Honey Sesame Chicken

This Sesame Chicken recipe is deliciously sticky, sweet and savory, healthier than deep fried, and on your table in just over 30 minutes!

Forget about take-out because this finger lickin’ Honey Sesame Chicken takes less time to make than running to your favorite restaurant – and it’s healthier and tastes even better! The crispy, juicy chicken is tossed in an outrageously delicious sticky, tangy, sweet, savory sauce that’s a little bit spicy and a whole lot of YUM punctuated by zesty ginger, punchy garlic and chili sauce.  Although Sesame Chicken is often deep fried to make it crispy, this recipe is cooked in minimal oil in a nonstick skillet but is still unbelievable crispy – winning!  You can stick with just the Sesame Chicken or add a medley of stir-fried veggies and homemade egg rolls to round out the meal.

We are huge fans of Chinese chicken copycat recipes around here – and so are our readers!  Don’t miss reader favorites including General Tso’s Chicken, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, Sweet Fire Chicken, Chicken Stir Fry and Kung Pao Chicken.

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER

 

WHAT IS SESAME CHICKEN?

If you’re unfamiliar with Sesame Chicken, it is an American-Chinese chicken dish that you won’t find it in China.  The chicken is traditionally breaded in egg and cornstarch, deep fried until crispy then enveloped in a sticky, rich reddish-brown soy based sauce that is tangy, sweet and savory.  It is named for the toasted sesame oil added to the sauce which infuses the dish with a toasted nutty flavor and aroma with a crowning garnish of sesame seeds. 

Sesame Chicken recipe ingredients

The recipe ingredient list may look lengthy, but you are just whisking the breading ingredients together and the sauce ingredients together which takes minutes. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need (full measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

THE CHICKEN

• Chicken:  1 ½ pounds chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces.  This might sound like a lot of chicken, but it goes down SO easily! You are welcome to use chicken thighs if you prefer.
• Flour:  Creates the base of the flavorful coating that insulates the chicken from high heat, ensuring every bite is juicy tender and forms a crispy, flavorful crust for the sauce to soak into.  I use all-purpose flour but I’m sure gluten free flour, almond flour, etc. would also work.
• Cornstarch:  Is combined with the flour to create the light breading. Cornstarch absorbs moisture and prevents gluten development, which makes the coating crispier.
• Egg:  Two eggs are combined with the chicken to create a glue to bind the chicken and breading together.
• Seasonings:  Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, paprika, and pepper are added to the cornstarch and flour to create a dynamically flavorful crust – you’ll be tempted to devour the chicken plain!
• Oil:  You need just a few tablespoons of oil to pan fry the chicken in.  You’ll need a neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil.

THE SESAME SAUCE

• Soy sauce: Grounds the sauce with its salty depth. Use low sodium so your recipe isn’t too salty.
• Oyster sauce:  I experimented with and without oyster sauce and this sticky chicken is 10X better with! Oyster sauce is the base of almost ever stir fry sauce and adds that extra punch of flavor that cannot be replicated with other ingredients/sauces.  Oyster sauce is a thick, brown sauce with a balance between sweet and salty with an earthy undertone, due to the oyster extracts.  You can find oyster sauce in the Asian aisle of any supermarket for only a few dollars.  Please use QUALITY oyster sauce such as Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman.  You truly can taste the difference and will be sorely disappointed with less quality brands.

What if I’m allergic to shellfish? Or vegetarian?  If you’re allergic to shellfish/vegetarian, use LEE KUM KEE Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce instead of oyster sauce.

• Honey and sugar:  Honey Sesame Chicken is a popular favorite because it beautifully balance the umami of the soy and oyster sauce. You may substitute with granulated sugar or honey.  Use more or less depending on how sweet you like your Sesame Chicken and how sweet your ketchup is.
• Asian sweet chili sauce: Is a secret ingredient I like to use instead of just adding additional sugar AKA it’s sugar with flavor.  It is made with red chilies, onion, garlic, brown sugar and fish sauce for a one stop complex flavor stop.  It can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store.  It is sometimes labeled “Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.” Please do not confuse it with Asian Chili sauce/paste without the “sweet” – or your mouth will be on fire! 
• Asian chili sauce:  Is needed to balance the sweetness of the honey and add a depth of flavor. So, if you feel like your sticky chicken is missing something, it is probably heat!  I recommend adding more to taste at the end of cooking if you would like it spicier.  I use Sambal Oelek with the green lid but you can also use your favorite chili sauce.
• Ketchup: Adds a rich tanginess but I promise it won’t make your Sesame Chicken taste like ketchup!
• Rice wine:  Adds a sweetness and depth of flavor.  I use “Kikkoman Aji-Mirin: Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning” which is commonly found in the Asian section of most grocery stores or you can Amazon it. I highly suggest you google image before you head off to the grocery store so you know exactly what you are looking for.  The best substitute for rice wine is pale dry sherry. Do NOT substitute rice wine with rice vinegar, they are NOT the same.  Rice vinegar will add an acidic flavor without the sweetness.
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken the sauce to a glossy, sticky consistency.
• Aromatics: Ginger, and garlic add warm spicy, almost peppery notes. If you’re looking to save time and skip some chopping, you can substitute fresh aromatics with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.

CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE GLUTEN FREE?

To make gluten free Sesame Chicken, use tamari instead of soy sauce and gluten free oyster sauce. You’ll also want to double check that your ketchup is gluten free.

How to Make Sesame Chicken

Now to the main event! This Sesame Chicken recipe is made in four easy steps: 1) bread the chicken, 2) cook the chicken, 3) simmer the sauce, 4) toss the chicken with the sauce.  Let’s take a closer look (full recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

• Step 1:  Bread the chicken.  This is the absolute quickest breaded chicken you will ever make!  First, combine the chopped chicken and eggs in a freezer bag and turn to coat.  Second, add the flour, cornstarch, and seasonings to a separate large freezer bag.  Remove chicken from the eggs, dab off any excess and add the chicken to the flour bag. Give it a good shake and all your chicken will be coated in minutes – without any gummy hands!

• Step 2:  Lightly pan fry the chicken.  Even though this method uses minimal oil, you will be amazed at how crispy it gets!  Simply heat some oil in a nonstick skillet, and work in two batches until the chicken is lightly browned.  Remove the chicken from the skillet so it’s ready for the sauce.

• Step 3:  Simmer the sauce. Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.  Add the sauce to the skillet and simmer until thick and sticky, this will just take a minute or so.

• Step 4:  Combine the chicken and the sauce. Add the chicken to the sesame sauce and turn until every nook and cranny is coated in the sticky, sweet-=tangy and spicy sauce. 

• Step 5: Dig in! Garnish with plenty of sesame seeds and green onions and serve over a bed of rice to soak up all that spectacular sauce.

Tips for making sesame chicken

This Honey Sesame Chicken is very simple to make, but there are some helpful tips and tricks for efficiency and flavor:

• Don’t chop the chicken too small.  The chicken should be chopped 1” thick, erroring on the side of larger.  Larger pieces are harder to overcook and dry out while the exterior gets nice and crispy.
• Remove excess egg.  It is important to remove excess egg so the flour breading bag doesn’t become a goopy mess. The quickest way I’ve found to do this is to plop the chicken on a wad of paper towels before adding the chicken to the flour mixture, this way you’re not dabbing individual pieces of chicken.  
• Thoroughly bread the chicken.   If you notice any of the chicken pieces aren’t fully coated as you remove them from the breading, just dunk them in the breading at the bottom of the bag, there should be plenty.
• Remove excess flour.  Give the chicken a good shake or place it in a strainer after dredging to help shake off any excess flour.  Some loose flour is inevitable but you want to avoid most of it because these flour specks aren’t rotated like the chicken, so they are likely to burn in the skillet.
• Use a nonstick skillet. The sauce is sticky and requires a nonstick skillet or it will glue to the bottom of your pan.  Additionally, the chicken is cooked in minimal oil which requires a nonstick skillet unless more oil is used, or it will also stick to the pan. This nonstick skillet is my all time favorite pan. I don’t use it in photos because it’s not as pretty as white but I use it in real life cooking everyday.
• Cook the chicken in batches. Give the chicken some space in the pan so the pieces have room to crisp up instead of steam.  
• Don’t overcook the chicken.  Overcooked chicken is dry chicken!  You might be surprised at just how quickly the chicken cooks, so check the smallest piece for doneness after 4 minutes then cook on as needed.
• Serve immediately. The chicken starts off crispy but will become softer the longer it sits and soaks up the glorious sauce. For the crispiest chicken, serve immediately or only add the chicken to the sauce when everyone is at the dinner table.

POSSIBLE RECIPE VARIATIONS:

If this Sesame Chicken recipe isn’t exactly how you want it, MAKE it how you want it!  It is easy to customize so many ways:

• Customize the sesame sauce: The sauce is perfect for us, but you may find you like it sweeter, tangier, or spicier.  Taste the sauce after it has simmered and the flavors have concentrated, then adjust it how you like.  Sweeten it up with sugar or add sweet heat with Asian Sweet Chili Sauce, make it tangier with rice vinegar or spicier with additional chili sauce. Just keep a note of your adjustments then whip out the perfect sesame sauce for next time.  
• Add stir fried vegetables:  There isn’t quite enough sauce to add the vegetables directly to the Honey Sesame Chicken, so you can serve them on the side, reduce the chicken, or increase the sauce. To increase the sauce, use the sliding scale next to the servings and increase the serving, this will proportionally increase the sauce ingredients (make sure to use the chicken measurements from before you increased the servings or it defeats the purpose). You can add whatever veggies you’d like based on what’s in your fridge, your favorites, what’s in season or what’s on sale.
• Other add-ins:  Pineapple, mandarin oranges, mangos, cashews, peanuts, chestnuts, sesame seeds, etc. would all be tasty.
• Gluten Free Sesame Chicken:  Use gluten free flour, gluten free soy sauce or tamari, gluten free oyster sauce nd double check that your Asian sweet chili sauce and ketchup are gluten free.
• Spicy Sesame Chicken:  Add up to 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• Crispy Deep Fried Sesame Chicken: Add enough vegetable oil to a Dutch oven or frying pan so it reaches 1-inch up the sides.  Heat the oil to medium-high heat, between 350- and 375-degrees F.  Once very hot, add the chicken in batches and cook until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
• Lightly Dredged Sesame Chicken:  You can skip the egg and cornstarch and simply toss the chicken in the flour and seasonings for a light coating. It won’t get as crispy but it will help seal in juices, create a crust of flavor and give the sauce something to cling to.  
• Stir Fried Sesame Chicken:  I highly recommend “velveting” the chicken if stir frying to create extra juicy, tender “velvety” chicken.  Skip the breading and instead toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a large freezer bag or bowl. Let the chicken rest for 15-30 minutes (no more or it can become mushy) before stir frying in a nonstick skillet.
• Baked Sesame Chicken:  Swap the cornstarch with an equal amount of flour in the breading for a total of ¾ cup flour. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup.  Let the baking sheet preheat in the oven so it’s nice and hot before adding the chicken.  Carefully line the chicken in an even layer on the hot baking sheet and spray generously with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes then move the baking sheet about 8″ away from broiler and broil until crispy, watching closely so the chicken doesn’t burn (about 2-4 minutes). Flip chicken pieces over and broil another 2-3 minutes, or until crispy if desired.

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH sesame CHICKEN?

This sticky Sesame Chicken is dripping with flavor so it pairs well with neutral sides such as:

• Rice: I like jasmine rice or brown rice but any rice will work.  Just pop the rice in your rice cooker for a hand’s off, easy side. You can also use microwave rice pouches if you’re making a single serving. 
• Low carb:  Cauliflower rice, quinoa, broccoli rice or a blend of brown rice and any of the aforementioned options.   You can also use low carb noodles such as zoodles or spaghetti squash.
• Noodles:  Ramen, soba noodles, rice noodles or even linguine are a fun way to mix things up.
• Vegetables: Stir fry vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, carrots, bell peppers, snap peas, mushrooms, etc. to serve on the side. I suggest stir frying the vegetables in the empty skillet for just 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender after you cook the chicken so it can soak up the drippings. 
• Appetizers:  For a complete Asian feast, pair your sticky chicken wit  Pineapple Cream Cheese Wontons,  Crab Rangoons, Potstickers, and/or Egg Rolls
• Salad: Some of our favorite Asian inspired salads include Ramen Salad, Crunchy Asian Salad, Chinese Salad, and Asian Pineapple Salad.
• Soups: Asian soups make a fantastic starter such as Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup or Miso Soup.

PREP AHEAD sesame CHICKEN

Even though this Sesame Chicken recipe is easy to make, you can still prepare it in stages if that works best for you:

• The sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together but do not simmer/thicken. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
• The chicken: Chop the chicken and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• Breading:  Whisk the flour breading ingredients together in a Ziploc freezer bag.  You can store the breading for weeks or proceed to dredge chicken then refrigerate.
• Dredge chicken:  Prepare chicken through dredging, then transfer it to a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer. Cover the chicken tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking.  

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT

This Sesame Chicken is best served fresh because it is at peak crispiness, sauciness and juiciness.  For leftovers:

• How to store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Reheating in microwave:  Take care not to overcook the chicken or it can become rubbery in the microwave.  Microwave for one minute then at 20 second intervals until warmed through.  
• How to reheat on the stove:  Leftovers are best reheated on the stove, even if they are small portions.  To reheat, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat.  Once hot, add the chicken, stirring occasionally until warmed through. 

CAN I FREEZE SESAME CHICKEN?

If you are making this recipe specifically to freeze, then I recommend freezing the chicken and sauce separately. 

TO FREEZE CHICKEN WITHOUT SAUCE:

1. Cook chicken according to directions then let cool to room temperature.
2. Space chicken apart on a baking sheet then transfer to the freezer.  Flash freeze for 1-2 hours or until the chicken is solid. This prevents the chicken from clumping together.
3. Add chicken to a freezer size bag, squeeze out excess air and label. Add the sesame sauce to a separate freezer safe, airtight container.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.
5. When ready to use, thaw chicken and sauce in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in a nonstick skillet.

TO FREEZE CHICKEN IN SESAME SAUCE:

1. Let the dish cool completely.
2. Transfer to a large freezer size bag or divide the dish into smaller bags or airtight container(s).
3. Press air out of the freezer bag, seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
4. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator.
5. Heat on the stove in a nonstick skillet until warmed through, adding a drizzle of water if needed to thin the sauce.

Sesame Chicken Faqs