Sesame Chicken

Name: Sesame Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoon rice vinegar; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; ⅓ cup water; 2 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; ½ cup cornstarch; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 2 egg whites; ½ cup soda water; 1 pound chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes); 2 teaspoon sesame oil; 3 cloves garlic (minced); ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; ½ cup vegetable oil (for frying)

This Sesame Chicken is incredibly easy to make, 10 times better than take-out and ready in just 30 minutes! Battered pieces of chicken fried to crispy perfection and tossed in a delicious sweet and savory sauce. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!

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Sesame Chicken

This is the perfect chicken dish if you’re craving Asian food! Better than take-out and ready in just 30 minutes, this sesame chicken is ideal for your weekly dinner rotation. Chicken thigh pieces, battered, fried and then tossed in a delicious sweet and salty sauce! Easy, quick and better than you’ll get from a restaurant.

Simple Steps
Tasty Flavors
Fast Cooking
Family Favorite

With the best balance between prep and cooking time, just 15 minutes each process, and just a few simple ingredients you most likely have around in your pantry, you can make this beautiful chicken dish for your family on any day of the week. And I can’t promise you any leftovers once they taste them.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make sauce for sesame chicken.

For Sauce

Soy Sauce – I prefer low sodium to control the sodium level of my dish.
Rice Vinegar – To add some nice acidity and balance out the flavors.
Brown Sugar – To give that nice caramel glaze coating.
Cornstarch – We need a little bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit.
Sesame Seeds – Regular or toasted work well.

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make sesame chicken.

For Batter

Cornstarch – This is going to make the chicken extra crispy.
Flour – All-purpose flour along with the cornstarch will crisp up our chicken.
Eggs – We only need the egg whites to make this tempura batter.
Soda Water – The bubbles in soda water create pockets of air that expand under heat, making our final pieces of chicken that’s coated in this batter, lighter in texture.

For Chicken

Chicken Thighs – Chicken breast works well too. Boneless, skinless chicken meat cut into bite-sized cubes.
Sesame Oil – Regular or toasted sesame oil is totally fine.
Garlic – Use as much as you like for that extra garlicky flavor.
Red Pepper Flakes – For that extra heat. Feel free to skip them if you can’t handle any spice.
Vegetable Oil – Any high-temp oil works well to cook your chicken in.

How To Make Sesame Chicken

Make the sauce: In a small bowl add all the sauce ingredients together and whisk well. Set aside.
Make the batter and dip chicken: In shallow plate or bowl, combine all the batter ingredients together. Dip the chicken pieces into the batter and coat thoroughly.
Fry chicken: Add the vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat until it reaches 350°F. Add the chicken to the skillet, piece by piece, making sure they don’t touch each other and fry until golden brown. You will need to do this in batches.
Finish the dish: In another skillet or wok, add the 2 tsp of sesame oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the sauce to the skillet and the fried chicken. Toss everything together well.
Garnish and serve: Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

FAQ’s and Expert Tips

Can I use any other cut of chicken?

Yes, definitely! You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast as well. I prefer chicken thighs because they’re a bit juicier, but breasts work just as well.

Can I keep the sugar out of the recipe?

This is a sweet and salty sauce, so omitting the brown sugar is not recommended. The brown sugar adds a molasses flavor to the sauce.

Is there any other way to cook the chicken?

Tempura batter is usually fried so it’s light and crispy, it’s not usually baked.

sesame chicken over cooked rice on a white plate.

Expert Tips

You can serve these delicious chicken bites over Jasmine Rice or Basmati Rice. They also work well with some tasty rice noodles and chopped veggies on the side.
When frying the chicken, make sure to use enough oil so that it comes at least halfway up the side of the chicken.
Use a low sodium/light soy sauce in the sauce, not a dark soy sauce, which will make the sauce too dark.

Leftovers

Fridge

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.