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.
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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.
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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.
Variations:
- spicy: add 2 teaspoons of sweet chili sauce to the sauce ingredients before adding to the 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 a sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- skinny: to cut down on calories, skip the cornstarch coating for chicken and brown chicken pieces in olive oil in a pan. Add sauce and simmer until thickened.
- honey: add 3 tablespoons of honey in place of brown sugar, to the sauce mixture. Whisk and add to the 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!
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
Ingredients
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
- 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!
Amelio Delapontik says
this is my first recipe, quick and delicious meal
Anna says
Thank you so much, Amelio!
Donna says
Just whipped this up for tea when I get home from work. Quick & simple recipe with bags of flavour. I'll be making this again & again. Delicious.
Jennifer says
I totally enjoyed this dish.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! Thanks, Jennifer!
June says
Great recipe and I've tried many! The use of a big cast iron skillet lets me do the chicken in one batch and it gets really nicely browned. The sauce is the perfect amount, I get irritated when cooking Asian dishes if there's no sauce left for my rice! Or if it's too thin. This is so easy and so delicious I will make it again and again. Don't skip the sesame oil, it's really important for the right flavor. I knew the addition of some kind of batter would help but I didn't want anything heavy. Perfect!! My son always wants Chinese takeout and always orders general tso's chicken, and even he said he likes this better. Did not think that was possible. I served with pan seared broccoli and basmati rice. Yummy!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi June! Haha! I made sure there is enough sauce to pour over the dish once plated. I am so happy to know it was a hit! Thank you so much for giving it a try and for your wonderful comment!
Josie says
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Josie!
Kristen Ward says
I saw this recipe on Pintrest and had to try it. I am almost done cooking it. Looks and smells delicious!! Thanks for sharing (:
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Kristen! Yay! I am so excited for you to try it! Let me know how you like it! 😀
Kristine says
Delicious!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Kristine!
Karen says
My husband *very* occasionally makes dinner when I'm all tapped out, and stir-fried chicken is his one dish beside BBQ chicken wings. I'm going to pass this along to him 😉
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Awesome! I hope you both love it!
Krista says
I have been wanting a new chicken recipe to try! I think this is it!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I hope you love it, Krista!
Des says
This is what's for dinner!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! I hope you love it, Des!
Jacque Hastert says
Nothing beats an easy dinner that I would usually order in.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Right? So easy and so tasty! 😀
Dee says
Yummy! This dish looks restaurant quality!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks so much, Dee!
Delaney says
This chicken looks so juicy!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
It really is! I hope you will get a chance to try it!
Dorothy says
You've made it easy for me to have my favorite take out at home! I also want to try all of your other versions!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Dorothy! I am glad you love it.
Amanda says
My family absolutely love these, they cannot get enough!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! That's awesome, Amanda! Thank you!
Grace says
Those photos look so delicious. I've got my ingredients and am trying it tonight!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! I hope you love it, Grace! Let me know!