Sesame Chicken

Delicious Sesame Chicken in a sweet and savory sauce that’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside! Tossed in a delectable and simple sauce, feel free to pop these into your mouth one after another, because this version is better than the restaurant version.

This is a super easy recipe for battered crispy chicken doused in a delicious honey and garlic sesame sauce. I like to pile this chicken over top of fluffy white rice to ensure that every last drop of sauce doesn’t go to waste, it’s that good.

This sesame chicken melts in your mouth. It’s sweet from the honey, salty from the soy sauce, boasting big flavor with sesame oil and lots of garlic. So easy, yet so dreamy! This chicken is perfect for a weeknight dinner served over rice, lunch with a side salad, or even with some eggs for breakfast.

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts – Thighs will work as well. Boneless, skinless, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Flour – All-purpose.
• Egg White – This is for the flour to stick to the chicken better.
• Sesame oil – Regular or toasted sesame oil if you can find it.
• Garlic – The more the merrier!
• Rice Vinegar – To add brightness, acidity and to balance out the flavors.
• Honey – Granulated sugar, brown sugar, or agave can be used instead.
• Soy sauce – I always use low sodium.
• Chicken broth – Or any type of broth you have handy.
• Sesame seeds – Regular or toasted.
• Cornstarch – With a little bit of water to make a slurry to thicken the sauce.

How to make sesame chicken

1. Prep and marinate chicken: Add all the chicken and marinade ingredients to a bowl and toss well to break up the egg white. Marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare sauce: In another bowl add the chicken broth, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and whisk well.
3. Dredge chicken through flour: Add the flour to a shallow plate or bowl. Toss in the chicken pieces and the marinade, then use your hands to toss everything together.
4. Fry chicken: Add about a cup of oil to a wok or skillet and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot enough, add a few chicken pieces at once, shaking off any excess flour and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, it will take about 3 batches.
5. Cook sauce: In a clean wok add the prepared sauce and simmer over medium-low heat. Form a cornstarch slurry by mixing it with the tbsp of water, then pour into the sauce. Whisk the sauce and cook for another minute until the sauce has thickened.
6. Toss chicken with sauce: Add the cooked chicken pieces to the sauce in the wok and toss well until the chicken is evenly coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Baked sesame chicken

To bake this follow these instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the chicken as instructed up to and including dredging it through flour. Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet. 
3. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and crisp.
4. Make and cook the sauce as instructed in the recipe card.
5. Toss chicken with sauce: Add the cooked chicken pieces to the sauce in the wok and toss well until the chicken is evenly coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

How to serve

These pop-able bites are great on their own as an appetizer, or you can add a few simple sides to turn them into a full meal. Here are a few of my favorite sides:

• Coconut Rice
• Instant Pot Rice
• Chow Mein
• Tofu Drunken Noodles
• Quinoa Salad
• Kale and Quinoa Salad

Leftovers

Transfer the leftover sesame chicken to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Make sure the chicken has fully cooled down to room temperature otherwise it will steam itself in the container.

You can toss this chicken cold into a salad straight from the fridge! Otherwise, if you’d like it warm, you can reheat in the microwave at 15-20 second intervals. You can also reheat in the oven at 450F for 5-7 minutes.

Freezing

Place the chicken bites on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until solid. Transfer the frozen chicken to a large freezer bag or airtight container.

Using this method, you can take out a few pieces at a time as you need them without having all of the pieces stick together. It will last up to 4 months frozen.

Did you love these simple chicken bites? Try these:

• Bang Bang Chicken
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Korean Fried Chicken
• Baked Honey Garlic Chicken
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Cuban Chicharrones de Pollo
• Chicken Milanese Bites