Sticky sesame chicken is an easy 20-minute dinner, perfect for using up those chicken breasts in the freezer or saving money on takeout. This crunchy, saucey chicken is savory, sweet, and can be made spicy too, if you like! Plate over rice or spicy peanut noodles.
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Sesame sticky chicken is one of those comforting and iconic dishes you can find at any Chinese takeout restaurant, but it's extra satisfying when you make it yourself! Whether you like it sweet and savory or extra spicy, this simple recipe will help you achieve super crispy, flavorful chicken that tastes great over rice, noodles, or fresh veggies.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Sesame oil: Or sesame-based chili oil for a spicier sauce
- Potato starch: You can also use corn starch, but potato starch yields a lighter, shatteringly crisp coating
- Egg: Just the white - toss the yolk, give it to your dog, or save it for another recipe
- MSG: Optional, but adds flavor. Don't worry, it's not bad for you. Read more about it here
- Gochugaru: You can also use white pepper or black pepper
- Oil: Peanut, canola, or vegetable oil will all work great here
- Ketchup: I know it sounds weird, but this is an essential ingredient in typical sesame sticky chicken sauce
- Rice wine vinegar: White wine vinegar is fine too
- Sesame seeds: Toasted sesame seeds are recommended
- Crushed red pepper: Or chili crisp (optional)
- Serrano: Optional
🍗 How To Make Sticky Sesame Chicken
Step 1: Slice chicken breast into 1-2" cubes. In a large mixing bowl, combine potato starch, flour, MSG, gochugaru, egg white, soy sauce, water, and mix until consistent. Add chicken pieces to the bowl and gently toss until thoroughly coated.
Step 2: Deep fry chicken at 330-340°F for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165°F). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a wire rack to cool.
Pro Tip: If you like your sticky sesame chicken extra crispy, you can turn the heat to high (around 375°F) and fry the chicken a second time for 30-60 seconds.
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic until smooth. Pour the sauce into a pan or skillet and boil 1-2 minutes or until thickened, then reduce to medium heat and gently mix in the pieces of chicken until fully coated.
Step 4: Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Optionally, you can also add crushed red pepper and thinly sliced serranos. Serve over a bed of rice or noodles.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Yes, if you want to avoid deep frying, you can cook the battered cubed chicken in an air fryer. I recommend air frying at 375°F for about 18 minutes, flipping pieces halfway through. Always check that the chicken is fully cooked before consuming, as more time may be needed.
The sticky sauce that coats sesame chicken is a sweet and savory mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, ketchup, honey, rice vinegar, and garlic.
Sesame chicken is usually sweet and savory, not spicy.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Make sure chicken breasts are completely defrosted before cooking.
- You may need to deep fry the chicken in batches to keep it from sticking together.
- If chicken pieces stick together while frying, cut them apart after cooling to check for undercooked sections. If so, return them to the oil and deep-fry over high heat for an extra 1-2 minutes.
- Store leftover sticky sesame chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in the oven at 400°F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- You can also reheat sesame sticky chicken in an air fryer at 380°F for 5-8 minutes.
🍖 More Tasty Chicken Recipes
If you like this sesame chicken recipe, try these easy chicken recipes next!
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📖 Recipe
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Sticky Sesame Chicken (With Spicy Option)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice chicken breast into 1-2" cubes. In a large mixing bowl, combine potato starch, flour, MSG, gochugaru, egg white, soy sauce, water, and mix until consistent. Add chicken pieces to the bowl and gently toss until thoroughly coated.
- Deep fry chicken at 330-340°F for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165°F). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a wire rack to cool.
- In a small bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic until smooth. Pour the sauce into a pan or skillet and boil 1-2 minutes or until thickened, then reduce to medium heat and gently mix in the pieces of chicken until fully coated.
- Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Optionally, you can also add crushed red pepper and thinly sliced serranos. Serve over a bed of rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you like your sticky sesame chicken extra crispy, you can turn the heat to high (around 375°F) and fry the chicken a second time for 30-60 seconds.
- Make sure chicken breasts are completely defrosted before cooking.
- You may need to deep fry the chicken in batches to keep it from sticking together.
- If chicken pieces stick together while frying, cut them apart after cooling to check for undercooked sections. If so, return them to the oil and deep-fry over high heat for an extra 1-2 minutes.
- Store leftover sticky sesame chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in the oven at 400°F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- You can also reheat sesame sticky chicken in an air fryer at 380°F for 5-8 minutes if there's only a small portion left.
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! If you do, we'd love to hear about it.