Sesame Chicken With Cashews and Dates Recipe (2024)

Hey I just have to ask, is it even remotely possible that garlic put into a very hot oil will only turn slightly Brown at the edges after two to three minutes, as described in Direction number one of the recipe?? I think the garlic would be absolutely burnt to a crisp and therefore ruin the entire Dish as it would be just a bitter mess. Any comments on this by anyone?

Tried this again because it was so promising. made modifications based on my first attempt and suggestions here. 1. I used 1.5 lbs of chicken. It was more appropriate for the amount of sauce. 2. I minced the ginger. The coins were a bit too strong 3. I doubled the amount of dates to increase the sweetness which was lacking in the last iteration4. Smoked Sesame oil has a very low smoke point. Use another oil in the pan and add half sesame oil when you add the chicken. Turned out great!

Usually toasted sesame oil is used as a seasoning and regular sesame oil is used for sautéing. Here toasted is used for stir frying. Is this intentional?

Crazy good and surprisingly doable for a weeknight. My husband and 3yo LOVED IT. The dates might seem weird, but they dissolve into an earthy, sticky sweetness that's so much better than the sugar-laden versions of sesame chicken you get from your local take-out joint. I'm gonna make this again. And again.

Even on my bottle of toasted sesame oil, it is suggested to use it as a seasoning and not as a stir-fry oil because it has a very low smoke point. I used safflower oil in smaller quantities, and then added a tablespoon of sesame oil with the wine and soy sauce. The dish was absolutely delicious, served with basmati rice and broccolini.

Very easy, fast and tasty. It's a keeper for a fast weeknight meal. Per my personal tastes I added additional garlic, ginger and chilis. Perfect. Also, to have more vegetables in the meal I tossed in some parboiled green beans toward the end and it it worked well. Next time also some cut up red bell pepper for color and taste. I was skeptical of the toasted sesame oil for sautéing but it worked great.

Note that the basil is not described as "packed" so 3 cups would be 2 ounces, if that.Note also that Melissa suggests cilantro as an option or a combination of herbs. The point is to add a fresh green herbal note to lighten the sweetness of the dish. Add what you like and as much or as little as you like.I use scallion greens, cilantro, flat leaf parsley and mint in a random combination totaling about 2 cups for a full recipe.

Used peanuts instead of cashews (broke college student on a budget- nuts are so expensive!) and thought it tasted great! Love the taste of the fresh basil with the sauce.

I think you're right. I would put garlic after scallions & ginger are almost done. Garlic gets bitter if it gets too brown.

Delicious! But it was not finished in 20 min. It took that long to slice the dates; clean and cut up the chicken, scallions and additional vegetable (asparagus); peel and slice the ginger, etc. Great flavor imparted by cooking in toasted sesame oil. Minced rather than simply smashing the garlic. Wish I'd been equally prescient about chopping up the ginger, because biting into a "coin" can be startling. Asparagus worked. Could also imagine adding broccoli or cut up spinach or kale.

This is on regular rotation in my household. We usually add broccoli, green beans, and/or carrots but otherwise make this as written. We make enough to have leftovers the next day or two - it's easy to reheat.

3 CUPS of fresh basil? Really? Seems like a huge amount of herbs for a dish that serves 4 people.

add toasted sesame seeds

aside from seasoning the chicken a bit, i would also double the sauce next time. it's very tasty, but there is definitely not enough of it!

You should, Jules. Thanks for noting. I've edited the recipe to include that.

Excellent and I did brown with the smoked sesame oil. The garlic was soft and sweet and the dinner was a hit--even with a 5-year old. The ginger coins were a bit strong for some. Are they supposed to be eaten or just there to flavor the sauce? My dates did not completely melt into the sauce but were very good. I did 1-1/2 x the recipe for a larger group. I will try again with recipe as written and there was too much chicken to brown properly.

I’m not sure about this one. I amped up the seasonings a bit (chiles, ginger, dates) and mixed in a slurry at the end to thicken the sauce. Also, I used grapeseed oil to brown the chicken and drizzled the finished dish with sesame oil before serving. It tasted good, but perhaps the flavour profile is just not quite for me. I don’t think I’ll make it again.

did not like the sesame oil....just my taste preference

The recipe works very well. I had 2.2 lbs thighs, so I did have a lot of water release from the chicken that I let cook down. I added the scallions close to the end as indicated in reviews. I had no cashews and substituted hazelnuts and pistachios, and since they were smaller I should have added those to the end as well. 2 cups of basil and cilantro worked fine and tasted great. Super recipe - should be easy to augment (veggies, different nuts, etc.).

Per prior comments, Mince the gingerFry all in canola oil Use less red pepper flakes if you want it milder1 c cashews8 datesFinish with sesame oilFabulous!

Double the sauce!

Loved this dish! I cooked it using peanut oil, which I normally use for stir fry, and added about a teaspoon of sesame oil at the end with the rice vinegar for flavor. I also doubled the amount of cashews - half a cup didn't seem like nearly enough.

Tasty weeknight recipe. I did not know what to expect with dates in the mix and, glad to report, both the hubs and I enjoyed the flavor bomb!For those concerned about the aromatics burning... I stirred in the garlic/ginger/ chile in oil for the prescribed time. Anticipating the extended time to cook my thicker than prescribed cuts of chicken, I removed the aromatics prior to adding the chicken and returned them when my protein was halfway cooked. Turned out fine :)

I suggest just use one skin-on thigh and freeze the rest, if your supermarket doesn’t offer boneless ones with skin on, as the flavour of the skin is great, but deboning thighs is awful. I’d use skinless and boneless ones for the rest. Use many more dates! And any soft herbs. I used three cups of mixed dill, mint and parsley. And threw in some sliced dried apricots, just for fun.

This was really tasty and easy! I agree with the commenter that I wouldn't add the garlic so early again. It was missing a little something so I would up the spice and flavourful elements next time. It didn't make too much of a sauce for me, which was fine. But think if you wanted a really sauce stir fry you should at least 1.5-2x the sauce. Served with coconut rice.

This is outstanding and quick. Made a couple of changes the second time I made it. Cooked as written I found the dates just melted into the sauce. I get that it did that but I LOVE dates so I added five more and threw them in with the herbs at the end. Worked great. Also cut back a hair on the red pepper flakes. My wife does not like that much heat.

I skipped the figs- was a mistake. Sauce is very salty, needs something sweet to break up saltiness. Otherwise great dish!

Sherry cooking wine, lime juice to finish. Yummy!!!

Not quite up to Ms. Clark's usual quality of instructions.The sauce needs a thickener (starch? sugar?)If you don't have a wok cut chicken into 1" pieces. In a skillet the recommended 2" pieces take so long that everything else is overcooked. Sequence should be: ginger, briefly garlic, followed by chicken, nuts, dates, then sauce, then scallions, then other greens. Check other comments for improved ratio of dates, cashews, and basil/cilantro. This will take you 45-50 mins not 30 mins.

Super flavored! I do have one note - one person got a chili which didn’t break up at all. And then the entire garlic clove also. Next time I’ll break up the garlic and pepper after cooking