Honey-Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons Restaurant

If you know us, you probably also know how much we absolutely love Epcot. It’s probably our favorite park to visit at the Walt Disney World Resort. The whole place is fantastic but our favorite portion is World Showcase. It’s an especially wonderful spot for those of us who love to sample food from around the world. So, you can expect several upcoming Disney Dishes to come directly from this location. That begins this week with today’s recipe; the Honey-Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons Restaurant.

Let’s get to it!

Our Ingredients

If you somewhat regularly create Asian-style dishes in your home, you’ll have most of the items on our ingredients list. Heck, many of these items are used in various types of cooking and are pantry staples.

One component you may need to do a little searching for is the Chicken Base. It’s a little different than the standard chicken bouillon in that it provides much more depth to this and any other sauce you may add it to. If you’re trying to track it down in your grocery store, Better Than Bouillon is a typical brand you will find.

One other note to the ingredients for this recipe. It calls for White Wine Vinegar but I replaced it with Rice Vinegar. I tend to do this for many of my Asian-style recipes because I find it has a more well-rounded flavor but still provides the acid you’re looking for. The choice is completely up to you. That’s just how I roll!

It’s all in the prep!

In many Asian-style recipes, the real work is in the prep. Once that’s done, the dish will usually come together pretty quickly. The same can be said for our Honey-Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons Restaurant.

We’ll start by cutting up our Chicken Breast. You’ll want to cut the pieces into cubes that are small enough to cook through quickly but large enough to be handled easily. Pieces that are approximately a 1″ cube is about what you’re looking for. If they can be picked up with chopsticks, without too much difficulty, you’re on the right track.

Time to get saucy!

Next up is another key component to most Asian-style recipes; the sauces. We’ll start with the Marinade for the chicken. Add the Chicken Base, White Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Cooking Wine, and Sesame Oil in a medium-sized bowl and stir until completely combined. Add the diced Chicken to the Marinade and stir until all pieces are coated. Reserve in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Next up is the Honey Sauce which is very simple but provides most of the flavor for this completed dish. Add the Honey, Sugar, Ketchup and Rice (or White Wine) Vinegar to a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside for later use.

Batter Up!

This is a fried dish so that means we need a batter. This one is a pretty standard version that is light enough to not overpower the chicken but provides a nice and crispy crust. To create it, combine the All-Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Beaten Egg, Vegetable Oil, Water and Salt in a medium-sized bowl and stir until completely combined. If the batter seems a little too thick, you can thin it by adding more water a little at a time until it reaches a your desired consistency.

Time to put it all together!

Now that your prep work is done, it’s time to put all our components together starting with frying our Chicken. Add Vegetable Oil to a medium-sized pot (You’ll want to have it at least 4″ deep so there’s plenty of space for your chicken to cook within it) and heat it until it reaches about 325ºF.

Next, add the marinated Chicken to the Batter, a few pieces at a time. Then, use tongs to carefully place the coated segments, one at a time, into the hot oil. Work in batches to ensure you don’t overcrowd the pot.

Cook the Chicken until the outside coating is golden brown in color. Just like in the photo above. Carefully remove the pieces from the oil and place on pan or plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.

• If you’d like a healthier version of this Disney Dish, skip the frying portion of the recipe. Instead, just remove the Chicken from the marinade and place it directly in a large heated pan with a little oil. Sauté the chicken until browned and cooked completely. After that, you can complete the remaining steps of the recipe. The result will be a dish that is lower in calories and fat but is still extremely tasty. It also becomes a quicker dish to prepare because you avoid the most time consuming part of the process.

Next, place a large pan or wok over medium-high heat and add the Honey Sauce. Once the sauce is heated, add the Fried Chicken Pieces. Quickly toss until thoroughly coated. Remove from heat and serve immediately, garnished with sliced Green Onions and toasted Sesame Seeds.

Final Conclusion

This recipe for Honey-Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons Restaurant has everything you want. It’s sweet; it’s sticky; and the fried coating adds a wonderful little crunch. The honey and sesame flavors balance each other perfectly. If you like your Asian-inspired dishes more on the sweet side, this will be right up your alley. Pair it with steamed rice or Asian noodles and your family will rush to the dinner table to enjoy this Disney Dish.

Make it today and bring a little piece of World Showcase to your home!

If you have any questions about this or any of our recipes, just hit us up below in the comments. You can also reach us through our Contact Us page or through email.

 

Honey-Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons Restaurant

Makes approximately 4 servings

 

Ingredients

• 10 – 12 oz – Chicken Breast – Cubed

For the Marinade

• 1 tsp – Chicken Base
• Pinch – White Pepper
• 1 tsp – Kosher or Sea Salt
• 1 tsp – Sugar
• ½ tsp – Cooking Wine
• ½ tsp – Sesame Oil

For the Honey Sauce

• 3 tbls – Honey
• ¼ cup – Sugar
• 2 tbls – Ketchup
• 1 tbls – Rice or White Wine Vinegar

For the Batter

• ¾ cup – All-Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup – Cornstarch
• 1 tsp – Baking Powder
• ½ Beaten Egg
• 2 tbsp – Vegetable Oil
• ¾ cup – Water
• Pinch – Kosher or Sea Salt

For Frying

• 4 cups – Vegetable Oil

For the Garnishes

• Toasted White Sesame Seeds
• Sliced Green Onions

Instructions

• For the Marinade, combine the Chicken Base, White Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Cooking Wine and Sesame Oil in a medium-sized bowl. Add the Cubed Chicken and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
• For the Honey Sauce; combine the Honey, Sugar, Ketchup and Rice (or White Wine) Vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside for later use
• For the Batter; combine the All-Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Beaten Egg, Vegetable Oil, Water and Salt in a medium-Sized bowl. Set aside until ready to fry the chicken
• Heat the Vegetable Oil for frying in a medium-sized pan to 325ºF. Working in batches, use tongs to dip the Marinated Chicken into the Batter and fry until cooked through and the crust is golden brown. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels
• Heat the Honey Sauce in a large pan of wok and add the Cooked Chicken. Quickly toss to coat and serve immediately garnished with Toasted Sesame Seeds and Sliced Green Onions

Be sure to check out our other Disney Dishes

Amazing Green Bean Casserole

Apple-Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Mickey Waffles with Oven “Fried” Chicken and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

Jolly Holiday Bakery Café’s Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Soup from Sunshine Seasons

Mickey Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

The Pumpkin Cheesecake from Disney Cruise Line

Pumpkin Beignets from Café Orleans

Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf

Croissant Doughnuts from Epcot

Mickey Pretzels

Avocado Margarita from La Cava del Tequila

Molten Chocolate Cake

Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich from Red Rose Taverne

Wild Mushroom Risotto from Palo

Cheeseburger Pods from Satu’li Canteen

Lobster Nachos from Lamplight Lounge

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter

S.E.A. Shu Mai from Jungle Navigation Company LTD Skipper Canteen

Hoisin Sticky Spare Ribs from Morimoto Asia

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb from Blue Bayou Restaurant

Ratatouille from Ratatouille

Peanut Butter Blondies from Sweet On You