Cold Sesame Chicken

By David Tanis

Cold Sesame Chicken
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Iah Pinkney
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling
Rating
4(401)
Comments
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Though completely different from a crisp-skinned, oven-roasted chicken, sometimes a boiled chicken is just the thing, hot or cold. In warm weather, this Chinese-style cold sesame chicken is especially welcome. It’s perfect for a picnic or light lunch and can be prepared well in advance of serving.

Featured in: Cold Sesame Chicken to Satisfy a Constant Craving

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Chicken

    • 6bone-in chicken legs, drumettes or boneless thighs (about 4 pounds)
    • Kosher salt
    • 1tablespoon five-spice powder
    • 2whole scallions
    • 1(2-inch) piece ginger, cut into 4 thick slices
    • 2star anise pods
    • 1teaspoon ground turmeric

    For the Glaze

    • 3tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2tablespoons granulated sugar
    • ½teaspoon ground cayenne
    • ½teaspoon grated garlic
    • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • ½teaspoon grated ginger

    For the Garnish

    • 1tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • 2tablespoons crushed roasted, unsalted peanuts
    • 1 or 2thinly sliced serrano chiles (optional)
    • Cilantro sprigs
    • 3 or 4scallions, thinly sliced
    • Tender mustard greens or lettuce leaves (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

419 calories; 30 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 608 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season chicken with salt and sprinkle with five-spice powder, rubbing seasoning into the flesh.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer chicken to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 4 to 6 cups water, just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Add scallions, ginger slices, star anise and turmeric. Simmer very gently until tender, about 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove chicken to cool on a baking sheet. (For faster cooling, submerge chicken in ice water.) Reserve ½ cup cooking liquid.

  4. Step 4

    Make the glaze: Put soy sauce, sugar, cayenne, garlic, toasted sesame oil, ginger and ½ cup cooking liquid in a shallow saucepan or small skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer rapidly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

  5. Step 5

    Chop bone-in chicken into 1-inch chunks with a sharp cleaver or large chef’s knife. (Remove bones before chopping, if preferred. If using drumettes or boneless thighs, leave whole.) Arrange chicken on a serving platter.

  6. Step 6

    Brush glaze onto the meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts. Add chiles (if using), cilantro and scallions. Surround with mustard greens or lettuce leaves, if using. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5
401 user ratings
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Comments

Michael Cameron

Fantastic - a keeper. But there is a real missed opportunity in the recipe. The broth left over is scrumptious! Threw in some chopped broccoli, sliced carrots, mushrooms, scallions, and few cellophane noodles for a tasty soup and a complete meal with the chicken.

Prakash Nadkarni

Good recipe. I'd probably reduce the water in step 2 to slightly more than required to cover the chicken, so that after 45 minutes, one would have a flavorful broth that could be used to cook rice, rather than discarded. (To answer Mr. Golden's question, I would cover the pot to prevent evaporation.) Chilling the chicken in ice water is superfluous- while green vegetables are chilled after blanching, chicken leg parts aren't time-sensitive after 45 minutes' simmering. What's the hurry?

Liz

Update: This way was great, esp. that I didn't have to watch the pot and the meat came out perfectly tender and well-flavored. I followed the recipe in all respects except that I placed the seasoned chicken legs in the IP in layers by two, added the additional aromatics, then nearly covered with cold water. I set the IP on Pressure Cook for 0 minutes and let it do an NPR for as long as it took me to run to the store (about 33 minutes; not sure it mattered after 25).

downtownapple

I made extra sauce and use the chicken broth to make chicken noodle soup. It was so delicious.

SirFreddy's Mum

This was good but not great. The chicken was moist and the broth flavorful, but it just did not have depth of flavor. Boiling spices do not bring out the best of them. The best part was the garnish.

Tracy

Ate the next day for dinner and deeply chilled. Added Duo Jiao(Chinese salted chilis-tiny mince, they come in a glass jar, not hot and very pretty-divine flavor-get some) and some chopped Bermuda onion, a few squeezes of lime juice. I basically cleaned up the dish a bit. Was delicious. I had previously written kinda gross but not after the above.

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