Sesame Chicken and Eggplant Recipe

A simple weeknight stir-fry gets an assist from your microwave.

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
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Updated May 07, 2024
Closeup of sesame chicken and eggplant, served with white rice.
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Serious Eats / Yvonne Ruperti

Why It Works

  • Cutting the chicken into half-inch cubes keeps the marinating time short.
  • Salting and par-cooking the eggplant in a microwave reduces the amount of oil absorbed by the eggplant.
  • Three additions of sesame oil and a finishing sprinkle of sesame seeds give the stir-fry a deep, nutty flavor.

Though I have a penchant for mouth-searing Asian dishes, my stomach lining needs a break every once in a while. (I'm also aware of my carb intake with these dishes because I consume boatloads of rice when the meal is hot.) During these in-between moments, I like to eat less spicy Cantonese dishes, such as a big bowl of stir-fried sesame eggplant and chicken. Here, chunks of diced chicken and soft eggplant are bathed in a silky cornstarch-thickened sauce that's full of sesame and ginger, slightly sweet, salty, mildly tart from rice vinegar, and with just enough heat from a chile to balance everything out. A handful of toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions livens it up.

When it comes to cooking with eggplant, I've always cringed when it came to adding the oil (I'm sure you have too). Spongy eggplant absorbs way too much of it. Luckily, I learned (at my alma mater Cook's Illustrated) a great way to prep eggplant to avoid this, and it's not just salting. It's using the microwave. I cut the eggplant into cubes and pre-cooked them in the microwave. This step evaporates moisture and shrinks air pockets in the flesh, leaving deflated pieces that soak up less oil. The eggplant also takes less time to cook once it's on the stove. Cook's Illustrated places the eggplant on coffee filters to absorb the liquid, but since I didn't have any filters I left the eggplant out and it still worked fine.

Dicing the boneless chicken breast (boneless thighs would also be great) into small pieces lets the chicken flavor up during the quick marinade while the eggplant is in the microwave. And the small size lets it fry up fast. All in all, it's a quick and hearty weeknight meal, made even easier if you've got a rice cooker.

February 2013

Recipe Details

Sesame Chicken and Eggplant Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 30 mins
Active 45 mins
Total 35 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 4 tablespoons water

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

  • 4 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

  • 5 medium cloves garlic, divided (1 minced, 4 sliced thin)

  • 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, minced

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 Thai chile, seeded and minced

  • 1 bunch scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch lengths

  • 2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds

  • Rice, for serving

Directions

  1. In small bowl, stir cornstarch into water; set aside. In large bowl, whisk soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, minced garlic, and ginger. Add chicken and toss to coat. Set aside while you prepare eggplant.

  2. Place eggplant in colander and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Working in two batches, spread half of the eggplant into single layer onto microwave safe plate. Microwave on high power until eggplant has shriveled to about 1/2 its size, 8 to 15 minutes (do not let it brown, see note). Transfer cooked eggplant to colander to drain while second batch is microwaving.

  3. In 12-inch skillet (or wok), heat vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggplant and cook until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chile, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  4. Move eggplant over to side of pan. Add remaining tablespoon sesame oil to pan and increase heat to medium high. Add chicken with marinade to center of the pan and cook, stirring, until chicken is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

  5. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring everything together, until mixture is bubbling and thickened. Stir in scallions and sesame seeds. Season to taste with salt and serve with rice.

Special Equipment

Microwave, 12-inch skillet or wok

Notes

Take care when removing eggplant from microwave, as hot steam escapes.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
629Calories
24gFat
61gCarbs
43gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories629
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g31%
Saturated Fat 4g18%
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 1389mg60%
Total Carbohydrate 61g22%
Dietary Fiber 6g23%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 10mg48%
Calcium 119mg9%
Iron 4mg25%
Potassium 746mg16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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