Ginger, sesame, and soy is an amazing combination to me. I’ve loved the trio since the very first potsticker I ever stuck in my mouth in the early 1980s. Until then the only Asian food I’d been introduced to was the Moo Goo Gai Pan in the Family Style combination dinners my parents ordered as a special treat at the Vietnam era Chinese restaurants they favored in Salt Lake City, Utah. I loved those forays into the adult world of dining, but honestly, I don’t remember much about the food. I’m sure these meals did indeed feature ginger, sesame, and soy in some watered down combination but this is not when my fascination with these flavors began.
No. The discovery came to me in the least likely of places. Santa Barbara, California circa 1985.
Ginger, Sesame, and Soy
When I should have been out moonwalking in my parachute pants with people my own age I was attending gyoza parties held in the kitchen of the man I rented a room from while I was in college. Roger was at least a decade older than me. He was successful, worldly and seemed to live life with a sophisticated joie de vivre I openly admired. So when it came to potstickers I happily sat down with his friends and learned how to wrap, roll, steam, and fry them. I also learned how to mix up the dipping sauce – a piquant potion of rice vinegar, mirin, ginger, sesame, and soy.
Scallion-Stuffed Ginger-Sesame Chicken is my attempt to put all these flavors (and some of those memories) together on one plate. It’s a sophisticated dish that’s still simple enough for a weeknight dinner. It can even be started the night before to save even more time because marinating the chicken for some time beforehand helps the flavors seep through while keeping the meat delicate enough so it doesn’t fight with the flavorful ginger, sesame, and soy. GREG
You can stuff and roll the chicken thighs a day in advance to cut down on work before dinner time. Store the chicken covered in the refrigerator. Allow them to come room temperature before to cooking.
Ingredients
- 6 scallions
- 3 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 4–6 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1–2 teaspoon sambal oelek
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Directions
Cut the greens from the white and light green parts of the scallions. Thinly slice the white and light green parts crosswise, then cut the greens lengthwise into 1‑inch strips. Set the scallions aside separately.
Combine the crosswise sliced green onions, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, ginger, and sambal oelek.
Lay the chicken thighs on a clean work surface, opening them up and laying them as flat as possible. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
Mound a few scallion strips in the center of each thigh, reserving about half the scallions for garnish. Fold the sides over to enclose the scallions and secure each with one or two toothpicks. Place the rolled thighs in a one-gallon ziplock bag and pour half the ginger-sesame soy mixture over the thighs to coat them well. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken at least one hour and up to twelve hours.
When ready to cook preheat the oven to 400°.
Arrange the stuffed chicken thighs seam-side down on a large, rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Place the cooked chicken on a serving platter and drizzle the remaining ginger-sesame soy sauce. Garnish with remaining scallion strips. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Had this fabulous dinner tonight-with-brown rice, roasted bok choy and pan fried pineapple. Happy. Thanks Greg.
What a beautiful memory and a lovely dish.
Yes, to this recipe.
Ginger, sesame, soy all my favorites.
I enjoy these flavors too, Greg. Evan especially loves food with an Asian flair. I’m sure this dish is packed with flavor and your pictures are gorgeous!
Oh I love that you got to have that experience with the potstickers. So cool! I also love that you call the dipping sauce a potion. Like it’s magical. 🙂 (And as always the recipe looks divine!)
You brought back a memory for me that has long been forgotten. We did not order out much (financial limitations) but we did get our fair share of takeout pamphlets delivered through the hole in the door (glad that door style went out). My dear Dad would grab one of these pamphlets and quiz the family during dinner: “Dinner for Five”, he would say, and we would have to guess what the price was! Silly, but the family loved this game and the crazy antics that went with it. Our table was always filled with laughter.
My Mom was always trying new cuisines and Chinese cuisine was one that she tried to replicated at home early on, because Chinese cuisine was one of the first exotic cuisines to hit Toronto; I’m sure she just wanted an excuse to buy a Wok! Her food was tasty but probably lacked the balance that your dish has. I think my Mom cooked Chinese for our Hungarian relatives during our first trip to Budapest in 1972! They were not impressed!
A friend gave me a recipe for a ginger, sesame and soy chicken she picked up from a Woman’s magazine but it was way too soy‑y so I am excited to try your recipe.
I love, love this recipe . I have never rolled and stuffed chicken thighs. I got to try it.
I like ginger, sesame, and soy chicken too! Learned some similar recipe from a Thai friend, but they also add a lot of lemongrass and chilli pepper, but of course no scallion. I can’t wait to try this recipe out!