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This is the best Sesame Chicken recipe with crispy chicken in sweet and savory sesame chicken sauce. It tastes just like Chinese restaurants and takes only 20 mins to make. Serve the chicken with steamed rice for an authentic homemade Chinese meal.
Sesame Chicken Recipe
What is Sesame Chicken?
It’s one of the most popular Chinese recipes found in Chinese restaurants and takeouts in the United States.
Everyone loves this deep-fried and crispy chicken coated with a sweet and savory sesame sauce.
Garnished with white sesame seeds, the crispy chicken and sauce pairs perfectly with a bowl of steamed rice.
This is the BEST recipe you will find online! It’s easy, authentic and tastes the same, if not better than Chinese restaurants!
Sesame Chicken Sauce
The sweet and savory sesame sauce is the star of the dish. It calls for the following ingredients:
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Water
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Sesame Chicken
It’s very easy to make the dish at home. First, prep the chicken, frying batter and the sauce.
Next, coat the chicken with the batter and deep fry. The final step is to make the sauce and coat the chicken with it.
This homemade recipe is very easy and fail-proof and takes less than 20 minutes to make.
Cooking Tips
For the best results that is the same as the best Chinese restaurants, please follow my cooking tips below:
- For the crispiest chicken, follow my batter recipe and coat the chicken evenly. The frying batter produces crispy, light and airy chicken. Shake off the excess batter before deep frying the chicken.
- Use chicken breast meat for the best flavor.
- Do not drown the chicken with too much sesame sauce. Too much sauce will make the chicken soggy and not crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Tso’s Chicken is a completely different dish with a spicy and dark sauce. Sesame sauce is sweet and savory in taste but not spicy. Both dishes are equally delicious!
For the best results, you should deep-fry the chicken. However, you can use an air fryer to air fry the chicken.
This recipe is only 306 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This meal is best served with steamed rice or noodles. For a wholesome Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 oz. (230g) boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- oil, for deep-frying
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- white sesame seeds, for garnishing
Frying Batter:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg white
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pinch salt
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce until well combined. Set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients for the Frying Batter in a bowl until well combined. Stir a few times to ensure there are no lumps and the batter is smooth. Add the chicken to the batter and stir to coat it evenly.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of oil in a wok or stockpot to 350°F (175°C) for deep-frying. Gently drop the chicken into the hot oil and immediately loosen them with a spatula to prevent the pieces from clumping together.
- Deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon, allowing the excess oil to drain by placing the chicken on a dish lined with paper towels. Discard the oil.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the sauce.
- As soon as the sauce thickens, add the fried chicken to the wok or skillet. Stir continuously until the chicken is evenly coated with the sauce. Dish out, garnish with white sesame, and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow This is the very first time I have ever left a comment on a recipe . I made this tonight followed recipe exactly including the tip to add more water if needed . It’s was so better then going to the Chinese restraunt.
Hats of to the chef …Thank you for sharing !
Bee, please help me! I made one of your Asian chicken dishes a month ago, and it was AMAZING. Now I can’t find the recipe anywhere! I thought it was the honey sesame, sesame, or thai sweet chili chicken, but none of these recipes call for separation of the batter ingredients like the one I used did. The recipe’s methods called for separating cornstarch, egg, and flour in 3 separate bowls, and then dipping the chicken into them separately. Do you have any idea which one this could be?! I’m grateful in advance!
Well, are you sure it’s Asian chicken recipe? You can check out https://rasamalaysia.com/tag/chicken/
Hello, um I was reading this and it looks good. Can’t wait to make it. But when you said heat up the stir-fry with the garlic in a wok or skillet. I am like where in the world did that come from? Because its not in the ingredients. Do you mean like stir-fry sauce or vegetables? Because I don’t see any vegetables in the photos. I just want to make sure! Thanks!
Samantha, you must not have read the recipe properly. It stated clearly that you will need 1 clove of garlic, minced. And the instructions said it clearly that “Heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic before adding the Sauce.”
My son challenged me to make sesame chicken as well as his favorite Chinese spot. I think mine (yours) was better!! I had the same issue with organic flour, but added more water and it was perfect! wondering if honey might be better than sugar. what are your thoughts? I used peanut oil, is that what you use? thanks for a great recipe!!
Love cooking and trying new recipes
After mixing chicken in sauce, and turning the heat off, the sauce turned sort of gelatinous…. what did i do wrong?
The sauce thickens. Yes, did you use corn starch?
I had been on a search for a simple and delicious Sesame Chicken recipe. None of them came close until THIS recipe. My mouth and belly went straight to happy land! I think it is better than any sesame chicken I have ate at Chinese restaurants. How good is this recipe? I’ve made it four times over the last two weeks. There is usually no leftovers, but the one time there were leftovers it heated up wonderfully the next day. Simple, easy to follow instructions. And that sauce–YUMMY! Thanks for a great recipe
Hi Tresa, thanks for loving my sesame chicken recipe. You won’t find better recipes on the internet. All my recipes are super easy and perfect balance of flavors: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Made this for lunch today and it was a hit! Simple to follow and delicious! The kids loved it and my husband said its his new fav dish! Thank you all the way from New Zealand!
The best recipe, sooo delicious, thank you! Made 2lbs of it this evening, we loved it, and always make enough for leftovers. I use peanut oil for frying, and added red chili oil and a little sesame oil to the perfect sauce you designed.
I only had organic whole wheat flour on hand, and it worked fine, adding a bit extra water to thin. The battered chicken puffed up beautifully, and so crispy. I want to try it for shrimp and vegetables next. As well as many other
of your recipes- keeping the wok ready. It truly was better than 3 of the restaurants we frequent for Asian food
(sesame chicken in particular). Very happy to have found your website, it’s wonderful.
Hi Denise, thanks so much for trying this recipe. I am so happy that you found my site too. Please check out more recipes: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
This was really good but I did forget the garlic and realized at the end that I didn’t have sesame seeds after all. The way it came out was really just perfect for all the members of the household and they wished I had made more.