When I was in high school, I had a part-time job at a Chinese restaurant taking phone orders. Having seen how everything is made – the key here is to use a lot of sugar and to deep fry everything (including the vegetables that get stir fried later!) — I’m amazed that I’m not scarred for life. I still want to stuff myself with egg rolls, crab rangoons, and General Tso’s chicken all the time. When James and I came back from Italy, the first thing I wanted to eat was chicken lo mein. He wanted sesame chicken. Pizza and pasta overdose, I guess?
The convenience of having food delivered to you can’t be beat for sure, but I always wake up the next day looking like a Pillsbury dough girl. And not in a cute way either. This Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken is my take on the popular takeout dish.
Chunks of boneless, skinless chicken are coated in a light batter, fried until crispy and golden brown, tossed in a sweet and sticky sauce, and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. It tastes just as good as (or better than!) the one from your favorite takeout joint, and it’s not drowned in sodium- and MSG-laden sauce.
Plus, it’s super quick and easy. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish (which is probably less time than you can get it delivered to you), and you don’t need to marinate the chicken beforehand. Serve it over a bed of hot, fluffy rice for a delicious, satisfying meal!
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ tsp dark sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsps water
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil to 375F over medium high heat. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and water until well blended. Dip chicken pieces into the flour mixture, toss to coat, and fry in the hot oil in small batches until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar, and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until well blended. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat and slowly add in the cornstarch mixture, whisking continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Add the cooked chicken and toss to coat well.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm over rice.
Sesame chicken is my favorite but I haven’t been able to find a good one around here. I’m super excited to try your recipe!
Hope you like it! :)
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’ve seen a lot of crockpot or baked sesame chicken recipes online but there’s nothing I love more than crispy pieces of chicken coated with the sticky sauce. Unfortunately the takeout joint near me is a 15 min drive so by the time I get home, the chicken piece are no longer crispy. Gotta give this one a try. Thanks!
I like it crispy too. If you want it even crispier, you can try frying it twice: first time until pale golden (not completely cooked through), drain and wait until it cools to room temperature, and second time until golden brown.
Oh man…this looks delicious. I’m getting late-night snack cravings for sesame chicken…is that weird?
I get late-night cravings for buffalo wings :-p
I made this last night and everyone in my family LOVED it! They say it’s better than the ones from takeout and actually tastes less greasy.
Great to hear that! Yes, there’s only a touch of sesame oil in the sauce. If you drain the chicken really well, the dish isn’t greasy at all.
Definitely worth trying and affordable too.