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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Risa Lopez
I love your recipe! The food was so yummy and flavorful. I’m saving your recipe so I can make it on weekends. Thank you.
Tammy
This looks SO good! I love takeout made at home…looks delish. I’m craving now and will probably be making this fo the family over the weekend.
Natalie
I do like it when meals are on the saucier side! I know my family would really enjoy this at dinner time.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Natalie! Enjoy!!
Samantha Donnelly
We eat a lot of chicken, and it gets boring sometimes doing the same meals, this was really tasty. I will make it again.
Stephanie
I love sesame chicken but hadn’t made it at home before. I lowered the amount of chili sauce a bit just because my boys and I don’t like it, so we really enjoyed this one.
Beth Pierce
Awesome! Glad that you and your boys liked it!
Mosaic Borders
Sesame chicken is my absolute favorite. I can’t wait to make your recipe, can’t wait. Thank you so much.
Talya Stone
Oh my this looks so good! Definitely going to try this one out. Do you think I could substitute the honey with fibre syrup?
Beth Pierce
I am not sure as I am not familiar with fibre syrup. Maybe one of the readers will have some perspective.
Savita
The sauce was so delicious and chicken too. Perfect weeknight easy chicken dinner for my family. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Kali Alexandria
My favorite way to make chicken. Try this recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kali! So glad that you like it!
Andrea
Sesame chicken is my go to take out food. With this amazing recipe, I don’t have to bother with take out anymore. It’s a simple recipe and the sesame chicken looks marvelous!
Dannii
What a delicious way to cook with chicken. It was so simple to make too. Next time I am going to add a little steamed broccoli. It is going to be so yummy.
Jen
This was easier to make than I expected and it really does satisfy a craving for take-out!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Jen! So glad that you enjoyed it!
IceCreamnStickyFingers
Yum. I love this sesame chicken. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again soon. Thank you for sharing.
Kathy
This recipe is amazing. Sesame chicken is a favorite of mine. I will make this again and again.
Katie C
Wow – this dish looks amazing. I don’t have chili sauce but am going to pick some up this weekend so I can make this next week. Do you have a favorite brand?
Beth Pierce
This is the link for the chili sauce.
Gervin Khan
This recipe was so delicious and yummy. This was so much better than takeout! Thanks for the great recipe.