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Homemade Sesame Chicken is a delicious dish with fried chicken pieces tossed in a tasty Asian sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and served on a bed of rice. It’s an easy recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner. It’s a meal the whole family will love.

Homemade Sesame Chicken

This sesame chicken recipe is so much better than ordering Chinese takeout. The ingredients are fresh and you get to control what you include. That’s what’s so great about cooking homemade meals! This dish is easily altered to fit your style and preferences which makes it perfect for everyone in your family, including the picky eaters. 

You can easily make the chicken and sauce ahead of time. Store them in containers in the fridge and when you’re ready to eat, heat them up and toss them together. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for a beautiful touch and serve them with white rice.

How To Make Homemade Sesame Chicken

Add at least three inches of oil to a heavy pan and heat over medium heat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and soy sauce in one bowl.

Combine the cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, then coat with the flour mixture.

Place in the hot oil and fry until golden brown, around 5 minutes per batch.

Continue cooking in batches until all the chicken has been fried.

While the chicken is frying, prepare the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a large saucepan.

Stir to combine and heat over medium heat until the sauce begins to simmer, then reduce to medium low and simmer until thickened, around 10 minutes.

Remove the sauce from heat and toss the chicken until all the pieces are coated.

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Tips for Success/Variations:  

Here are some tips and variations that will make this the best homemade sesame chicken you’ve ever eaten. 

• To make this chicken a little sweeter, add one to two tablespoons of honey. 
• You can make this dish in an instant pot. Fry the chicken firsts, then add all the ingredients to the pressure cooker. Seal on the lid, cook for 5 minutes, carefully release the steam, remove the lid, serve with sesame seeds and rice.  
• Easily turn this dish into stir fry by adding broccoli, water chestnuts, carrots, celery, peanuts, peppers, or snap peas. 
• If you’d like to cut out the oil from frying, you can bake the chicken pieces instead.

How To Serve:

Sesame chicken can be eaten as a meal by itself and also goes well with other side dishes. If you want to keep it easy, try these Slow Cooker Loaded Mashed Potatoes. They go into the slow cooker in the morning and are ready with the chicken in the evening. 

These Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with bacon are a perfect complement to honey pecan chicken. The bacon and pecans go together wonderfully and the sweet potatoes are a great balance to the chicken. 

Roasted Green Beans are easy to throw together and are baked in the oven while the chicken is cooking. These crunchy green beans are a great side for the pecan-crusted chicken. 

How To Store:

Store the leftover chicken in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat it, heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments until it’s warm all the way through. It should reach 165 degrees. 

Chicken freezes well, too. Place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To eat the chicken, allow it to thaw in the fridge or defrost it in the microwave using the defrost setting. 

FAQs: 

Can I make sesame chicken in the air fryer? 

Yes, you can use the air fryer to cook the chicken instead of frying them in oil. This will cut down on the fat and the chicken will still be nice and crispy. 

Is this dish keto-friendly? 

Yes, sesame chicken is low-carb and perfect for a keto diet.

Can I make sesame chicken gluten-free? 

You can easily make the chicken gluten-free by using only cornstarch and not flour when coating it. Be sure to check the sauces to make sure they are also gluten-free.