Little bites of crispy golden sesame chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce can be on your dinner table in under an hour. It’s better than takeout. Serve with rice and veggies!
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Crispy Sesame Chicken
If you’ve been around for a while you might have noticed I’m a big fan of making homemade versions of everyone’s Chinese take-out, favorites! General Tso’s chicken, honey sesame chicken and sweet and sour chicken to name just a few.
This sesame chicken recipe has been on rotation a lot lately, because who doesn’t love crispy chicken bites coated in a bold sweet and spicy sauce garnished with nutty sesame seeds?! Serve it over rice for a takeout-inspired dish ready in just 40 minutes!
Why I Love This Recipe
- The combination of sweet, savory, nutty, and spicy notes packs a ton of flavor in each little chicken bite.
- An easy sesame chicken recipe is great to have when takeout is not an option.
Sesame Chicken Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch or bite-sized pieces.
- For the coating: You’ll need salt, black pepper, eggs, flour, and cornstarch. Together, these make a light, airy, and crispy coating for the chicken.
- Oil for frying: Vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, or avocado oil are all great choices.
- For the sauce: Soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic powder, and red pepper or chili flakes.
How to Make Sesame Chicken
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Make a dredging station with a bowl for the whisked eggs and another one for the flour and cornstarch.
- Dip each piece into the egg mixture and then dip it into the flour mixture. Make sure it’s completely coated. Repeat until all chicken has a coating.
- In a deep pan, heat about 3 inches of oil to 350° F. Deep fry 7-8 pieces of chicken at a time for about 5 minutes until crispy and golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and continue cooking the rest.
- Simmer sauce ingredients in a large saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Add the crispy chicken to the pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.
Tips and Variations
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs if preferred.
- Oil needs to be hot before adding chicken. Otherwise, coating will absorb too much oil as it waits to heat up.
- Do not overcrowd the pan. This will cause a decrease in oil temperature, resulting in a soggier coating.
- If you would rather avoid any spice, omit the red chili or red pepper flakes.
- To make it even spicier, increase the amount.
- For extra nuttiness, toast the sesame seeds in a skillet beforehand.
- To keep things a bit lighter without the crispy coating and oil, make this slow cooker honey garlic chicken instead.
Serving Suggestions
Sesame chicken is just as great over white rice as it is fried rice or even quinoa. A side of steamed vegetables or sheet pan veggies is a great way to round out the meal.
If you have a little extra time, whip up some egg rolls or cream cheese wonton to complete the entire Chinese takeout experience!
More Asian inspired recipes to try include cashew chicken, PF Chang’s lettuce wraps or chicken chow mein.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Sesame Chicken
Video
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 eggs , beaten
- salt and pepper , to taste
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- oil , for frying
Sauce: (Note: double sauce for extra saucy)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 3 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch red pepper or chili flakes
For serving:
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seed
- sliced green onions
Instructions
Chicken:
- Prepare chicken: Salt and pepper chicken, to taste. Add 2 eggs, and more salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate shallow bowl or plate, add the 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup cornstarch. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, then dip into the flour mixture and coat completely. Repeat with all the chicken pieces.
- Cook chicken in oil: Heat oil 3 inches deep in a pan to 350° F. Add 7-8 pieces of chicken into the oil. Cook for 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Repeat the cooking with the remaining chicken.
- Drain Chicken: Drain cooked chicken on a paper towel.
Sauce:
- Prepare sauce: While the chicken is cooking, in a large saucepan combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons honey, 3 Tablespoons ketchup, 1 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Combine the chicken with the sauce: Add the crispy chicken to the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can; however, a wok and a frying pan are not interchangeable without making a few tweaks to the recipe. You need less oil, you can fit more in at a time, and you need to constantly be stirring. If you own a wok and know how to use it, go for it.
Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead of time, and then use it when you’re ready to cook your chicken.
As for the chicken, the longer it sits, the soggier it gets, so I don’t recommend making it in advance.
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I absolutley love Asian inspired cuisine. This dish came together so quickly….easier than getting takeout! Will definitely be making again!
So glad you enjoyed the sesame chicken!