This homemade Sesame Chicken recipe rivals your favorite Chinese takeout or restaurant version. Deliciously crispy breaded chicken is tossed in an exquisitely sweet-savory sauce that will “wow” your taste buds and have you coming back for seconds! For more popular Chinese takeout recipes try our Mongolian Beef, Mongolian Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Orange Chicken, and Chinese Beef and Broccoli!
What is Sesame Chicken?
Sesame chicken is a popular Chinese takeout dish that consists of coated and fried crispy pieces of chicken tossed in a sweet and savory sauce flavored with honey and sesame. This homemade Sesame Chicken is quick and easy to make and rivals your favorite takeout version, so there’s just no reason not to make it at home! For the best flavor we use a combination of both brown sugar and honey. We place a little more emphasis on the honey because well, the flavor of honey is just amazing in this.
Can I Make It In Advance?
This is a relatively quick dish to make anyway, but as a time-saver you can cut up and marinate the chicken and make the sauce in advance and then reheat it. Then all you have left to do is fry the chicken, toss it in the sauce and there it is – a sweet and sticky delicious Chinese take-out classic that will cause you to think twice about ever ordering take-out again!
Sesame Chicken Recipe
Let’s get started! Cut up the fresh chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine the marinade ingredients, whisking with a fork, and pour it over the chicken pieces. Stir the chicken to thoroughly coat with the marinade. Set aside while you’re preparing the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients, except for the garlic, ginger and sesame oil, in a bowl and stir until the cornstarch, honey and sugar are dissolved. Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the sauce and bring to a boil for 1 minute until thickened. Set aside until ready to use. Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch/salt mixture and shake off the excess cornstarch. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (NOTE: You can also fry the chicken in a frying pan with an inch or two of oil, turning the pieces. Just be careful, it’s hot! Use a thermometer to check the temperature.) Working in batches and being careful not to overcrowd the deep fryer, fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy. Place the chicken pieces on paper towels to drain while you fry the remaining chicken. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, stirring to thoroughly coat each piece of chicken, and bring the mixture to a simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the coating to absorb the sauce. Serve immediately with steamed rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
For more great Chinese food be sure to try our:
Hot and Sour Soup Sweet and Sour Chicken Orange Beef Wonton Soup Shanghai Noodles Shanghai Burgers Chicken Chow Mein Chicken Teriyaki Noodles Szechuan Chicken and Cashew Noodles
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet August 25, 2014 Read more about me…
