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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Trang
I love the sweet and tangy contrasts of flavors! And it definitely is easier and just as tasty pan searing the chicken vs frying. Yummy!
Betsy
Fantastic! My kids absolutely love this dish! Sweet, but not too sweet, tangy…and perfect with their favorite bacon fried rice! So good.
Janice
This Sesame chicken was so good! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce since I’m allergic to it. I also do not like honey so I added a Tablespoon of brown sugar to mask some of the honey taste. Left out the chili sauce since I do not like any heat at all. It was still great and tasted like the Sesame chicken that I use to get many years ago at our favorite Chinese restaurant.
Beth Pierce
Awesome! I am so glad that you were able to adapt the recipe to your needs and wants.
Beth Pierce
Do you have any champagne vinegar? White wine vinegar? Maybe even red wine vinegar would work.
Lynda Pineau-Volochkov
Thanks for the info. I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe. Off topic but I have to tell you that I have made a few of your other recipes and they have all gone in to my keeper file. Keep the recipes coming …lol
Lily
This was such an awesome dinner recipe, I love how easy it was to make and it tastes incredible. This recipe had the perfect amount of sauce!!
Reyna
This is absolutely delicious! My boys ,13 and 9, love sesame chicken and they ate this up. I have tried many recipes that never came out anywhere near good as this! Thank you!!
Beth Pierce
Wow! You made my day! So glad that you liked it! I need to make this again for dinner soon!
Ashley F.
The flavor of the chicken is amazing! Super simple to make too!
Valentina
This is the PERFECT dinner for the whole family! The chicken is so good and tender!
Deb
This was so good and quick. My 9-year old son took the lead on this recipe. It’s so fun that he is getting into cooking. He oohed and aahed over all the ingredients – everything smelled so good. It tasted amazing with a side of brown rice and broccoli. Everyone had seconds!!
Beth Pierce
That is great! I love to hear about young people learning to cook. I find cooking so therapeutic! So glad that everyone liked the chicken.
Sam
Does the chili sauce make this recipe spicy hot, and would it ruin the flavor by eliminating or decreasing the chili sauce?
Beth Pierce
No I do not think it is spicy hot. Yes you could make it without the chili sauce (or maybe just a tad of it) and I think it would still be delicious.
Courtney
O my yum!!! I just love making homemade Chinese food!!! So yummy. Definitely giving your recipe a try:)
Jasmine Hewitt
i’ve been looking for a good sesame chicken recipe to try. i’ve never made it myself
Eloise
I love me some sesame chicken, YUM!
I’ve never attempted to make it myself, but I will now!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Eloise! It is super easy and you will love it!
Emmy
Chinese takeout is one of my guilty pleasures, but I love when I can recreate it at home. It’s also much healthier when it’s homemade. I have done a tofu and cauliflower version of this, so vegetarians can still follow this recipe without the chicken!
Kalyan Panja
Nice reading about this delicious looking recipe. I would love to prepare it.
Kara
I love seasame chicken but have never tried to make it myself. Thank you for this, will give it a try