Sesame Chicken

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This sesame chicken recipe is quick and easy to make, and the combination of tender bites with a crisp coating and a sweet, savory, honey sesame sauce is completely irresistible! It's all done in about 25 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main

Cuisine: American, Asian-American

Keyword: sesame chicken

Servings:

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Monica Lensink

Ingredients

2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts see note
4 Tablespoons cornstarch divided
1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons honey (40 grams, see note)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar can swap rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
canola or another cooking oil
rice, green onions, and sesame seeds for serving

Instructions

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 3 Tablespoons of the cornstarch and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss until evenly coated, then set aside.
2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sauce ingredients: water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and the remaining 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.
1/2 cup water, 3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 2 Tablespoons of canola or other cooking oil. When it’s hot enough to shimmer, add half the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning once or twice, until the pieces are golden and crisp on the outside and just cooked through in the middle. Remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the chicken, adding another small drizzle of oil only if needed.
canola or another cooking oil
After removing all of the chicken, give the sauce one more quick whisk and pour into the skillet. Scrape the bottom of the pan as it bubbles and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until noticeably thickens.
Once the sauce has the consistency that you like, stir the chicken back in. Try to serve right away, but if you need to leave it for a few minutes, reduce the heat to its lowest setting or turn off and cover, so the sauce doesn’t get too sticky.
Serve over rice or noodles and with sprinkles of green onions and sesame seeds, as desired. Enjoy!
rice, green onions, and sesame seeds

Notes

Chicken: I usually estimate one whole chicken breast per adult serving, and even my growing kids can usually split one. The sauce is pretty flexible and can stretch, so I’d only double the sauce if making 4 or 5+ really large chicken breasts.
Honey: I'm starting to include gram measurements for honey and other "sticky" ingredients, because if you have a kitchen scale, it's kind of nice to just add these by weight rather than deal with scraping multiple spoons. Let me know if you find this useful!
Storage/Reheating: Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. Warm in the microwave on 50% power or over low heat on the stovetop. The chicken might lose a bit of its crispiness but will still be super tasty.

Nutrition