Easy Empress Chicken

A cast iron skillet filled with empress chicken garnished with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.

This Empress Chicken recipe is perfect when you want to make a Chinese restaurant takeout copycat right at home. It's crispy fried chicken coated in a delicious sauce that's perfect over rice or noodles

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large egg
¼ cup cornstarch
Pinch salt and pepper
canola oil for frying

For the Empress Sauce (extra saucy):

1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon ginger minced
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup tomato paste or ketchup
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water for a slurry
Chopped green onions and sesame seeds optional garnishes

Instructions

Cook the Chicken

In a medium bowl, add the egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Then add the diced chicken pieces and stir to coat well.
1 large egg, ¼ cup cornstarch, Pinch salt and pepper, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the coated chicken and cook for about 5-6 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove with a spider or spiral skimmer and place on a paper towel lined plate.
canola oil

Make the Sauce

In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame oil. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about one minute.
1 tablespoon sesame oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger
Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar, tomato paste and chili garlic sauce and stir together well. and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup rice vinegar, ½ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup tomato paste, 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

Stir the slurry to thicken the sauce.

Stir in mixed cornstarch slurry. and simmer for and addition 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Toss the cooked chicken into the sauce and stir until until coated well.
Serve over white rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Chopped green onions and sesame seeds

Notes

You can double fry the chicken for extra crunch before adding it to the sauce. Just dip the chicken into the egg mixture after frying the first time.

Increase the amount of chili sauce if you like more heat and decrease it if you like less.

Refrigerate: after cooling, store in an airtight container fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Freeze chicken and sauce separately. Re-crisp chicken in oven or air fryer.

Reheating: Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen sauce.

Nutritional information doesn't not include oil for frying or rice for serving.

Nutrition