Crispy Sesame Chicken Recipe with Sticky Sweet Sauce

Easy Sesame Chicken — a simple, sticky-sweet sesame chicken you can make at home that tastes like takeout.

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At Sweet C’s I include helpful tips in my recipes because I’m a home cook, not formally trained. I want even beginners to feel confident in the kitchen by understanding why ingredients and steps matter.

Homemade Takeout Style Sesame Chicken

This sesame chicken is sweet, sticky, and tender with a light, crispy batter the whole family will enjoy. If you like the sweeter chicken dishes from American-style takeout, this recipe recreates that flavor at home using everyday ingredients.

The sauce is quick to make and pairs well with broccoli, shrimp, fish, or asparagus in addition to chicken. This is an Americanized takeout-style recipe rather than an authentic Chinese dish — it’s designed to be a satisfying, from-scratch version of popular sesame chicken you might order in a mall food court or at a chain restaurant.

How To Make Sesame Chicken

Ingredients you’ll need and why they’re used:

• Chicken breasts or tenders: This recipe uses tender strips cut into bite-size pieces for convenience. You can swap thighs for a juicier, more traditional result.
• Oil for frying: Peanut oil is preferred for its flavor and high smoke point; canola or vegetable oil works too.
• All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the batter for a crisp coating.
• Egg: Binds the batter so it adheres to the chicken.
• Cornstarch: Helps create a light, crispy crust by reducing gluten formation and absorbing moisture.
• Baking powder: Promotes browning and helps the coating puff slightly for extra crispness.
• Garlic powder, ginger powder, paprika, salt, and pepper: Season the batter for balanced savory flavor.
• Sesame oil and fresh ginger: Give the sauce a nutty, warm aroma and bright ginger flavor.
• Honey: A natural sweetener that adds shine and stickiness to the sauce.
• Soy sauce: Provides salty, umami depth that balances the sweet components.
• Brown sugar and ketchup: Brown sugar adds molasses notes; ketchup contributes acidity and tang to round out the sauce quickly.

Basic process overview:

• Bread and fry the chicken: Dip the chicken in the batter, then fry in hot oil until golden and crisp.
• Make the sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together, heat briefly until thickened, and toss or brush over the cooked chicken.
• Finish and serve: Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions and serve over rice or with vegetables.

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Sesame Chicken

Use thighs for juicier chicken: Substitute boneless, skinless thighs cut into 1–2″ pieces if you prefer a more traditional texture.

Prefer honey to bottled sauces: Honey gives a clean, natural sweetness and glossy finish without the artificial aftertaste of some store-bought sauces.

Adjust thickness with cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken and glaze the sauce. Omit it if you want a thinner sauce.

Recipe FAQs

What To Serve With Sesame Chicken

This sesame chicken pairs beautifully with steamed rice and simple sides like garlic green beans or sesame-ginger grilled bok choy. Some other complementary dishes include grilled Korean-style ribs, salt-and-pepper shrimp, crispy tofu and soba noodles, or teriyaki pork — all great options for an Asian-inspired meal.

Try these other Asian favorites:

Korean Flanken Ribs (Galbi / Kalbi)

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Crispy Tofu And Soba Noodles Stir Fry

Best Baked Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

You’ll also find full side-dish and chicken recipe archives on the site for more inspiration.

If you enjoy this recipe, please leave a rating and comment — it helps others find it and lets me know how it turned out for you.

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Easy Sesame Chicken

By: Courtney O’Dell

Servings: 6

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 45 mins

Crispy chicken coated in a sticky-sweet sesame sauce, finished with sesame seeds and green onions. Great over rice or with steamed vegetables.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• Oil for frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 lb chicken tender strips, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste or finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ketchup

Instructions

1. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep cast-iron pan over medium heat to roughly 265°F (about medium-high for many stoves).
2. Whisk together the flour, water, egg, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder and paprika in a large bowl to make a batter.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the batter. When the oil is hot, drain 6–8 pieces lightly from the batter and fry until light golden, about 3–4 minutes.
4. Drain cooked pieces on paper towels and repeat with remaining chicken.
5. To make the sauce: heat sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the ginger and cook briefly (about 30 seconds), then add honey, soy sauce, brown sugar and ketchup. Stir and cook until slightly thickened, about 4–6 minutes.
6. Place the fried chicken on a cooling rack and brush or toss with the sauce until evenly coated. Reserve a little sauce if you like it on the side.
7. Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, then serve immediately over rice or with vegetables.

Notes

This chicken stores without sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 365°F oven for about 5 minutes to restore crispness. Store the sauce separately for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 687 kcal | Carbohydrates: 65 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 33 g | Saturated Fat: 6 g | Cholesterol: 101 mg | Sodium: 2066 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 16 g

Nutrition information is an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Chinese (American-style sesame chicken)

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