This Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is made of bite-size crispy chicken pieces that are battered, fried and then coated in a sweet Asian sticky sauce sprinkled with sesame seeds. If you are a Chinese food lover, then next time you want take out, I highly recommend you make this homemade version instead.
This Honey Sesame Chicken is at the top of my family's favorite list! It is better than Chinese takeout and fare more budget friendly.
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
✔️ This Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is an easy-to-make, budget-friendly, finger-licking favorite!
✔️ These delectable bites are coated with an easy to make savory honey sesame sauce that the whole family will love.
✔️ The sticky honey sesame sauce makes this a family favorite!
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
Corn starch and all-purpose flour to coat the chicken.
Cooking Wine, helps tenderize the chicken and adds flavor.
Sesame Oil: This is an important ingredient, it gives a certain flavor to the sauce that marinates the chicken pieces and should not be skipped.
Sweet Chili Sauce: You can find this in the grocery store near the hot sauces.
Oyster Sauce: No substitutions recommended. If you cannot use Oyster Sauce due to fish allergies, I just recommend leaving it out without a substitution.
🔪 Instructions
To batter the chicken
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, and sugar until combined. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch and place in a large ziplock bag. Drain the chicken and add to the flour mixture. Shake gently to coat.
To fry the chicken
- Add the oil to a deep fry pan over medium high heat and bring to 350 degrees.
- Gently place the chicken in the hot oil and fry until the chicken is cooked through and the batter is golden brown.
- Drain the chicken pieces on paper towels.
To make the sauce
- In a small bowl, mix the sweet chili sauce, ketchup, honey, oyster sauce, soy, sauce, and water in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Toss the sauce with fried chicken pieces. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions (if using).
🙋 Recipe FAQ's
Rice flour, potato starch, or arrowroot starch are good substitutes and will give the same crispy results as cornstarch.
Yes, you can. Strain any sediment from the oil and store it in an airtight container. After about 3 uses, the oil should be discarded.
💭 Top Tips
- Use a candy thermometer to keep track of the oil temperature. It should not go higher than 350. If it drops below 350, allow the oil to reheat before resuming frying the chicken.
- Marinating the chicken pieces imparts the flavor you want and will helps to tenderize the meat.
- Use a paper towel lined dish to drain the chicken pieces on allowing it to absorb excess oil.
📖 Variations
- Substitute medium shrimp for the chicken.
- Low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos can be substituted for regular soy sauce.
- Seasoned rice wine vinegar can be substituted for cooking wine.
- Maple syrup or brown sugar can be a substitute for honey.
- Stir ½ - 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the sauce mixture to amp it up to a spicy sauce.
🍽 Equipment
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
To make this ahead of time, the chicken can be fried and stored in the freezer up to 3 months. Just reheat the cooked chicken in the oven or air fryer and coat with the sauce when ready to serve.
🏫 What I've Learned
Dark meat has more flavor than whit meat and usually less expensive. For this reason I recommend using chicken thighs over chicken breasts. This recipe can be made with both types of chicken, whatever your preference may be.
3-4 inches of oil is all you need to deep fry the chicken pieces.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Honey Sesame Chicken recipe with a side of Garlic Scallion Noodles or brown rice, crab rangoon, Venison Potstickers, and air fryer egg rolls.
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If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Honey Sesame Chicken
Equipment
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Ingredients
for the chicken
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups oil for frying , enough to bring level up to 2 inches of oil
for the honey sesame sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds , optional
- 1 tablespoon green onions , green part only (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, and sugar until combined. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch and place in a large ziplock bag. Drain the chicken and add to the flour mixture. Shake gently to coat.
- Add the oil to a deep fry pan and heat to 350 degrees.
- Gently place the chicken in the hot oil and fry until the chicken is cooked through and the batter is golden brown.
- Drain the chicken pieces on paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix the sweet chili sauce, ketchup, honey, oyster sauce, soy, sauce, and water in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Toss the sauce with fried chicken pieces. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions (if using).
Kels says
You mention water in the sauce instructions but not in the ingredients, how much water?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Water is listed in the sauce ingredients list, it is 1/4 cup of water and is right below the soy sauce.
Teresa says
There appears to be an error in the sweet chili sauce measurement. How much sweet chili sauce?
Shelby says
3 Tablespoons. Thanks for letting me know. When I moved to a different printable recipe I must have cut that part off!
Brenda says
Was quite nice, but sauce had a too-strong flavour for us. I did double the sauce and used medium sherry in place of cooking wine. Probably would have to reduce soy and oyster sauces in the overall sauce. I think after those changes, this will be awesome! Will definitely be trying this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says
What a great recipe! I am glad you were on an Asian kick and came up with this great recipe!
Carlsbad Cravings says
This sounds incredible! I am loving all the flavors going on here - anything with oyster sauce is calling my name!
Life Tastes Good says
That picture makes me drool! The sauce sounds absolutely fabulous, Shelby! I love this recipe!!
Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads says
This looks wonderful!! I love anything Asian inspired!
From Valeries Kitchen says
This is one of my favorites on your site, Shelby. That picture is mouthwatering!
Renee Paj says
I must put this on my menu soon!! Looks fantastic!
Carrie R says
This sounds so delicious! I am always a fan of making our favorite take-out dishes at home. 🙂 Pinned!
The Food Hunter says
love Asian recipes...keep them coming!
The Food Hunter says
Adding this to my must try list
Linda Moore says
honey sesame chicken looks great and easy. will make it for dinner for my food critics.LOL
wade@avoiceformyson.com says
looks like a good recipe. i will give it a try. thanks.
craftypiggie says
I'm making this now is there a substitute for sweet Chili sauce I didn't notice this ingreident ty kat
honeyb says
Here is a recipe link for sweet chili sauce on allrecipes.com. Its great for a lot of things - like dipping your chicken or shrimp in. I even dip my fries in it 🙂 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-chili-thai-sauce/
陳悅琳 says
Thank you! It was perfect <3
Ale says
I just made it, OMG! it was incredible! please try it.
Thank you.
Unknown says
Yum! Just made this! Thank you for posting!
Anonymous says
I can't have shellfish, any suggestions on what to replace the oyster sauce with?
Shelby says
Here is a recipe for Vegetarian Oyster Sauce: http://www.recipecottage.com/vegetarian/oyster-sauce.html
Anonymous says
that looks scrumptious.
Shelby says
Thank you!
Pynk says
Asian food is my fav & yours looks very yummy. Will definitely be trying out this recipe! =]
Shelby says
Hope you enjoy!
Roxane says
how did you make the cheaters fried rice and egg rolls? i can't wait to try this it sounds yummy! thanks for sharing! 🙂
Shelby says
Hi Roxane 🙂 I made "cheaters" fried rice and egg rolls by buying them at the grocery store already made. The grocery I shop at has pre-made fried rice and egg rolls in their deli section - you just warm up and eat 🙂
Anonymous says
Hi Shelby,
I was wondering how many tsp. of sugar you put in the recipe? Thanks.
Shelby says
That is 1 teaspoon 🙂
Chalece says
Made this tonight and everyone loved it. I substituted the cooking wine for 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and some honey (to take away from the acidic taste of the vinegar). I also omitted the oyster sauce. It was fabulous! I'll definitely be making this again.
Shelby says
Chalece, glad you enjoyed it!
Anonymous says
Thanks for the recipe! My daughter LOVES Chinese food and she ate this up! She also said that it was better than take out Chinese! I will continue to make recipes from your blog!
Shelby says
Yay! and thank you!
Veronica Miller says
This sounds REALLY good. Pinned!
Shelby says
Thanks Veronica!
Nikki says
Just made this for my scholarship hall of 50 women. They loved it! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Shelby says
Your welcome Nikki! Glad it was loved!
Anonymous says
just had for dinner tonight....very yummy, better than takeout
Shelby says
Happy to hear it! 🙂
Anonymous says
This recipe is amazing! so simple and tastes sensational! I have made its several times already. Thanks so much!
Shelby says
Your welcome and I'm glad you enjoy it!
Shelby says
Allyson, I'm sorry to hear that...you can always cut the ketchup down and use more chili sauce or use hoisin sauce instead. Play around a little to see what flavors work for you. If the sauce doesn't simmer long enough it will be thin. If you want it to thicken quicker, just thicken it with a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 1/8 cold water (mix together) and whisk it into the sauce while it is simmering. It should thicken. The chicken should be slightly damp to hold the flour/cornstarch mixture and you don't want the coating to be too thick. I'm not sure how your chicken cme out so I'm not sure what to tell you about a solution. Good luck and if you do try it again, I hope it works out for you.
allysoncroxton says
I just made this and I don't know what I did wrong but that sauce just ended up being an over powerful, very thin ketchup-y tasting sauce. I followed the recipe exactly, so I don't know where I went wrong. My chicken doesn't look anything like your picture:(
Thomas Family says
What kind of cooking wine is used for this recipe?? I have never cooked with it and I'm not a drinker so i'm not sure what to use!! Any advice?? Thanks!
Shelby says
You can use just regular cooking wine you would find in the grocery store or just use chicken broth or even just leave it out entirely. I sometimes use Mirin in place which is a sweet Japanese cooking wine.
Shelby says
I don't think it taste fishy, but if your worried about it you could probably cut the oyster sauce to 1/2 tablespoon. The combination of the other sauces help cut the strong flavor of the oyster sauce.
Anonymous says
It looks delicious! But does the oyster sauce make it taste fishy at all?
Anonymous says
This recipe was the first thing i have ever cooked in my whole entire life and im 16!! and it turned out great!! thanks for the recipe 🙂
Andrew's Mom says
I love Asian foods and especially sesame chicken! Yummy.
Deliciously Organic says
This looks fabulous! No need to order Chinese out when I can make something this fantastic at home. Thanks!
Sherlly says
I made this for dinner today and it came out really delicious! hassle free, easy, and of coarse flavorful!
Katy ~ says
Shelby, this looks good! I think I'll have to give this a try, without sesame seeds because of food allergies.
Heavenly Housewife says
Yummy! I havent eaten this in a long time. My mouth is watering at the thought of this.
*kisses* HH
Tupper Cooks! says
Hey I just saw your in Hermon- cool. Nice to meet another North Country neighbor!
Tupper Cooks! says
Very nice- I've been on a bit of a chinese kick lately. Ran across a recipe for General Tso's at Recipe Rhapsody a couple of weeks ago and made it again last night- it's my wife's new favorite. Yours looks great-I'll try it next time-thanks for the inspiration.
comfycook says
I love Asian food. This chicken stikes a chord. I am off to get the recipe.
comfycook says
I love Asian food. This chicken stikes a chord. I am off to get the recipe.
Tami says
That looks amazing. A lot of Asian recipes I make at home just don't taste as good as the restaurant versions but this is one I have to try!
Thank you so much for sharing. Your photos are awesome.
Leslie says
I have been on an Asian kick too. I suppose I need to get posting!
teresa says
this looks so delicious!! i love that shiny sauce!
Megan says
Yes, I'm seeing a pattern. I have also found myself thinking of you and your Asian kick during the day. I'm thinking I need to make some of this with the crack noodles!
Megan says
Yes, I'm seeing a pattern. I have also found myself thinking of you and your Asian kick during the day. I'm thinking I need to make some of this with the crack noodles!
Cristine says
That is how I do my menu plans. I just make a menu for the week and choose as I go what I will make each day. 🙂
This looks SO good! I will definately be making this!
noble pig says
Thsi looks amazing!!
Jessie says
being from NYC, I am such a huge fan of chinese food. We eat it at least 3 times a month lol. This looks great!
Jill's Comfort Zone says
I sure do notice the pattern! This looks yummy!
Deeba PAB says
I see the trend and I love it...truly delicious. Simple too!!
Glenna says
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm....now I really want that for lunch!
Cajun Chef Ryan says
Oh my, once we finish our first six weeks on ETL, we are going to treat ourselves to some form of animal protein. This is an all time favorite for my son whenever we visit oriental restaurants. Sesame chicken!
Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
ICook4Fun says
Hi there, thanks for the mentioned and trying this recipe. Glad that you like it.
Suzanne a.k.a. vivisue says
Finding Asian food - GOOD Asian food is like finding a needle in a haystack. This looks wonderful and is a much needed recipe since we love Asian food but have few places to eat it "out". This will be showing up on my menu!
Barbara Bakes says
Sounds like a delicious kick to be on. This looks like a recipe my family would love too.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
I love Asian food and this recipe looks like a winner to me! Thanks for sharing.
Amanda says
Oh for pete's sake! Wrong link LOL Here's the correct one for Cooking with Kai http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ltkman#g/u
Amanda says
I'm a total sucker for many Asian dishes, I love them. I've made several from a You Tube video series called Cooking with Kai, here's the link if you want to try some https://grumpyshoneybunch.com/are-you-seeing-pattern-here-lately/
Yum!!
pegasuslegend says
I seriously think your a mind reader, this is the only chinese food I can eat and we like due to no onion in it, as I am allergic, have never figured out whats in it. now my dear friend you are a genius, I love this recipe and am printing it out right now! thank you so much!
Frieda says
ooooh, yummy! If you like General Tsao's (you can make it mild for Grumpy), come on over and check out my recipe....so good! I'm looking for an orange chicken recipe that is like Panda's.....
Tangled Noodle says
I have absolutely no complaints about your recent Asian kick! This looks perfectly delicious - love that sweet sauce. 😎