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.
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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.
I love love love honey chicken! Thanks for SHARING this great recipe.
This is delicious! we make both rice and noodles to go with it, so its a win win for everyone! Love the TAste!
This is my new favorite!! It was so tasty & not hard to make & my daughter said it was better than Panda Express (her favorite). Woohoo!!
I made this last night for my son and his friends and it was a big hit! It was both quick and delicious!
Yay!! I am so happy it was! Thank you!
Such a great recipe! Tastes just like what I order when we’re at a restaurant!
This is so much more budget friendly than take out. Can’t wait to try it.
this looks soooo so good!
Sesame chicken is one of my all tIme favorite foods! Delicious!
A favorite when we go out to eat. Now I can make it at home. Chinese food is always a popular dish in our home. So yummy!
Oh yummy! I will try to make it.
Thank
I sure hope you do!! Hope you like it!
This has the potential to be delicious and the only reason I say that is I must stress the low sodium soya sauce for this recipe – I used regular as that was all I had on hand and it was so salty it was almost inedible – drinking lots of water right now – I will try it again for sure using the low sodium – chicken was flavourful and tender after the marinade and it was super easy to put together.
Thank you so much for giving it a try 🙂
This looks great! I have a question though. In the directions it says “Put chicken, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil and sugar in a bag and marinate for 1-2 hours then drain chicken.” That sounds fine but there’s no wine in the ingredient list. It does say vinegar, but that’s not mentioned in the directions. Are the two ingredient’s interchangeable? Is one better than the other? I would love to make this but I want to do it right. Thanks so much for the post.
So sorry!! I fixed it. It should have said, rice vinegar 🙂 Thanks for catching that and letting me know. It really is great!
Thanks so much for the quick answer. I really appreciate it. Guess what we’re having for dinner tomorrow?
No problem!! I wonder if anyone else was wondering the same thing?? Enjoy!!!
This looks delicious!
It is!! Hope you’ll give it a try! Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve made this and everybody liked it so much! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad it was a hit! 😀
This smelled delicious while I was simmering the sauce but was so shocked to taste how salty it was. Like another person who commented I too thought I did something wrong. Is it just the combination of all those salty sauces. I’ve never used the oyster or sweet chili sauce before. Any ideas? I really want to make this again. I love your recipes. Thank you!
I’ll need to try this recipe again to see how salty it is, but I’d maybe lessen the amount to 1/4 tsp. salt and then I’d be sure to use the Soy Sauce that has lesser sodium. 😉
I will try this honey chicken, it looks yummm.
How is this without using the oyster sauce in the sauce??
I think it would be fine without it. Personally, I don’t usually have oyster sauce around and only get it for an upcoming recipe. I think it just gives it a little added taste but would still taste just as good without it. 😉
Hi, Made this dish for the first time today. We are in NZ & Gluten Free. We used potato flour plus all our sauces were GF. Fantastic! Loved it. Will definately be back to try some other recipes. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lani! So fun that you are in NZ – it’s my dream country I want to visit!! And SO glad it all turned out. 😀
Aaah, thank u for posting the recipe. I’ve tried it & looking forward to make it again. It’s a keeper!
I’ve tried this recipe last night for a special occasion. It was absolutely delicious! I’ll be cooking it many more times. Thank you!
Any particular type of cooking wine?
Any way to make this using tempeh instead if chicken or would that be too soft of a texture!? Looks great!!
Unfortunately, I’ve never tried so I’m not sure. :/ Let me know if you try it…
I feel dumb asking this question but are you deep frying the chicken in the oil or just putting enough in the bottom of the pan to cook it? Thanks! Looks delish!
Don’t feel dumb at all… I should have clarified! It’s just enough to cook it. 😉
We love Asian food so much too. 🙂 Thank you for linking up to my post!
This looks INSANELY good!! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh, it is – you’ll love it!!
YEP- totally drooling- we have tried so many Chinese places here only to be very disappointed. I can’t wait to try this.
This recipe is amazing, Gina. You will love it!!
I really think i will like it! by the look itself it already taste yummy. If it looks good . . . it will definitely taste good. I will prepare now to my honey sesame chicken. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe… GOD Bless!
Yummy!!! I can’t wait to make them!
xoox
Sesame chicken is always my pick when we go out for Chinese food! This looks delicious. Adding it to my To Try list!
Oh this looks so yummy! I loooove Chinese and try to make it once a week to keep us from eating out. Honey sesame and General Tso are my favorites, but I haven’t found a good recipe for the latter. Boo. You’ve got me drooling now. Haha.
Finger lickin’ good! Yum.