Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe

Easy Sesame Chicken is a battered chicken fried in a pan and coated with sesame sauce. Popular Asian takeout dish, made easily at home.

If you like to cook takeout at home, you may also like my recipe for Korean Beef Tacos or Orange Chicken. I serve them all with my Instant Pot Rice.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Thursdays in our house are for Asian dinners. If I am not making my Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls, I am whipping up this Easy Sesame Chicken. There is an additional step of dipping the chicken in the batter, comparing to the other recipes, but it's totally worth it and very quick. As always, my goal is to make the recipe as easy as possible.

This Easy Sesame Chicken is so flavorful and delicious, you will add it to your weekly menu. It's so easy to make, and since the sauce can be made ahead of time and the recipe calls for chicken thighs, this recipe is a budget-friendly time-saver. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Ingredients:

• chicken - I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces. Use chicken breast if you prefer it.
• egg - Binding ingredient for the coating.
• cornstarch - Used to make the coating for chicken that gives it that crispy texture.
• sesame oil - The star of the sauce! This oil is very potent so start with a small amount and adjust to your taste.
• soy sauce - The base of most Asian sauces. I always use low-sodium soy sauce.
• rice vinegar - Used to make the sesame sauce. You can substitute it with regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• brown sugar - Gives the sauce a sweet flavor. You can use honey in its place.
• garlic and ginger - This aromatic combo is used in many Asian dishes.
• water or chicken stock - Used to thin out the sauce.
• sesame seeds - I use the toasted sesame seeds to garnish the finished dish.

How to make sesame chicken?

• Cut chicken thighs into bite-size pieces.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
• Add cut chicken to the egg mixture and stir to coat.
• Heat up olive oil in a pan and drop the coated chicken pieces to cook. It's easier to do that in two batches to make sure each piece is cooked.
• Next, pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens.

Chicken breast vs. thighs:

One difference you can see in this recipe compared to my other Asian dishes, is that it calls for chicken thighs. You can, of course, use boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces. However, most Sesame Chicken recipes use chicken thighs. They have more flavor because it's dark meat. It also makes this dish very budget friendly.

The sesame sauce:

Sesame chicken sauce is very similar to Teriyaki Sauce, but with more sesame flavor and more vinegar. It's less sweet and more sour with a delicious nutty flavor. All thanks to sesame oil, a very potent and popular ingredient in Asian cooking. You only need 1 teaspoon of it to add a rich nutty flavor to the sauce. You can adjust the sauce to your taste and add more brown sugar or honey. Don't forget to add the sesame seeds. I prefer them toasted.

The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to use it OR you can make a larger batch, simmer it in a saucepan until thickened, and store in a jar with a lid. Use in any Asian dishes.

More easy Asian dinners:

If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!

Easy Sesame Chicken

Author: Anna

Battered chicken fried in a pan and coated with sesame sauce. Popular Asian takeout dish, made easily at home.

4.78 from 40 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 people

Calories 309 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

for the chicken:

• ▢ 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil divided

for the sauce:

• ▢ ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice or apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• ▢ ½ cup of water or chicken stock

to serve:

• ▢ rice
• ▢ steamed vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, carrots, baby corn

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
  ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice or apple cider vinegar, ¾ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, ½ cup of water or chicken stock
• Cook rice and steam vegetables. Set aside.
  rice, steamed vegetables
• In a small bowl, whisk egg with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to the batter and stir well.
  1 large egg, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoons of olive oil. Place chicken, piece by piece, in pan and cook on all sides until the batter is golden and slightly brown. It's easier to cook the chicken in two batches, using 1 tablespoon of oil each time.
  1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Once the chicken is done, pour sauce mixture over it and simmer on medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
• Serve chicken over rice with a side of steamed vegetables.

Notes

Play with the recipe and make other versions: 

• spicy: add 2 teaspoons of sweet chili sauce to the sauce ingredients before adding to chicken. Add crushed red peppers if you like even more heat.
• baked: instead of frying the chicken in a pan, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange coated chicken on sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in 375 degrees F.
• skinny: to cut down on calories, skip the cornstarch coating for chicken and brown chicken pieces in olive oil in pan. Add sauce and simmer until thickened. 
• honey: add 3 tablespoons of honey in place of brown sugar, to sauce mixture. Whisk and add to chicken.
• stir fry: add Asian vegetable mix (available in the frozen section in grocery stores) and noodles or cooked rice to the chicken mixture in the pan. Heat everything up and serve!

Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1475mg | Potassium: 362mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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