Sesame Chicken
This quick and easy Sesame Chicken recipe is even better than take-out! Tender bites of chicken breasts are tossed in seasoned cornstarch and flour before being cooked in hot oil. The best part of all, of course, is the homemade sauce it’s tossed in that’s deliciously sweet and tangy!
Sesame Chicken
I’m such a take-out lover. Well, at least I used to be! Now that I’ve mastered most of my favorite take-out orders at home, I seldom ever order from my local Chinese place anymore. Honestly, it’s just cheaper, tastier, and even quicker to make my favorite recipes at home! And yes, I do mean quicker. Have you ever ordered take-out and had to wait forever? No thank you!
Sesame chicken is a Chinese-American staple that’s been popular here in the states for years. This recipe is honestly better than any take-out sesame chicken I’ve ever had! It features white meat chicken that’s dredged in a seasoned flour/cornstarch mixture before being fried to perfection. Then, it’s tossed in the very best sweet and tangy sauce that you might just want to eat with a spoon.
The sauce features bold ingredients like honey, soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar and more. All of the sweet, salty, and tangy ingredients balance each other out in the very best way to compliment the seasoned chicken. And the consistency is so thick! It really coats each piece of fried chicken perfectly. Be sure to serve your chicken over rice so none of that sauce goes to waste, of course.
How to Make Sesame Chicken
This easy sesame chicken recipe comes together in no time! For the full list of ingredients and more exact step by step instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page.
- Prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and cut it into bite sized pieces. Create the coating by mixing together the cornstarch and seasonings in a bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
- Fry the chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to it (you will need to work in batches) and fry until fully cooked and golden brown on all sides.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisin, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch in a bowl. Then, heat olive oil in another skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Lower the heat to low, stir in the sauce mixture, and cook for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Toss it all together. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce pan and toss to fully coat it. Garnish with some sesame seeds and green onions, and enjoy!
How To Store Leftovers
Let the sesame chicken fully cool to room temperature prior to storing in the fridge or freezing for later. In an airtight container in the fridge, it’ll keep for up to 2-3 days. I recommend reheating it in the air fryer or oven until warmed through. You can use the microwave of course, the texture just will be a little different.
In an airtight, freezer safe container, sesame chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Sesame chicken and jasmine rice always go together perfectly! I also like to toss on some sesame seeds and chopped green onions to garnish my plate. If you really want to get the full take-out experience, consider making egg drop soup or crab rangoon dip.
More of my favorite take-out inspired recipes!
- Bourbon Chicken
- Easy Hunan Shrimp
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Beef Stir Fry with Rice Noodles
- Pineapple Chicken
- Mongolian Chicken
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Get the Recipe: Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1 inch pieced
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Green onions, sliced for garnish
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a plate and pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- While the oil is heating, dredge half the chicken in the flour mixture and then add to the pan with the oil.
- Cook the chicken until golden brown on all sides, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Remove to a clean plate or platter and repeat with the remaining chicken. (It’s important to do this in batches so the chicken gets golden brown instead of crowding the pan which will steam the chicken.)
- While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisin, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Turn the to low and stir in the sauce mixture. Simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes or until beginning to thicken.
- Add the chicken to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.
- Garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions.