Sesame Chicken
Crisp chicken in a sweet, glossy sesame sauce.
Ingredients
- 600 g Chicken thighs
- 80 g Cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 400 ml Neutral oil
Method
- Cube the chicken and coat it in the beaten egg and cornstarch; mince the garlic.
- Whisk the soy, honey, and rice vinegar together into a glaze.
- Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan and fry the chicken in batches until deep golden and crisp, then lift out and drain.
- Pour off most of the oil, sizzle the garlic until fragrant, then pour in the glaze and let it bubble to a syrup. Toss the chicken and sesame seeds through to coat.
- Serve with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Sesame Chicken
Sesame chicken is a mainstay of Chinese-American takeout — crisp fried chicken tossed in a sweet, glossy, sesame-flecked sauce. This version uses chicken thighs, cubed and coated in egg and cornstarch, which fry up shatteringly crisp and stay juicier than breast meat would. The sauce is a quick glaze of soy, honey, and rice vinegar, reduced with sizzled garlic until it turns syrupy and clings to every piece.
The pleasure is textural and immediate: crunchy fried chicken against a sticky, glistening coating that's sweet, tangy, and savory all at once, with toasted sesame seeds adding nutty depth. Frying the chicken in batches keeps the oil hot so the crust sets properly rather than steaming, and tossing it in the sauce only at the last moment preserves that crunch. Served over steamed rice, it's a satisfying dinner for four that hits the same craving as the takeout box, made fresher and crisper at home.
Sesame Chicken: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Sesame Chicken?
A serving has about 625 calories — 29.1g protein, 34.8g carbs, 40.9g fat, 1.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 29.1g of protein, roughly 19% of its calories.
Is Sesame Chicken gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Sesame Chicken take to make?
About 32 minutes start to finish, but only around 23 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Sesame Chicken make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.