Sesame Chicken is a sweet, savory, and crispy chicken dinner that tastes like a takeout favorite made right at home. Bite-size pieces of chicken are marinated, coated in a simple flour and cornstarch mixture, fried until golden, then tossed in a sticky sesame sauce.
We love serving this over Fried Rice with steamed broccoli, green beans, or our favorite Asian-inspired sides for an easy family dinner. The sauce is made with honey, oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and sesame seeds, giving every bite the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor.
We’ve tested it to make sure the chicken stays crispy while the homemade sauce is rich, glossy, and full of flavor, making it a go-to meal for busy weeknights.
If you enjoy homemade takeout, be sure to try Teriyaki Chicken, Orange Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Fried Rice for more family favorites.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Better Than Takeout: Like many Asian-American dishes, the sauce is sweet, salty, and very flavorful, and we love to serve it with cauliflower rice or fried rice.
- Simple: It tastes amazing and is simple to make.
- Sticky Homemade Sauce: Honey, sweet chili sauce, and soy sauce create the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
- Cornstarch and Flour Create Crispiness: The coating fries up light, golden, and crunchy.
Sesame Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken breasts (4 chicken breasts cubed): Provides lean, tender bites that cook quickly and become crispy on the outside.
- Lower sodium soy sauce (2 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce): Seasons the chicken while adding savory umami flavor. We prefer lower sodium soy sauce to better control the saltiness.
- Rice vinegar (2 tablespoons rice vinegar): Adds a little tang that balances the sweetness of the sauce.
- Sesame seed oil (1 tablespoon sesame seed oil): Gives the chicken its signature nutty sesame flavor. Toasted sesame oil works best.
- Sugar (2 teaspoons sugar): Adds a touch of sweetness to the marinade and helps balance the soy sauce.
- Cornstarch (3 tablespoons cornstarch): Creates a light, crispy coating that stays crunchy after the sauce is added.
- All-purpose flour (6 tablespoons all-purpose flour): Works with the cornstarch to create a golden, crisp exterior.
- Salt (1 teaspoon salt): Enhances the flavor of the coating.
- Pepper (½ teaspoon pepper): Adds mild seasoning and balances the sweetness.
- Vegetable oil (vegetable oil for cooking): Fries the chicken until golden and crispy. Canola or peanut oil also work well.
Sauce
- Honey (2 tablespoons honey): Sweetens the sauce while helping create its sticky texture.
- Oyster sauce (2 tablespoons oyster sauce): Adds rich, savory depth and authentic flavor.
- Sweet chili sauce (2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce): Brings sweetness with just a little heat.
- Ketchup (4 tablespoons ketchup): Adds sweetness, tanginess, and helps create the sauce’s glossy consistency.
- Lower sodium soy sauce (4 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce): Adds savory flavor and balances the sweeter ingredients.
- Water (½ cup water): Thins the sauce so it coats the chicken evenly.
- Toasted sesame seeds (sesame seeds toasted): Adds crunch, nutty flavor, and the classic finishing touch.
How to Make Sesame Chicken
CHICKEN. Cut your chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Put chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in a bag and marinate for 1-2 hours then drain the chicken.
PREP. Add vegetable oil to a shallow pan on medium heat. Mix cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a large Ziploc bag.
FRY. In 3 batches, add chicken to the flour mixture, shake gently to coat (dredge), and then toss in your frying pan until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
SAUCE. Mix honey, oyster sauce, chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
COMBINE + SERVE! Pour sauce over chicken pieces and toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Cut the chicken into similar-size pieces so it cooks evenly.
- Marinate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours for the best flavor.
- Drain the chicken before coating so the flour mixture sticks without getting gummy.
- Fry in batches so the chicken browns instead of steaming.
- Make-ahead tip: mix the sauce ingredients ahead of time and refrigerate, then cook the chicken fresh for the crispiest texture.
Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cubed
- 2 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- vegetable oil for cooking
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.
- Put chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in a bag and marinate for 1-2 hours then drain chicken.
- Add 1-2 inches of vegetables oil to a shallow pan on medium heat.
- Mix cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag.
- In 3 batches, add chicken to flour mixture, shake gently to coat, and then toss in your frying pan until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Sauce
- Mix honey, oyster sauce, chili sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and water in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil then simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
- Pour sauce over chicken pieces and toss.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
- Fry the chicken in batches so the oil stays hot and the coating becomes crispy instead of soggy.
- Drain the marinated chicken well before coating it to help the breading stick.
- Toss the chicken with the sauce just before serving to keep it as crispy as possible.
- Garnish with sliced green onions along with the sesame seeds for extra color and fresh flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Cook chicken and honey sesame sauce according to directions. Let cool and place in separate airtight freezer containers. Freeze both for up to 4 months.
To use, thaw chicken and sauce in the refrigerator. Reheat the chicken in a sauté pan with a little oil. Heat the sauce in a saucepan on the stove. Once they are both warm pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Chinese takeout is one of my favorites to eat as leftovers. Place the leftover easy sesame chicken in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments stirring in between. For a better leftover flavor reheat in a sauté pan with a little oil.
More Like This
Asian Chicken Recipes
Kung Pao Chicken
20 mins
Panda Express Orange Chicken
50 mins
Chinese Lemon Chicken
25 mins
How to Make Orange Chicken
30 mins
Sides
Homemade Fried Rice
20 mins
Garlic Noodles
17 mins
Cream Cheese Wontons
15 mins
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
20 mins
Collections
This recipe was first shared January, 2014.
Thank you so much for showing us how to make your beautiful recipes. It really helps a lot. Sometimes you gotta have a step-by-step and you always make sure we do.
I find that seeing what the different steps should look like helps when I’m trying out a new recipe, so I’m happy to hear others appreciate it too.
All of my kids (9, 5, 3) love this recipe! First time I made it they were sceptical, but they now request it and are excited if it’s on the menu. My husband isn’t a fan of anything “crispy” because he doesn’t like fried food, but even he enjoys this dish and is as excited as the kids when I announce it for dinner.
We just discovered sesame chicken and are mildly obsessed with it. This recipe was even better than the stuff we got for take out!
This looks and sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!
This is so amazing! Thank you for this recipe, no more takeout for us!
Exceptionally good. I had some beef broth to use up which I used in place of water in the sauce. Highly recommend this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I looked up inGredients In sweey chili Sauce and it Seems to be made up of things that are already in this recipe—so iS it really necessary?
I haven’t tried leaving it out, but you can add or take out whatever you like 🙂
I’m trying it today. Hope it comes out good,
Sure hope you like it!! Thank you!
Absolutely DELICIOUS xx
Thank you so much!! I am glad you liked it!!
My girls have FINALLY DECIDED to like chinese food, specifically this type of Chicken and rice. Thanks for shAring your recipe.