If there is a chicken recipe that I constantly make at home, it would be this sesame oil chicken recipe.
Sesame oil chicken or 麻油鸡.
I make it at least once every few weeks, with lots of ginger and sesame oil.
It’s a homey dish that everyone enjoys.
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In Malaysia, sesame oil chicken or pork is often served to new mothers, during the confinement month after childbirth.
Chinese people believe that ginger and sesame oil are hearty ingredients that help strengthen and nourish the body of new mothers and will speed up recovery after childbirth.
This chicken is so delicious and takes only a few ingredients: ginger, sesame oil, chicken and soy sauce. Stew and braise the chicken, preferably in Chinese clay pot, and you will have the most amazing, aromatic, tender and utterly mouthwatering chicken for steamed rice.
The best thing about it is that it takes only 20 minutes to make.
Try it for dinner tonight, I will guarantee you that you will make it a dinner staple!
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
Sesame Oil Chicken Recipe
Sesame Oil Chicken (麻油鸡) recipe - This a really homey and humble chicken dish that is both delicious and easy to make. It takes only a few ingredients, and the great taste complements steamed white rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2-3 inches ginger knob, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 12 oz chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or Chinese rice wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
Directions
-
1Heat up a skillet or wok over high heat and add the sesame oil. When the oil is fully heated, add the ginger strips and stir fry until light brown or aromatic. Add the chicken and stir fry for about 10-15 seconds before adding the soy sauce, wine, and ground white pepper. Add the water and do a few quick stirs. Cover the skillet or wok with the lid and turn the heat to low heat and let the chicken cook for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the meat becomes tender. Dish out and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
If the sauce dries up, add more water and cook until the chicken becomes tender. You may use bone-in chicken legs or thighs to make this dish. Just chop the chicken to pieces.
Tan TC
Delicious and easy to cook. My children and husband gave me the 👍
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, yes so delicious!
Michelle Quah
Spot on!!!!!! I made this today. Just the taste I absolutely loved and remembered. Finally woo hoo!!! Thank you!!!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Michelle, thanks for trying this sesame oil chicken. Do try out more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
nadine
Made this tonight, the first recipe i tried off your website, one problem i found was the sauce was very watery and simply didnt thicken at all and i was starting to worry if i cook it any longer the chicken will become rubbery, so i added some corn starch and it was perfect. i like the simplicity of the recipe and the taste was good. although i didnt taste much of sesame taste…does it mean i heated the sesame oil too much? maybe i killed the sesame taste? i will definitely make this again. my fussy 2 year old finished her plate too
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Nadine, you can keep cooking until the sauce thickens, the chicken will be tender, not rubbery. The sesame taste is from the sesame oil. Did you use toasted sesame oil?
nadine
okay next time i will continue to cook it, should the sauce be kind of sticky? maybe i will try less water. the sesame oil i bought simply says Sesame oil. i will definitely make this again, my daughter ate the left overs. for lunch today and she usually hates chicken😂
Rasa Malaysia
The sauce shouldn’t be sticky or starchy.
Juliana
This is a super easy and delicious recipe and we make this often. Was wondering if we can do this in an instant pot as well? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Juliana, yes, I use Instant Pot to make it now. Just pressure cook for 8 minutes. :)
Mahy Elamin
OMG I can’t wait to try this chicken! I am always looking for new, healthy ways to prepare it, because we can’t eat cookies every night for dinner 😉
Resep Masakan Rumahan
I made it last night and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe Bee :)
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks!
Nigella
Just wondering if you’re aware that this recipe is linked from another site?
I followed a recipe on Pintrest, which took me to yummly.com, I clicked “read directions” and it brought me to this site, with a different recipe to what is on the yummly site, very very confusing I must say.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Nigella, I am sorry for the confusion. I don’t know that Yummly used my photos on Pinterest and link to them!
Xuan Hui
How much many person can this recipe serve
Rasa Malaysia
3 people.
Sam
Hi. Can’t seem to find the Get Recipe Here button?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sam, so sorry that it didn’t work. It was a bug and we fixed it. Thanks for letting me know. :)
Pepe
Really nice! Thank you for sharing!!
Jaslyn
I tried this recipe and my whole family loved it! Thank you! I will definitely be cooking this more often! ?
Sara
Hello,.your sesame oil chicken look very yummy
Please can you write for me cooking method thanks thanks
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sara, the recipe is where the red color bar is “GET RECIPE HERE”
Viv
First time cooking this for dinner and the taste is almost the same as my auntie’s :D
She used to cook sesame oil pork when I was in sec sch :) Best with rice!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for trying my recipe. Yes, I love sesame oil chicken.
Agnes
I made this tonight using sliced thigh fillets and it was delicious. I added a TBS of oyster sauce (which I read in the comments section) and thickened with cornflour at the end. It was maybe a tad too salty with the added oyster sauce, so next time I reduce the soy sauce a bit. So simple and so tasty. Thanks for the great recipe.
Vivyana
Hi, instead of using wine can i just using any vinegar(rice vinegar)?
Rasa Malaysia
No, just skip it. Wine and rice vinegar are two completely different things.
Laura W
I recently found your blog and I’m loving it. This was delicious! I’ve made it a few times and tweaked the recipe a bit to suit our tastes. Forgive me if it’s Malaysian cooking sacrilege. I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce because we are gluten free. I used homemade chicken broth instead of water. And finally when I sauté the chicken I give it a generous sprinkling of sweet rice flour. This helps the sauce to be thicker a bit more quickly. When I am planning ahead I will marinate the chicken in the ginger and rice wine for 24 hours and I think this adds a lovely depth of flavor, but it’s not necessary. This is a quick and easy recipe, but delicious enough for company. When I served this to guests the men went back for thirds!
Chien
Your Sesame Oil Chicken looks yummy!!!
May I know what soy sauce did you use? Light soy sauce or dark soy sauce? Can I use hua tiao jiu?
Thanks.
Chien
You Sesame Oil Chicken look yummy!!
May I know what soy sauce are you using? Light or dark soy sauce? Can I use Hua Tiao Jiu?
Bertrand
Thank you Rasa Malaysia for this wonderful recipe. It tastes (and smells) very authentic and brings me back to the fond memories of my childhood days instantaneously! Terima kasih!!!
Mike
Love this but my sauce never thickens. Am I not putting enough of a certain ingredient in there?
Rasa Malaysia
It would reduce to a thicker consistency if you look longer.
candace
we made this dish twice now and the sauce is always too watery. it tastes great, but do you have a suggestion to fix this? we even doubled the recipe, but used less water and still too watery. i thought about adding cornstarch to help it congeal, but that seems wrong. lol. HELP!
btw, great site. great recipes ?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Candace, if it’s too watery, it means you haven’t cooked it long enough. Lower your heat and simmer until the sauce reduces and the chicken is more tender. You will love it even more. Thanks for following my site! :)
Mary Chai
I cooked the sesame oil chicken in the claypot. It turns well and tasty. One question : how to make the gravy stronger taste? Can anyone help ? Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.
Rini
Sesame oil chicken looks like delicious.Is it making too difficult? Can Anyone tell me?
shams
I love this recipe so much. Expecting more and more new recipes.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sham, thanks for your comment, you can check out all my recipes here: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
shams
I love this recipe so much.Expecting more and more new recipe.
Alex
I just loved this 20-minute homemade chicken recipe. Would love to enjoy my with my family
Jim Connor
Can you please state whether light or dark soya sauce when it has to be used. There is also Ketchup manis. Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
Soy sauce means regular soy sauce, or light soy sauce.
Charlotte
I added chopped garlic together with the ginger strips and ….wow!
NJ
Hi Will Japanese cooking sake be a suitable substitute for the chinese Wine?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes!
Hazrina Haja
Is this mua-yu? i dont know how to spell it out but recipe like this in my family is called mua-yu.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes mua yu.
Rosa
Wow, this sounds delicious, I would like to try it! what do you mean by chicken drumsticks (chop into 3-4 pieces each, bone-in). Do you actually mean to chop the drumsticks? how?
BTW, I have your book and enjoy choosing a recipe every weekend :-D
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Rosa, yes using chicken drumsticks, and then chop with a cleaver to 3-4 pieces.
mandy
Cooked the sesame oil chicken following your recipe for dinner, it was very delicious. We had to fight for the last few pieces. Thumbs up!!!
Going to try more of your recipes.
Pablo Escobar
Hi Rasa,
Ten thumbs up for putting up this website! You’re a legend!
oilparand
hi
I’m really interested in the food.
Thank you…
FgK
It looks great, but I have one question. Do you use sweet soysauce or salty? because im sure that would make a difference.
Rasa Malaysia
Salty regular soy sauce
noor
looks yummy. i’m into chinese these days. for muslims what can you suggest as the closest substitute to the wine? i can take rice wine vinegar though but not sure about the taste.
Rasa Malaysia
You can skip but not the same taste.
Joyce
Will it be alright if I don’t have ShaoXing wine or any rice wine? Is there any alternative to this?
Rasa Malaysia
You can skip the wine but it won’t taste as great.
Lisa
I have been using this recipe as a good starter, with a few minor tweaks. Instead of oyster sauce, I drizzle a little kecap manis because my kids like a touch of sweetness. I also use Kadoya toasted sesame oil for a richer sesame taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
EILEEN12662
I tried this yesterday, I add a little bit of chilli paid… It taste good.. Thanks Rasamalaysia!
claire
when i cook sesame oil chicken, i would take out the ginger after i fried it and then add to the chicken just before serving. to me the chicken taste better that way, anyway diff people have different taste. can try if you wish to have a different taste.
cholito
Hi,
I love you site and already tried the chicken cashew nut which tasted just like in our favorite Chinese restaurant.
We also have another favorite called Sesame chicken but it looks different than this one here. We could never figure out what the sauce is made of. My guess is oyster sauce, honey and soy sauce but I was wondering if you can help me. They usually sprinkle sesame on top of it.
Thank you!
juliTHAPA
Chinese wine? Any good wine would do?
Rasa Malaysia
Chinese cooking wine.
Ptrcf
Delicious and simple for a working women to prepare and makes me refresh back to my childhood taste.
SparklingRachel
I love this dish, a silly question…is there a why to make it not so oily those?
Shirlyn
I’ve tried this recipe a few times. It tastes just like the way my grandma used to cook it. Simply delicious! Thks for sharing this recipe. I’ll be posting it on my blog soon. :D
Kokila
I’m staying in Kuwait and want to try this dish as it’s so mouth watering. But I can’t get the shoaling wine or rice wine over here…can I substitute these ingredients? Thanks…
Rasa Malaysia
You will need the wine as it’s what makes it so flavorful…
Yvonne
just tried your sesame chicken recipe, it was really really good! taste came out exactly as I expected :D
Nining
I can only get roasted sesame oil in Cairo. The one you would top soups before eating them. So won’t this oil burn if heated on high heat?
Great blog. Thanks for sharing.
Mrs Fox
I’m so making this tonight. However, my Mat Salleh hubs is not a fan of picking bones, so I’m afraid it’ll have to be made with boneless thighs.
I shall demand for this dish everyday during my confinement period come spring. Bones and all.
Peter Pantry Raider
Whenever I cut up and cook a whole chicken, my daughter reserves the drumsticks and thigh parts while my eldest son goes for the chicken breast.
I only get to eat what’s left – the bony parts and the chicken backside. Sigh! But I love those parts especially in curry or KFC.
Vanessa
I’m going to make this with boneless chicken, would you recommend that I use the “baking soda trick” for the chicken?
Rasa Malaysia
For this recipe, actually it’s better not to use the tendering method.
richard.fila
Really enjoy this dish – the bone in chicken I think adds to the flavour. One tip though …. when cutting up a chicken drumstick the bones can shatter however, cutting when it’s still partially frozen should help.
Novice
I’m making this recipe, but I don’t have Chinese Rice Wine. Are there alternatives that are more common that I can use?
Rasa Malaysia
You can do without it but it’s not going to be as great.
JJ
I know I am very late with this reply, and disclaimer I do not cook with any alcohol myself, but I remember watching a Chinese chef on tv (sorry do not remember his name). In all his recipes that he used rice wine, he would always say you can use dry sherry instead. Maybe you can try that.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes sherry is fine!
Rajesh
Love to cook this dish tonight. Is it ok if i leave out the wain.
Tqvm.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you can leave out the wine, but it’s more flavorful with wine. :)
Audrey
OMG this is HOME dish!! The first dish I learned from my grandma when I was only 14, just because it’s my favourite. My dad, thinking I know how to cook by then because of sesame chicken, told me to fry a plate of veg and I failed miserable.
po
I made it last night and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)
Mina
It looks delicious and easy.Thanks for sharing.
Jun Low
hi, i made this last night and omg it was yum! i just used chicken thighs without the bones instead cos i have a lazy family haha!
Rasa Malaysia
Jun – that’s so great that you tried the recipe. It’s so easy and delicious, right? I love this recipe. Can eat all of them by myself. Boneless meat works fine, too. But I like chicken drumsticks for this specific recipe. :)
Jun Low
It just makes me think of home (Singapore). I remember my aunt eating this and ginger fish during her confinement period :D Thanks so much again.
Velops
This sounds very similar to a Chinese dish that is very popular in Taiwan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanbeiji
Even though the name literally means “three cups chicken” it is just a guideline about using equal amounts of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine to your taste.
Rasa Malaysia
Velops – I have a 3-cup chicken recipe: https://rasamalaysia.com/three-cups-chicken-recipe/
The taste of sesame oil chicken and 3-cup chicken are completely different though.
Simon
I agree with bee here. Although San bei ji is a delicious (as a taiwanese friend said it in mandarin) is a delicious dish. This recipe uses fewer ingredients, but personally I prefer the sweetened mix of succulent chicken, chili, basil and saltiness in San Bei Ji more.
Couldn’t manage to get sambal balacan, but made it with a homemade sambal ulek instead. Also turned out great.
DailyChef
Wonderful. I love the flavor of seasame and sesame oil.
Lori Lynn
It sounds simply perfect. I’m a fan of toasted sesame oil.
LL
tigerfish
I also fall to Kadoya Sesame Oil when in the US. This is also one homey dish I enjoy very much. Shall make this soon….you must eat more of this! :P just so good!
the lacquer spoon
I feel a bit scary to imagine how many bowls of rice I can eat up with this saucy chicken, aaahhhh!!
Rasa Malaysia
LOL. I know. Do you like sambal belacan? You will eat more with sambal belacan!!!
LimeCake
This looks just like how my grandma makes it. She sometimes uses leftover cooked chicken to make this. You make it look so simple! And i agree – sambal makes everything better!
Mark
This looks very nice. I even have the ingredients in my pantry. I think I could easily cook this on a weeknight.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes Mark, it’s easy to make, you might like it, it’s great!
Che
Thank you for this recipe! I have fond memories of “mua yiew kwey” that’s how we call it in Manila (we speak hokkien). my mom made it all the time and I completely forgot about this.
More power to you! My husband thinks I am a good cook – in truth, I just copy most of your recipes!!
If you are in Dubai, please, let me know, it would mean the world to me to have yum cha with you :)
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, we call it mua yu kay, sounds about the same! I love this, my late mom used to make this quite a bit but with pork, and fried eggs in the sauce! I loved it so much!
Glad to know you love my recipes! Hopefully I will get to Dubai one day!
John Schuler
I would like to try this but I’m confused about sesame oil.
Does this use the toasted sesame oil? I recently moved to Koreatown and have shopped at the various markets but am unable to tell the difference between the toasted and not toasted.
Can you shed some light? ( I know I should ask someone in these stores but haven’t ) Any recommendations on specific brands?
Rasa Malaysia
Toasted sesame oil. It’s darker in color. I use Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil, Made in Japan.
Tricia
This is one of my fav dishes. I use drumsticks, too. I add alot of ginger in mine … love the smell and heat! Hmmm…I think it’s time to make this again!!! Yummy!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, more Ginger and sesame oil please!
Linda
But what type of ginger to use? Young or old ginger
Rasa Malaysia
Old preferably.
Alta
This does sound deliciously homey and comforting! I love sesame. Yum!
Suman Singh
oh my, that looks incredibly delicious..must try this one soon…thanks for sharing this recipe.
pigpigscorner
Serve with sambal belacan?! Great idea!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, sambal just makes everything better!
sheba
I do happen to have some sesame oil at home..and was just wondering what to use it for. This chicken looks just wow!!!