The house signature
Sesame chicken, made to order since 1999.
It's what most people order the first time, and what they come back for. Breaded chicken breast fried crisp, tossed in our house sauce with broccoli, sesame seeds over the top. We start it when you call. Same recipe for 27 years.
How spicy is it?
Most sesame chicken is just sweet. Ours has a little heat behind the sweetness, enough that you'll notice it and not enough to be a problem. That's why it carries the pepper marker on our menu, one of 71 dishes that do. If you want it milder or hotter, tell us when you order and we'll cook it that way.
Three ways to order it
It's on the menu in three places at three prices. The lunch special is the cheapest way to try it.
- Lunch special #16 $8.65 Served with onion fried rice, plus your choice of free Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup, an egg roll, or a soda. Please order by number.
- Combination platter #16 $10.75 Served with pork fried rice & an egg roll. Please order by number.
- Chef special H1 $13.15 Served with rice, and with broccoli.
Lunch specials run 11:00 AM–3:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday (Sunday from 12:00 PM). Prices can change; the full menu is what we go by.
Sesame chicken, General Tso's, or tangerine?
We get asked this more than anything else. All three start the same way: the same breaded chicken breast in the same base sauce. What changes is what goes in the pan. Sesame chicken comes with broccoli and sesame seeds over the top.
The full side-by-side lives on the General Tso's Chicken page. Tangerine chicken, the one people usually mean by orange chicken, has its own page too: Tangerine Chicken. Sesame and General Tso's are the same price at every size; tangerine is a chef special only.
How we make it
There's not much to it. Most of the difference is timing.
We cut and bread the chicken breast ourselves instead of buying it pre-coated. It's fried once to cook through, rested, then fried again to crisp the outside. That second fry is why the coating is still crisp when you get home.
Then it goes in the wok with the sauce and broccoli, tossed just long enough to coat, and finished with sesame seeds. Any longer and the coating softens, so that part happens fast.
It's boxed right away and it's best eaten soon after, which is why we don't hold trays of it.
Making it at home
People ask, so here's roughly how it goes. It won't come out quite like ours; a home range can't get as hot as a wok burner, and that heat does a lot of the work. It'll still be good.
- Cut and bread the chicken. Bite-size pieces of breast, dredged so each one is evenly coated. Let them sit a few minutes before they go near oil.
- Make the sauce. Soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, a few dried red chilis and a little ketchup. Whisk in cornstarch. That's what makes it glossy and cling to the chicken instead of running to the bottom of the box.
- Fry once. Moderate heat, just until cooked through. Lift the pieces out and let them rest. Don't skip the resting.
- Fry again, hotter and shorter. This is the step most people skip at home, and it's the one that makes the coating crisp.
- Sauce and vegetables, fast. Get the pan hot, add the sauce, let it thicken a few seconds, then add the chicken and broccoli. Toss only long enough to coat.
- Sesame seeds over the top. Eat it right away. It doesn't hold well, which is why we cook it to order.
Or skip all of that and call us at (518) 271-9034 lol.
Where it comes from
Sesame chicken isn't a dish from China. Like General Tso's, it was invented in American Chinese restaurants. We've been cooking our version in Hilltop Plaza for 27 years, and it's what people come back for.
Common questions
Is the Sesame Chicken at Golden House spicy?
It has a little heat behind the sweetness, enough to notice and not enough to be a problem. It carries the pepper marker on our menu, as 71 of our dishes do. We can cook it milder or hotter if you say so when you order.
What is the difference between Sesame Chicken and General Tso's Chicken?
At Golden House they use the same breaded chicken breast, the same house sauce and the same price at every size. Sesame chicken comes with broccoli and sesame seeds on top. General Tso's comes with broccoli, green pepper and carrots, and no sesame seeds.
What is the difference between Sesame Chicken and orange chicken?
The dish most people mean by orange chicken is on our menu as Tangerine Chicken, number H5. It uses the same breaded chicken breast and the same base sauce as Sesame Chicken, with marinated orange peel instead of sesame seeds, and broccoli as the only vegetable. It is $13.15 as a chef special.
How much is Sesame Chicken at Golden House?
Three ways: the lunch special is $8.65, the combination platter is $10.75, and the chef special is $13.15. Lunch specials are served 11:00 AM–3:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday (Sunday from 12:00 PM).
How is Golden House Sesame Chicken cooked?
The chicken breast is cut and breaded in our kitchen, fried once to cook through, rested, then fried again to crisp the coating. It goes into the wok with the house sauce and broccoli, and it is boxed straight away. We start it when your order comes in.
More about hours, delivery and allergies on the FAQ page.
How to order
Call and we'll have it ready. We're open Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 AM–10:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM–10:00 PM. Most people pick up, and there's free parking right out front in Hilltop Plaza. We also deliver to Watervliet, Latham, Green Island between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM, with a $18 minimum and a $2 fee.