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This sweet & savory sesame chicken recipe is a crowd-pleaser served over rice or noodles. It’s perfect for dinner and better than takeout!!
This honey sesame chicken has a little bit of sweet, and a little bit of savory flavor to it – similar to our Orange Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sweet and Sour Meatballs.
We Love Sweet and Savory!
One of my favorite dishes is this honey sesame chicken. It has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember (along with Teriyaki Chicken)! It has the most tender and flavorful chicken.
This dish is a favorite family dinner for the whole family, and we love it because:
- Flavor. 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.
- Feed a crowd. The entire family LOVES this recipe and loves it with: Crock Pot Rice, Chow Mein and Fried Rice.
This is one of many Asian dinner recipes we know you’ll love!
Ingredients
- chicken breasts – I cube boneless skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs also work. To produce clean even cubes, partially freeze it first to keep the chicken firm enough to stay in place when cutting.
- lower-sodium soy sauce
- rice vinegar – easily substitute with cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- sesame seed oil
- Sugar – use either white or brown sugar
- cornstarch
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- black pepper
- vegetable oil – canola oil or peanut oil. Check that the oil reaches 350°F or stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil sizzles vigorously, then it is too hot. If no bubbles appear it is too cold. If many bubbles form at the base of the spoon and float up, then the oil is just right.
- honey
- oyster sauce
- sweet chili sauce
- ketchup
- water
- garnish – sesame seeds, green onions, or red pepper flakes
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.
Recipe Tips
- Add veggies. To add green beans and bell peppers, sauté them in a skillet with a bit of oil until crisp and tender. Set aside. Once the chicken has been fried and the sauce made, toss all 3 elements together.
- Slightly healthier version. Skip the coating and sauté chicken breast pieces in a bit of oil, then proceed with the sauce as directed.
- Extra crispy. For extra crispiness try doubling the coating.
- Mix the sauce in advance (store in the fridge for up to 2 days).
- Serving suggestions. We love to serve this take-out dish with brown rice, Fried Rice, Cauliflower Rice, Garlic Noodles, Chow Mein, zucchini noodles, or steamed white rice.
Storing Info
- Make a freezer meal. 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.
- STORE. 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 homemade sesame chicken in the microwave in 30-second increments stirring in between. For a better leftover flavor reheat in a sauté pan with a little oil.
For More Asian Chicken Recipes:
Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe
Sweet & savory honey sesame chicken is a crowd-pleaser served over rice or noodles. It's perfect for dinner and better than takeout!!
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.
Video
Notes
Make a freezer meal. 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 1421mg, Potassium: 629mg, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 105IU, Vitamin C: 2.3mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.