Get my Cookbooks! Sesame Chicken
This Sesame Chicken recipe is easy to make at home and tastes even better than takeout! The chicken is crispy and the sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and savory with hints of honey and sesame with every bite!
Sesame Chicken
I could not believe how fast my daughter cleaned her plate when I gave her this Sesame Chicken for the first time! I think it was a RECORD. Needless to say, the chicken is crispy and the sauce is totally restaurant-worthy. It’s got the perfect balance of sweet and savory with hints of umami, and of course, lots of sesame seeds!
The chicken is coated in a delicious batter which is a bit easier than breading individual bites of chicken. In this recipe, we double fry the chicken which ensures that it’s even crispier than crispy! It’s a slight labor of love, but totally worth every ounce of effort!
Be sure to check out my PRO TIPS below!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
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Cut the chicken into cubes and season with salt/pepper. When ready to fry, coat the chicken in the chilled batter.
Fry once at 365° until light brown, and again at 375° for about 30 more seconds. Transfer to wire cooling racks after each fry. Bring combined sauce mixture to a boil until thickened, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and sesame seeds and toss to coat. Spoon over white rice and garnish with green onions. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Don’t combine the batter ingredients until you’re ready to fry. Otherwise the cornstarch continues to absorb moisture and it ends up thicker, gummy, and less crispy.
- Frying the chicken twice also makes it extra crispy. I recommend frying it until it’s 90% done at 365°, then a quick second fry at 375°.
- Optional Shortcut (although 100% homemade is amazing): Purchase store-bought popcorn chicken, nuggets, or tenders and prepare according to package instructions. Toss in prepared sesame sauce and serve!
- Try this sauce on my own Popcorn Chicken, Chicken Tenders, or Fried Shrimp next!
- Be sure to try my Hot Honey Chicken! It’s super crispy and baked, not fried! My Firecracker Chicken is also amazing.
Storage
- This dish is best if served fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, bake at 375° F for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Wok– Perfect for heating the sauce and large enough to easily toss and coat the chicken in it.
- Oil and Meat Thermometer– Take out the guess work!
- Spider Skimmer– I use this to remove the chicken from the oil in batches and place it on a wire cooling rack. It allows excess oil to drip underneath which keeps it crispy.
- Wire Cooling Racks– Placing the chicken on this after frying allows excess oil to drop from the bottom, keeping it extra crispy.
- Large Baking Sheet– I use this light colored baking sheet. There is plenty of room- for all of the chicken.
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Try These Next
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- Beef Lo Mein
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- Vegetable Fried Rice
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- Egg Roll in a Bowl
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- Sweet and Sour Chicken
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- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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- Mongolian Beef
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Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, or thighs
- Salt/pepper
- Peanut oil, for frying. Can sub vegetable or canola oil.
Batter
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup club soda, can sub water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 egg white
Sauce
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, can sub white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Topping
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- Green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a deep/wide skillet or wok and set aside. (Make sure the ingredients are at room temp so the cornstarch isn’t activated.)
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and pat completely dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 4 inches of oil in a large pot to 365° F.
- While the oil heats, combine the dry batter ingredients in a large bowl. (Cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, onion power, baking soda.)
- Add the wet ingredients (club soda, soy sauce, egg whites) and stir to combine. The consistency should be like thin paint. Add a splash of club soda/water if it feels too thick.
- Add the chicken to the batter and toss to coat.
- Ensure the oil is sufficiently heated, then fry the chicken in batches, leaving room around each to ensure the edges get crispy. Flip once the bottom of the chicken is crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Make small adjustments to the heat (up or down) throughout cooking as needed.
- Use a slotted spatula to transfer the chicken to wire cooling racks. Pro Tip: Give the chicken a second fry for 30 seconds or so over slightly higher heat, about 375° F, for ultimate crispy results.
- Heat the sauce mixture over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once thickened, reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and sesame seeds and toss to coat.
- Remove from heat and spoon over white rice. Top with green onions and serve!
Notes
- Don't combine the batter ingredients until you're ready to fry. Otherwise the cornstarch continues to absorb moisture and it ends up thicker, gummy, and less crispy.
- Shortcut! Purchase store-bought popcorn chicken, nuggets, or tenders and prepare according to package instructions. Toss in prepared sesame sauce and serve!
- Try this sauce on my own Popcorn Chicken, Chicken Tenders, or Fried Shrimp next!
- Be sure to try my Hot Honey Chicken! It’s super crispy and baked, not fried! My Firecracker Chicken is also amazing.
Storage:
- This dish is best if served fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, bake at 375° F for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Making Perfectly Cooked Rice: I love serving this with 3 cups of white long grain rice. Here is how I make it:
- Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
- Add 1 cup of white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
- Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
- This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
- Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
