Hey Christina,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
I coated chicken with maizena . The ginger rice was nice. I have work on the sauce I didn’t get the strong spicy sweet sour taste but definetly the colour and stickiness it was enjoyable though and tender.
Made this with meat from a previously whole roasted chicken, baby bok choy, and trader joes less sugar rasperry jam instead of pom juice/honey and its amazing. Cooked the chicken half time since it was precooked and it crisped beautofully. The sauce really makes the dish.
Hey Jordan,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
We really liked this, especially on the ginger rice. I made it according to the recipe except for using only a pound of chicken and mincing rather than grating the garlic (too much work!). The sauce turned into a glaze as promised, and the chicken was fine, except for sticking terribly to the sheet pan (and I did coat it with 2 tbsp. sesame oil and used 2 tbsp. on the chicken) — maybe the flour/egg mixture was to blame. Anyway, another great recipe that I definitely be making again.
Hi Helen,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!? xx
Turned out crispy and delicious! I did put the chicken on one pan, and veggies on the other and also refrigerated the “breaded” chicken prior to cooking. Great prep-ahead meal, thank you! Whole family loved.
Hey Kaylyn,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for making it and happy holidays!❄️ xTieghan
Really good! Much easier to make than I expected! My two year old LOVED the rice which was a huge bonus! Fun recipe to change things up! Thank you!!!
Hi Maggie,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for making it and happy holidays!❄️ xTieghan
I am an avid reader and experienced cook but I had the same problem with this recipe that I have with most others I’ve tried here; the times are way off. This took more than an hour to get on the table. In the description it makes it sound like this is an easy dish to make at home during this busy season. This is not the case. I don’t mind putting in the work when I have the time but I just need a more realistic time frame for these recipes.
Hi Patti,
So sorry this took you longer than expected. Everyone cooks differently and at a different pace:) xTieghan
Hi Patti! I find the same thing – here and on most recipe blogs/sites. I usually just double whatever timing is given and that gives me a better idea since I am slower in the kitchen, haha!
I made this last evening (my first half-baked harvest food creation), and it was superb! My husband said he would keep me around (tee hee!). Now he wants me to make it again for my in-laws. Thanks Tieghan! ☺️ Next time I may add a little orange zest for some citrus notes.
Hi Stephanie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Absolutely delicous. Crispy chicken, perfect flavor. Took me a little more than an hour to complete – but it’s possible I wasn’t as efficient as possible.
Hey Lindsay,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan