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    Home > Blog > Dinner > Sesame Chicken Recipe

    Sesame Chicken Recipe

    by Jenny Park · Published: Mar 1, 2021

    Jump to Recipe
    This Sesame Chicken Recipe is truly better than takeout! Our Sesame Chicken is sweet, salty, sticky, delicious and really easy to put together. It’s a great meal to enjoy on the weekend, but easy enough to make during the week, and makes great leftovers!
    Sesame Chicken recipe
    Sesame chicken in a bowl over rice with sesame seeds on the side.
    A close up on a image of sesame chicken.
    A bowl of sesame chicken with sesame seeds and green onions over rice with a fork.
    Bowl of sesame chicken on white rice with a fork.

    This Sesame Chicken Recipe is one of my go-to dishes when I am craving Chinese takeout. I love getting a variety of dishes to share with my husband and one of our favorite things to order is Sesame Chicken. My favorite part is the sticky, sweet and salty sauce that generously coats each juicy piece of chicken.

    I finally decided it was time to give Chinese takeout style sesame chicken a try at home. I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make! It was also SO tasty and I loved being able to control the ingredients and flavors to make it just the way I like it!

    Are Sesame Chicken and Orange Chicken the Same Thing?

    Nope! While both chicken dishes are dredged and fried, they differ slightly in their sauces. Sesame chicken has the addition of sesame seeds to the sauce, as well as a larger amount of soy sauce. Orange chicken has the addition of orange zest (and sometimes juice) in the sauce, giving it that distinct ‘orange’ flavor.

    How Do You Make Sesame Chicken?

    Sesame Chicken Sauce

    Ingredients for sesame chicken sweet and sticky sauce.
    Jump to Recipe

    Ingredients to note:

    • Sesame Oil – This is a super flavor oil made from sesame seeds. In this dish, it really boosts the flavor! You can find sesame oil in most grocery stores near the olive oil.
    • Rice Wine Vinegar – Rice Wine Vinegar is less acidic and much more mild than other vinegars. You can certainly substitute for white vinegar if thats all you have on hand.

    Process

    Sesame Sauce

    1. Combine Sauce Ingredients. First all the sauce ingredients are combined into a mixing bowl and set them aside.
    A bowl of sesame chicken sweet and sticky sauce in a mixing bowl with a whisk next to it.

    Sesame Chicken

    1. Prepare chicken and batter. Next, the cubed chicken is generously seasoned with salt and pepper.
    Chicken thighs in a bowl with salt and pepper on top.
    1. Combine Batter Ingredients. The batter ingredients are then combined into another mixing bowl and whisked together.
    Jump to Recipe
    Batter for crispy chicken thighs in a mixing bowl ready to be mixed.
    A bowl of batter mixed for sesame chicken.
    1. Dredge chicken. The oil is preheated in a large wok or pot and the chicken is dredged into the batter.
    Sesame chicken in a bowl of batter.
    Batter for sesame chicken in a bowl with seasoned chicken thighs.
    1. Fry the chicken. The battered chicken is then transferred to the hot oil and fried until they’re just cooked through and the coating is crispy. This may have to be done in batches to prevent overcrowding in the oil, which will prevent the pieces of chicken from crisping up.
    2. Heat sauce. Once all the chicken has been fried, the oil is discarded and the sauce ingredients are added to the wok (or into a clean skillet) over medium-high heat.
    Friend chicken for sesame chicken on a drying rack with paper towels.
    Sweet and sticky sesame chicken sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon.
    Jump to Recipe
    1. Toss chicken and sauce together. Once the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened the chicken is quickly added back to the pan and tossed with the sauce until evenly coated.
    A skillet of sesame chicken tossed in a sauce.
    1. Garnish and eat! The sesame chicken is finished with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and green onions. Serve with rice.
    Sesame chicken in a bowl over rice.

    Get the Full, Detailed Recipe Below!!

    Jump to Recipe

    Useful Tools for This Recipe

    There are a couple of useful tools we recommend for this recipe. You can also check out our shop page to see all of the kitchen items we love and use everyday. For our Sesame Chicken recipe we have you frying the battered chicken pieces in order to get the juiciest and crispiest chicken possible. We love using a thermometer when we are heating the oil so we can make sure that the oil is the proper temperature for frying (350°), and that you maintain that temperature throughout the batches of crispy chicken. We also love this Spider Strainer that is really useful to fish out your crispy chicken when they are done cooking.

    An image of a thermometer on a tan background.
    Oil Thermometer
    A spider strainer on a tan background.
    Spider Strainer

    Is Sesame Chicken Gluten-Free?

    Sesame chicken is generally not gluten free because there is (wheat based) flour in the frying batter and wheat in the soy sauce used in the sauce. For a gluten-free version, you can simply replace the flour with gluten free flour and the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos.

    Can You Freeze This Sesame Chicken Recipe?

    Yes! Our recipe freezes and reheats quite well!

    Freezing

    Batter and fry chicken. Once the fried chicken has cooled, place the chicken onto a baking sheet, making sure the pieces aren’t touching one another. Once the pieces are frozen, transfer the chicken into a resealable bag. Pour sauce into a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce into an airtight container, separate from the chicken. Freeze everything for up to 3 months.

    Reheating

    Thaw sauce completely before using. Pour a thin layer of oil into a hot skillet and re-fry frozen chicken pieces (be careful of oil spatter). Remove chicken and drain oil. Add sauce to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. Add chicken and toss together until well coated.

    Variations

    • For a healthier version, you can omit the batter all together and pan fry the cubed chicken with a fraction of the oil. Once the chicken has cooked through, add the sauce ingredients and allow the sauce to thicken and coat the chicken. The sauce won’t stick to the chicken as well and the texture will be different, but the delicious flavors will all be there.
    • For a vegetarian version, try using cauliflower florets for an equally tasty dish!

    I think the sesame seeds play an important role in this dish, as it adds a lightly nutty flavor overall. I really like using this brand of toasted sesame seeds. If you love copycat Chinese takeout style dishes as much as we do, you’ll also love our Mongolian Beef, Garlic Noodles, and our recipe for Potstickers. Enjoy!

    Mongolian Beef recipe in a platter ready to be served.
    Garlic noodles garnished with cheese on a blue plate with a fork.
    Potstickers on a plate next to a small bowl of potsticker sauce.

    Love take out? Check out more recipes like this one in our

    Asian Inspired Recipe Collection

    Click here for more Chicken Recipes!
    Two bowls of fresh sesame chicken in bowls with rice and a little bowl of sesame seeds.

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    Sesame chicken in a bowl over rice.

    Sesame Chicken Recipe

    4.96 from 21 votes
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    This Sesame Chicken Recipe is truly better than takeout! Our Sesame Chicken is sweet, salty, sticky, delicious and really easy to put together. It’s a great meal to enjoy on the weekend, but easy enough to make during the week, and makes great leftovers!
    RECIPE BY Teri & Jenny
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 17 mins
    Total Time: 32 mins
    Servings: 6

      INGREDIENTS  

    Sweet and Sticky Sesame Sauce

    • ½ cup light brown sugar
    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • ¼ cup rice vinegar
    • 4 tsp cornstarch
    • ¼ cup water
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
    • 2 garlic cloves minced

    Crispy Chicken

    • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed into bite sized pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
    • ¼ cup cornstarch
    • ½ cup all purpose flour
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup cold seltzer water
    • salt and pepper to taste

    frying

    • 2 cups vegetable oil

    garnish

    • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
    • 1 green onion thinly sliced

      INSTRUCTIONS  

    • Place all sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
    • Preheat oil, in a wok or tall sided pot, to 350˚F.
    • Toss cubed chicken thighs generously in salt and pepper.
    • Batter: In a mixing bowl whisk together cornstarch and flour. Whisk in eggs and seltzer water until a smooth batter forms.
    • Add seasoned chicken cubes to batter and stir to coat.
    • In small batches remove chicken from batter, allowing excess to drip off and transfer to hot frying oil.
    • Frying: Fry coated chicken for 4 to 5 minutes or until crispy and cooked through. Transfer fried chicken to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack (or lined with paper towels) and repeat until all chicken has been fried.
    • Drain oil from wok and place over medium-high heat (or place a clean, large skillet over medium-high heat). Add sauce to wok or skillet and stir together until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
    • Assemble: Add chicken to sauce and quickly toss together until all chicken is fully and evenly coated.  Top with more toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions and serve with steamed rice.

      NOTES  

    Freeze Ahead

    • To freeze: Batter and fry chicken. Once the fried chicken has cooled, place the chicken onto a baking sheet, making sure the pieces aren’t touching one another. Once the pieces are frozen, transfer the chicken into a resealable bag. Pour sauce into a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce into an airtight container and freeze.
    • To reheat: Thaw sauce completely before using. Pour a thin layer of oil into a hot skillet and re-fry frozen chicken pieces (be careful of oil spatter). Remove chicken and drain oil. Add sauce to skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. Add chicken and toss together until well coated.

    Variations

    • For a healthier version, you can omit the batter all together and pan fry the cubed chicken with a fraction of the oil. Once the chicken has cooked through, add the sauce ingredients and allow the sauce to thicken and coat the chicken. The sauce won’t stick to the chicken as well and the texture will be different, but the delicious flavors will all be there.
    • For a vegetarian version, try using cauliflower florets for an equally tasty dish! 
    Serving: 1serving Calories: 394kcal Carbohydrates: 34g Protein: 26g Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 162mg Sodium: 677mg Potassium: 360mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 18g Vitamin A: 126IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 60mg Iron: 2mg
    CUISINE: Chinese
    KEYWORD: chicken, take out
    COURSE: dinner

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    March 1, 2021 / 23 Comments

    About Jenny Park

    Jenny Park is half of Spoon Fork Bacon. She is also a food stylist and recipe developer. One of her favorite foods is donuts. #sfbJENNY

    Previous Post: < Previous Post Loaded Baked Potato Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    March 1, 2021 / 23 Comments

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    1. David

      January 02, 2023 at 4:54 am

      Would baking powder be a good substitute for selter water?

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        January 06, 2023 at 9:16 am

        I actually recommend baking soda over baking powder and a teaspoon of white vinegar (added to the water)

        Reply
    2. Morgan

      February 02, 2022 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      So much better than take out! My whole family loved it. Small kids included. We ate it with some blanched garlic green beans!

      Reply
    3. Janet

      October 23, 2021 at 9:01 am

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner last night and I will not be doing take out again! This is a wonderful recipe and very easy! Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!!! Can’t wait to see what I will be fixing for dinner tonight off of here! 😊

      Reply
    4. Lauren

      September 06, 2021 at 5:28 am

      This looks so yum! Personally, I love to indulge in a variety of dishes prepared with rice. I am a big fan of rice and love all types of rice. This sesame chicken with white rice is going to be a new addition to my menu. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

      Reply
    5. Irma

      March 01, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Hi I’d love to try this but I’d like to ask if you have to use seltzer water? Can regular water work ?

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        March 01, 2021 at 11:22 pm

        Hi! You can use regular water, but the batter will fry up a little heavier and denser.

        Reply
    6. Darren

      August 24, 2020 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! And it didn’t get cold before I ate it like takeout 😜

      Reply
    7. Sophie

      August 24, 2020 at 10:05 am

      Love your recipe! Is it safe to let the chicken be submerged in the batter for a couple of hours before frying it? I wanna make a large batch and refrigerate them until I’m ready to cook again! :)

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        August 25, 2020 at 12:06 pm

        Yes, that should be fine! You may just have to give everything a stir once you’re ready to cook them!

        Reply
    8. Preeti Gautam

      July 03, 2020 at 3:33 am

      5 stars
      It looks tasty and very easy too. Can you please tell me Is cornflour or cornstarch is the same?

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        July 03, 2020 at 6:50 pm

        Yes, they’re the same :)

        Reply
    9. Amy

      June 22, 2020 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      This tastes exactly like takeout. I cant wait to make this again

      Reply
    10. Aubrey

      June 18, 2020 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      This was so good. In my rotation now!

      Reply
    11. Melissa Pisapia

      May 22, 2020 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! And simple, too. Tonight will be the third time I’ve made this recipe. I’ve used chicken, cauliflower (for my vegetarian husband), and tonight I will try shrimp.

      Reply
      • Jenny Park

        May 22, 2020 at 11:47 am

        Oh so great to hear you love this recipe! And love your variations with cauliflower + shrimp!

        Reply
    12. Jordan

      May 14, 2020 at 10:35 pm

      5 stars
      My family really enjoyed this! It tasted just like takeout style sesame chicken!

      Reply
    13. Abigail

      May 03, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      5 stars
      I used tofu instead of chicken (bakes it not fried) and this sauce is AMAZING! Just like at a restaurant. Game changer.

      Reply
    14. Dana

      April 28, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      5 stars
      My family loved this recipe! I am adding it to the rotation!

      Reply
    15. Callen

      April 27, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      4 stars
      This was way too sweet for us. Will cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup next time.

      Reply
    16. Jess Paradise

      April 25, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    17. Sabrina

      April 23, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      5 stars
      this or a similar sesame based pork or chicken dish is one of my favorites, and I’ve never made it just ordered it, like have the nutrtion info too, so thank you for both

      Reply
    18. Alison

      April 23, 2020 at 4:39 am

      Great… This one some thing different from traditional chicken recipe. I like the idea of adding sesame into the recipe, I am gonna to try this soon.

      Reply

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