This easy Sesame Chicken Recipe combines pieces of battered, crispy fried chicken with an eight-ingredient sesame sauce, which has sweet and salty flavors and just a hint of spice. It is so simple to prepare and tastes so much better than takeout.
Enjoy it garnished with thinly sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds. Serve this tasty protein-filled dish over quinoa or brown rice.
Sesame chicken is tender pieces of chicken dipped in eggs and cornstarch and fried crispy, then tossed in a sweet and salty sauce. Indulge in this mouthwatering homemade sesame chicken, which is easy to make and flavorful. Your taste buds will thank you.
Do you like Chinese? We love it. Most Asian dishes are easy to prepare once you learn just a few tricks to the trade. This Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe is one of my favorites and has incredible flavor. If you like this recipe, try my shrimp fried rice, chicken chow mein, and sweet and sour pork.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Chicken: boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Vegetable oil: or any oil that is good for frying with a neutral taste and a high smoking point, like canola oil or peanut oil
- Rice vinegar: apple cider vinegar and white wine vinegar are fairly good substitutes
- Sesame seeds: store them in the fridge for up to a year
- Sesame oil: also a key ingredient, will last in a cool, dark place for 8 months or in the fridge for up to 2 years
- Chili sauce: I use sambal oelek, which is ground fresh chili paste. You can find it in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Store in a fridge for up to 2 months and use it in bang bang shrimp and chicken lettuce wraps.
Preparation Tips
- This Sesame Chicken Recipe has a hint of spice, but the honey makes it very mellow. If in doubt, add the chili sauce very slowly and taste. Your taste buds will tell you when to stop.
- Take a few minutes and toast the sesame seeds. It is well worth the effort.
- You can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts. They are just as delicious.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be reheated on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sambal oelek is a fresh ground chili paste found in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. It is pretty spicy, but when paired with other ingredients like soy sauce, honey, and brown sugar, it tames it, and the overall taste is very flavorful and satisfying. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months or freeze in small containers for up to six months.
To freeze, cool it completely, store it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power. Again, the chicken will not stay crispy, but it will still have fantastic flavor.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this sesame chicken with brown or white rice or Chinese noodles like ramen. Sometimes, I include an appetizer like crab rangoon or Japanese dumplings or something lighter like Asian cucumber salad or Asian chopped salad.
Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite size pieces
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- vegetable oil or canola oil for frying
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce sambal oelek
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 green onions sliced thin
Instructions
- Beat the eggs, cornstarch, salt, and pepper together. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pot or Dutch Oven. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and crispy. Move to paper to towels to drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, add the sesame seeds and cook until lightly toasted, shaking the skillet several times. Remove the sesame seeds into a small bowl.
- In the same skillet, heat a little olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili sauce, honey, ketchup, and brown sugar. Mix the cornstarch with the water and whisk into the sauce mixture and cook until thickened.
- Add the cooked chicken to the skillet. Stir to combine with the sauce and garnish with the scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve promptly over rice or Chinese noodles.
Video
Notes
- Sambal oelek is a fresh ground chili paste found in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. It is pretty spicy, but when paired with other ingredients like soy sauce, honey, and brown sugar, it tames it, and the overall taste is very flavorful and satisfying. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months or freeze in small containers for up to six months.
- To freeze, cool it completely, store it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power. Again, the chicken will not stay crispy, but it will still have fantastic flavor.
- I like to serve this sesame chicken with brown or white rice or Chinese noodles like ramen. Sometimes, I include an appetizer like crab rangoon or Japanese dumplings or something lighter like Asian cucumber salad or Asian chopped salad.
Nutrition
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Amy Desrosiers
This recipe looks wicked delicious! It is exactly the kind of meal I order out when I head to the Asian eateries!
Heather
This looks like the dish my kids always get at the chinese restaurant near us. I am going to make it for them and surprise them!
Emmanuel Damian
Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe looks like will be a family favorite for me too. I hope I can cook it this weekend. Seems so tasty!
Lisa Favre
My husband loves Chinese cuisine. I’ll have to try out your recipe for sesame chicken and make it for him.
Beth Pierce
Awesome! I hope he likes it as much as we do!
Shahrom Martijn
This sesame chicken recipe looks delicious. I wish I have time to cook my own meals….been very busy lately.
Summer
Sesame Chicken is my favorite food! I absolutely love this recipe – I’m adding it to my meal plan!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Summer! I am so glad that you like it!!
Jaye Shields
Sesame chicken is one of my favorite things to make because it’s so easy to throw together. Yum! Great recipe!
Bill Sweeney
LOVE Chinese food! Sesame chicken happens to be one of my favorites. I look forward to making this!
Subhashish Roy
Sesame chicken is quite a favorite in our family & my wife makes it in her own style.Will ask her to check out & try your recipe.Looks nice & delicious.
Stacie
Yummo! I always order sesame chicken when we buy takeout. Now I can just make it for myself.
Tanya Geno
This would be so good with rice!! Will try this week for sure.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Tanya!
Marc0s Kwasniewski
YUm!
That is one of those handy recipes I will keep in my kitchen! Never thought of using sesame with the chicken.
Beth Pierce
Oh yes it is most delicious!!
Laraine
Delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thank you!
Anders W Berggren
Outstanding Beth!
We don’t have Sesame Chicken in Chinese restaurants in Sweden, but I eat it every time I’m in Sweden. My entire family went ballistic over the recipe, thanks!
Beth Pierce
So happy that they liked it! So are much too kind with your sweet comments!
Anders W Berggren
Outstanding Beth!
We don’t have it in the Chinese Restaurants in Sweden, but I eat it every time I’m in USA. My entire family went ballistic over this recipe!
Greetings from Sweden!
Cheryl Kohan
Sesame chicken has always been my favorite Chinese meal so I’m thrilled to find this recipe. It looks easy to prepare and I think I’ll take your suggestion to double the sauce. Also, being able to prepare it ahead of time and add the sauce before serving makes it perfect for entertaining. Thanks!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Cheryl. Sesame Chicken is one of my favorites too! So delicious!