• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

Join my free recipe email club!
Free eBook
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
    • The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals
    • 30-Minute One-Pot Meals
  • ABOUT JO
  • Contact
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Instant Pot
  • Slow Cooker
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • One Pot
  • Desserts
Home / Recipes
40 minutes
4.75 from 4 votes
4 Comments

Shanghai Chicken

Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
  • 26
by: Joanna Cismaru

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This recipe for Shanghai Chicken is simple and delicious. Serve with sweet chili sauce for extra flavor. 

Shanghai Chicken being dipped in a sweet chili sauce using chopsticks

Today I learned a new term used in the cooking world. As you guys may know, if you’ve read my profile page, I’m not a chef or I have not been trained as one. Everything I do, I learned on my own, or any of my traditional Romanian recipes, I’ve learned from my mother. However, I love the food network channel, and that is pretty much all I ever watch on TV. So last night I was watching a show which I think it’s called America’s worst cook, and one of the chefs on there was teaching the competitors about mise on place. Now, not having any professional culinary training I did not know about this. So having learned about it, I was so proud so I run to my husband to tell him all about it but first I wanted to see if he knew what it was. Well, to my surprise he did. I think it’s just because he knows a little french so he beat me to it. Oh well, for the rest of you who do not know what mise on place is, here is the Wikipedia explanation of it:

Mise en place (pronounced [miz en plas], literally “putting in place”) is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as “everything in place”, as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare during his/her shift.

Normally when I cook, I always like to get all my ingredients organized anyway, so apparently I have been practicing mise en place all along just didn’t know about it.

Now this chicken recipe was my husband’s idea, so I give him all the credit for it. Sometimes he has great ideas, so I have to give him credit for them, and I have to admit, this chicken was very good. Apparently this is something he ate a lot of back home in Romania and wanted to duplicate the recipe, because it was one of his favorite. To make this fried chicken taste even better, serve it with some sweet chili sauce and you’ve got yourself an awesome meal.

Shanghai Chicken with a side of sweet chili sauce.

I know it’s fried chicken, but I did calculate the weight watchers points for it and it worked out to 11 points per serving not including the sweet chili sauce, so all in all not too bad. It really is worth it. It was also pretty quick to make, really the hardest thing is to fry the chicken.

First of all, I used 6 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, which I cut into longer strips.

Chicken breast cut into strips

 Now as I’m cooking and slaving away in the kitchen, my dear dog is in the family room, snoring up a storm on the sofa, exposing all of herself for everyone to see.

A dog rolled on to it's back

To be a beagle, what I wouldn’t give to have that life. 🙂 She is the cutest though.

Back to cooking here, this is a recipe blog after all. 🙂 In a medium size bowl, add all the ingredients together for the batter, the eggs, the soy sauce, cornstarch, flour, dill, mustard, and salt and pepper.

Bowl of eggs, soy sauce, cornstarch, flour, dill, mustard, and salt and pepper.

Whisk everything together to make a nice batter.

Batter in a bowl

In another bowl, dump about a cup of sesame seeds. In a nonstick pan add a little bit of oil. I know we’re frying these, but we don’t have to use lots of oil, so I added about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to the pan, which I probably ended up using half of it by the time all the chicken was done. Heat up the oil. Take the chicken strips and dip them in the batter, making sure they are fully coated, then sprinkle some sesame seeds over each piece, you could dip the chicken in the sesame seeds, but you might run out of sesame seeds soon. Fry each piece until it’s done and fully cooked, turning it over on the other side, making sure it’s nice and golden all around. Place them over a plate with paper towels, to soak up some of the oil. Repeat until all the chicken is fried.

Shanghai Chicken on a plate with a side of sweet chili sauce

As I’ve said, serve this chicken with some sweet chili sauce and enjoy. Now if you ask me where did the name Shanghai chicken come from, well that’s what my husband said this chicken is called, so that’s what I’m naming it. I hope you try it and like it. 🙂

Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

a chopstick dipping a piece of shanghai chicken in sauce

Shanghai Chicken

4.75 from 4 votes
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 6
Print Pin Rate
This recipe for Shanghai Chicken is simple and delicious. Serve with sweet chili sauce for extra flavor. 

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
  • 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
  • sweet chili sauce optional
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Wash the chicken and cut the breasts into long strips.
  • In a medium bowl add the soy sauce, eggs, mustard, flour, cornstarch, dill, salt and pepper and whisk everything well.
  • In another bowl add the sesame seeds.
  • In a nonstick pan heat up the vegetable oil over medium heat.
  • Dip the chicken strips into the batter and then sprinkle or dip the chicken in the sesame seeds. Fry on both sides until the chicken is golden brown. Make sure the heat is on medium, so that you don’t burn the chicken and to make sure you cook the chicken well.
  • Repeat with all the chicken.
  • Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Recipe Notes

  1. 11 weight watchers points per serving

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 356kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 31g (62%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Cholesterol: 154mg (51%)Sodium: 755mg (33%)Potassium: 557mg (16%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 304IU (6%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 150mg (15%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Course:Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine:Asian
Keyword:shanghai chicken
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 26

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

30 recipes from around the world cover.

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

unbaked egg in a basket topped with shredded asiago
Previous Post
Baked Eggs in a Basket with Asiago Cheese
a dish of bread pudding made with raisin bread
Next Post
Bread Pudding with Raisin Bread

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rate Recipe Cancel reply

Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Veronika says

    November 9, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    Oh my god! Saw this, and realised that I needed it and I didn’t even know I did! I’d just bought a bag of sesame seeds a few weeks ago, without truly realising what I wanted them for, and now I know it was premonition. I will make these!

    My mouth waters just looking at them!

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 9, 2011 at 6:05 pm

      Lol, you crack me up. Hope you like them. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Mihaela says

    November 9, 2011 at 4:32 am

    Jo, I knew about “Mise en place” (I learned it on food network too:)) but I don’t do it all the time, specially when I make a Romanian dish and I don’t follow a recipe. Your dog is so sweet, that’s how my cat lays sometimes, when he knows I’m going to be in the kitchen for a while 🙂

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 9, 2011 at 4:46 am

      Hi Mihaela,
      I agree with you, sometimes it’s nice though to get all your ingredients ready, especially if you’re baking. Anyway, I just went to your blog and saw your video for making macarons. I can’t wait to see your pictures of the finished ones. I have to admit I never tried making them, mostly because I’m scared. 🙂 Good job!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Joanna Cismaru

Hey there!

I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More…
cover for the big book of jo's quick and easy meals.

My Cookbook

Order Now: Amazon | Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe and get a FREE dinner recipes ebook!

Sign me up

Dinner Favorites

black pepper chicken on a bed of rice on a black plate.

Black Pepper Chicken

a slice of pastitsio on a black plate.

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

side view shot of a piece of eggplant parmesan with marinara sauce in a white plate garnished with parsley and a piece cut out and held by a fork

Eggplant Parmesan

side view shot chicken souvlaki skewers with a little tzatziki on a plate

Chicken Souvlaki

yakisoba noodles with chicken and vegetables in a large serving platter.

Yakisoba

pouring lemon sauce over fried chicken.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

a chicken gyro wrapped in paper and topped with lots of tzatziki sauce with another gyro in the background

Chicken Gyros

homemade hamburger helper lasagna from scratch in a skillet.

One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna

Air Fryer Recipes

a roasted chicken on a serving platter along some roasted root veggies.

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

apple pie bombs on a white plate with the top one cut in half.

Air Fryer Apple Pie Bombs

3 cooked chicken breasts on a cutting board.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

air fried chicken drumsticks in a basket of an air fryer.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

cooked chicken thighs in the basket of an air fryer.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

eggs inside an air fryer basket.

Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

lobster tails on a white serving platter.

Air Fryer Lobster Tails

hands pulling apart a mozzarella stick with the rest in the background

Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

freshly made bread in air fryer on a cutting board cut into slices.

Air Fryer No Knead Bread

bacon wrapped water chestnuts on a white serving platter.

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Jo Cooks...

Flavors from around the world

No matter what household we have all grown up in, there is something that has brought us all together here and that is a love and appreciation of food. Food that is from cultures and cuisines across the world has always been a staple of the blog. I'm excited to bring you all a taste of each corner of the earth, every last bite seasoned to perfection and served up with love - from my kitchen to yours.
lemon chicken made in the air fryer in a blue bowl.

Asian

overhead shot of a spoon taking a bite of italian meatball soup

Italian

freshly made pozole rojo in a dutch oven.

Mexican

mititei on a plate with mustard and french fries.

Romanian

a stack of roti wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.

Indian

freshly made hummus drizzled with olive oil and garnished with tomatoes cucumbers and olives.

Middle Eastern

Trending Now

overhead shot of oven baked chicken breasts in a baking dish

Baked Chicken Breast

overhead shot of oven baked chicken thighs in a pan

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

roast chicken with roast potatoes on a roaster.

Roast Chicken

a prime rib roast sliced on a plate

Prime Rib Roast

Browse All
  • Easy Dinners
  • Instant Pot
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Chicken Recipes
  • Desserts
  • Recipe Index

Featured On

today logo.
huffpost logo.
the washington post logo.
jezebel logo.
countryliving logo.
good housekeeping logo.
lifehack logo.
buzzfeed logo.
mashable logo.
woman's day logo.
health logo.
better homes & gardens logo.
delish logo.
healthline logo.
nbc news logo.
blogloving logo.
university of washington logo.
shape logo.
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
  • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
  • About Jo
  • Contact
  • visit my other site: Craving Home Cooked
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2022 · All Rights Reserved · Back to Top
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe and get a free dinner recipes ebook!