Easy Sesame Chicken

This Easy Sesame Chicken recipe is so easy that you’ll be tempted to toss those take-out menus (seriously, I can’t remember the last time I ordered sesame chicken since I first posted this recipe nearly 12 years ago!!) The deliciously sweet and savory sauce takes only a few ingredients, all of which you can keep on hand indefinitely (I always keep my ginger in the freezer). You know, just in case you need some of this chicken, like, now. Oh, and this take-out fake-out recipe is one of my favorites in my weekly meal prep, too.

All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.

“Um, wow. Just fantastic. My husband made it in his cast iron skillet and we doubled the batch – we’re sad we didn’t triple it! So easy and tasty!”

Mary Farrow

Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe

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Easy Sesame Chicken

4.57 from 451 votes

This Easy Sesame Chicken recipe is faster and tastier than takeout. Tender chicken coated in a homemade sweet, savory, and tangy sauce.

Author: Beth Moncel

Servings 4

Prep 15 minutes mins

Cook 15 minutes mins

Total 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Sauce

• ¼ cup soy sauce ($0.20)
• 2 Tbsp water ($0.00)
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.32)
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar** ($0.30)
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.14)
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger*** ($0.10)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
• ½ Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.10)

Chicken

• 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs* ($3.48)
• 1 large egg ($0.67)
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.06)
• 1 pinch each salt and pepper ($0.05)

For Serving

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.97)
• 2 whole green onions ($0.20)

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Instructions 

• First, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (Grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater). Set the sauce aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
• Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium flame. Wait until the skillet is very hot, then swirl the skillet to make sure the oil coats the entire surface. Add the batter coated chicken and spread it out into a single layer over the surface of the skillet.
• Allow the chicken pieces to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom. Then, carefully flip the chicken, breaking up the pieces into smaller clumps as you flip. Continue to cook the chicken until golden brown on the other side. Stir the chicken as little as possible to avoid breaking the egg coating from the surface of the chicken.
• Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on all sides, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. As the sauce comes up to a simmer, it will begin to thicken. Continue to gently stir the chicken in the sauce until it has thickened, then turn off the heat.
• Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

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Equipment

• Non Stick Cookware
• Grater
• Color Cutting Boards

Notes

*I use chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay juicy and super tender without fear of drying out, and they’re very budget-friendly. You can use chicken breast if preferred; just be careful not to overcook the chicken.

**Brown sugar provides sweetness to balance the salt of the soy sauce and the acidity of the vinegar. Brown sugar has a deep flavor compared to the more one-dimensional flavor of white sugar. You can also use honey in place of the brown sugar.

***Ginger gives the sauce zing! Be sure to use fresh ginger, not dried ginger, as it has a much more peppery flavor. Keep fresh ginger in your freezer to always have it on hand without it going bad.

The nutritional information includes the cooked jasmine rice and sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 530kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 30gFat: 18gSodium: 945mgFiber: 1g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

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Video

how to make Sesame Chicken step-by-step photos

Gather all of your ingredients.

Prep the sauce: Make the sauce first, so it’s ready to go when you need it. In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 minced cloves of garlic, ½ Tbsp cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp sesame seeds.

Let’s just talk about this toasted sesame oil for a second. You must get the kind that is toasted to get the super vibrant nutty flavor that you want in your sesame chicken. Not all brands actually say “toasted” on the bottle, but you can recognize the toasted variety by its deep brown color. Regular sesame oil will be the color of straw, like vegetable oil. You want the brown stuff. 😉 It’s usually in the international foods aisle, instead of the baking aisle with the other oils.

Cut the chicken: Next, trim any extra fat off of one pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, then cut them into small one inch cubes. One pound for me was about three chicken thighs.

Make the cornstarch mix: Add 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a medium bowl.

Cook the chicken: Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium. Wait until it is very hot. This is VERY important. The skillet must be very hot! Once very hot, swirl the skillet to make sure the oil coats the entire surface, add the chicken, and make sure it’s spread out into a single layer. Let the chicken cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom. It might kind of cook into a single round pancake, but don’t worry, we’ll break up the pieces next.

Then carefully flip the chicken pieces, breaking them up slightly into smaller pieces as you flip. Cook on the other side until browned and cooked through. Make sure to not stir them too much, or you can cause the egg to come off the chicken. You can see that some of the chicken pieces are still kind of stuck together at this point. That’s okay. Just do not over stir.

Add the sauce and serve: Finally, add the prepared sauce and stir to coat. Continue to carefully stir the chicken as the sauce begins to simmer and thicken. Once it’s thickened, turn off the heat.

Sprinkle some sliced green onions over top and serve with warm jasmine rice. It doesn’t get better than this. Easy sesame chicken…done in about 30 minutes, and NO DELIVERY FEE! 😁

serving suggestions

I love serving my easy sesame chicken with a side of jasmine rice and a little steamed broccoli. It’s a super simple meal that is very satisfying and stores well for meal prep! If you’re looking for some fun sides, I think it also pairs wonderfully with my refreshing crunchy cabbage salad or a light and tangy sesame cucumber salad. For something warm, a bowl of dumpling soup would be delicious. And if you’re in the mood for something extra flavorful, try using coconut rice to really round out the meal!

Storage and Reheating

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The chicken will also freeze well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. I usually just reheat my leftovers in the microwave for a quick and easy meal! Just make sure the chicken is heated all the way through before serving.

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