Sesame Chicken
Homemade Chinese Sesame Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in a sweet and sour sauce. The ultimate sesame chicken recipe is way better than take-out.
My family goes crazy for Chinese food. But as a Mom, I wonder what in the world is actually in the sesame chicken you find in the drive-thru or in the mall food court. So I decided to create my own Asian recipes at home that are better than take-out!
My CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN RECIPE is one of my most popular recipes on Modern Honey. It has been such a huge hit so I thought it was time to create a homemade Sesame Chicken recipe. It is such a hit in our home!
This sauce has the perfect balance of sweetness with a touch of sour from the rice vinegar. It has the right amount of sweet honey which creates the perfect coating to the chicken.
This Chinese Sesame Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The sweet and sour sauce is divine! It is a little spicy and a whole lotta sweet. It is made with honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, and red chili flakes. It is heavenly!
HOW TO MAKE CHINESE SESAME CHICKEN AT HOME:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Make sure to add salt to the flour mixture to bring flavor to the chicken. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade sesame sauce, place honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Add more red chili flakes if you like it spicier!
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet and sour sesame sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately.
Chinese Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 3 large Eggs
- ⅓ cup Flour
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- Salt
- Oil (for frying)
Sesame Sauce:
- ½ cup Honey
- 3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar (or golden brown sugar)
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
Garnish:
- 3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions (green parts sliced)
- Rice
Instructions
To make Chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a hefty pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in a shallow dish.Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on the plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees. Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. *May need longer depending on temperature of the oil.
- Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
Sesame Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- In a medium pot, add honey, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon of water to form a paste. Add to sesame sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and toss with fried chicken.
- You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with sesame seeds and a sprinkling of green onions.
Jackie Adams
Thanks a lot Melissa... now my family don’t want carry out Chinese! This is a favorite in our house now! Thanks for ALL of your great recipes!!!
Emily
This was delicious! I love my chinese take-out but honestly this recipe was way better. Thank you Modern Honey!!
Claire Murray
Literally so delicious! This was my first time frying chicken in oil, and it was a breeze! The sauce is delicious. I did not have vinegar, chili flakes, brown sugar, or ginger powder. I made the sauce with soy sauce, ketchup, honey & white sugar and it tastes great.
ACS
Very tasty! But also very very sweet. I would cutthe sugar in half or none at all next time
Jackie Adams
You never disappoint! Every recipe I try of yours, my family totally loves! Definitely way better than take out! We just replaced our neighborhood take out spot with this recipe! Thank you!!!
Ashton
Very good. I made this for dinner tonight for my parents and they loved it. Very delicious and quite easy to do, would recommend and will have again. I give it five stars.
Kimball Driggs
The best ever!! I just prepared this with some friends and even though we have virtually no cooking experience, this was a breeze and it turned out super delicious!! I will definitely be making it again in the future!
Dawn M Robertson
I made this yesterday for dinner and we loved it! I used Bob’ 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and it turned out perfectly. Especially If you make the GF version, be sure to heat your oil to 350 and check it with a thermometer because if your oil is too cool your chicken will be soggy and gross. Oil temp is the key. I used Sunflower Oil and instead of soy for the sauce I used Bragg’s Aminos since soy sauce is NOT gluten free. The sauce was good and tangy. Great combination of ingredients especially with the vinegar. I was surprised there was no sesame oil in the sauce and I might add a few drops the next time I make it. I followed the recipe almost exactly as written plus i sliced some roasted red pepper and used it along with the scallions and sesame seeds for garnish. It was beautiful. Then we ate it over brown rice. I recommend this recipe highly, and for you fellow celiacs it is very easy to make as a gf dish. Enjoyed it and will make it again.
Ammon
AMAZING!!! Made this recipe today with my two college roommates... we have absolutely no cooking experience whatsoever between us, yet the meal was super easy to make and it tasted amazing. Best sesame chicken ever. Thanks Modern Honey!!!
Cheryl
Made this for dinner last night. My husband loved it so much, he asked if he could have more for lunch today.????. Thank you for the Great recipe. He loved the sauce and thought it was the best Seasame chicken he had ever had.
As Always,
Thank you!
Cheryl