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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.
This was absolutely delicious. I made this for my family this evening and it was a big hit. Will definitely be making it again! Thank you for posting.
Hi Max, thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
This was such a delicious recipe. I made no alterations, just used a little more chicken since I had extra batter left. I’ve been looking for a good crispy chicken recipe and this is it, thank you so much! :)
Hi Natalie, thanks for trying my recipe. I am so glad you like my recipe.
What kind of oil was used? Is vegetable oil okay for frying? Do we need sesame oil?
You don’t use sesame oil to fry, it’s not for frying. Use vegetable oil or other cooking oil to fry.
Hi
In your recipe…. needs an “R”
Fying Batter:
What kind of oil do you use for this recipe?
Sesame oil.
When do you use the sesame oil
There is no sesame oil in the ingredient.
I’m confused. DO YOU OR DON”T YOU USE SESAME OIL?????
WHAT KIND OF OIL in ingredients??????
There is no sesame oil in the recipe. It’s called sesame chicken because this is what they call it in Chinese restaurants. It has a lot of sesame seeds. You can add some sesame oil in your sauce but you really can’t taste the sesame oil if you just use a little bit.
Great Recipe
is it ok to make this sause in bulk and using it when needed?
Sure you can do that!
Amazing ! Just made this and the family went on and on about how delicious this was. I only added a little honey (1 T ) to the sauce- otherwise I stuck to the recipe . I used chicken breasts . This is going into our regular rotation! I have attempted a lot of sticky chicken dishes from Pinterest and none have turned out as delicious as this one! Thank you!
Hi Sarah, you won’t find better recipes elsewhere. My site has the best and delicious recipes. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I made this dish last night for my girlfriend and I last night and i have to say thank you it was a delish hit. to bad there was only 5 stars for the ratings because I would have giving it 20 stars. the batter was thick and I was worried about having enough to dip the chicken so I doubled the batter mixture and had enough. You were correct by saying its better than any take out food my girl friend said that to me and she never saw your comment on here. i am a true follower from this day on of your site thank you again Jim Perth Amboy New Jersey U S A
Hi James, thanks for your sweet comment. The batter should be thick because chicken has moisture inside and will dilute the batter. The thick batter will make the chicken crispy. Please try more recipes on my site, they are all good: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
The absolute best sesame chicken I’ve ever had!!! Better than ANY restaurant! I love that it’s easy, a little tedious with doing each piece of chicken (but soooo worth it) and I know exactly what goes into the recipe; something you never actually know when eating at a restaurant. I do double the sauce recipe – with the exception of the cornstarch/water, and it’s perfect. Love love love this, thank you for posting! Found this from Pinterest!
Hi Morgan, thanks, my recipes are all awesome and delicious. Please try more: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I literally just made this… my empty plate is still sitting on the table in front of me. Soooo good! And I agree with others – I pretty much followed the recipe exactly and it came out amazing. Much easier than I would have ever thought. Now I can start satisfying my Asian food cravings at home!