Sesame Chicken – Better Than Takeout! (VIDEO)
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Crispy, juicy Sesame Chicken is coated in the most delicious sticky, savory sauce! Make it at home and you won’t need to order takeout again!
Watch the Sesame Chicken Recipe Video Below!
A Note from CJ
The secret to the best Sesame Chicken is…
Double frying the batter that is made of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder! Each ingredient does it’s part when fried to make this the crispiest Sesame Chicken – the flour and cornstarch prevents gluten development, which makes the batter crispy, golden brown; the baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which helps the outer layer get crispy while keeping it light and airy.
If you love Chinese Take-Out, recreate your favorite meal at home with Egg Rolls, Chicken Fried Rice (Shrimp Fried Rice), Shrimp Lo Mein (Chicken Lo Mein), and Egg Drop Soup or Hot and Sour Soup!
This is the best recipe, I have been making this all the time for over a year and have not gotten sick of it. Love love love!!!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- chicken breast – I like to use 1″ pieces of chicken breast that are cut into similar sized pieces so the chicken cooks evenly. You can substitute with chicken thigh if you prefer.
- Shaoxing wine – If you can’t find it, you can substitute with mirin, sherry, or even chicken broth.
- garlic and ginger – I recommend grating with a microplane so it becomes paste-like – this works better for marinades.
How to Make Sesame Chicken
Marinate Chicken and Mix Sauce – Add the chicken pieces to a bowl with kosher salt, white pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Mix well to combine, then marinate for at least 15 minutes. In a separate small bowl, create your sauce by combining light soy sauce, ketchup, chicken stock, sugar, honey, and sesame oil. Mix until well combined and set aside.
Dredge Chicken and Mix Cornstarch Slurry – In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, white pepper, and baking powder and mix well to combine. Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the flour & cornstarch mixture. Pack in the dredge with your hands to ensure there are no dry spots and shake off any excess. Let rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes while you heat your oil. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved to create the cornstarch slurry and set it aside.
Fry Chicken Twice – Line a tray with foil or a wire rack. In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, heat 1 quart of neutral oil to 350F and fry half of the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the chicken to the tray, then repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Remove the chicken pieces from the oil, then bring the oil temperature back to 350F and fry all the chicken pieces at once for a second time for 1-2 minutes until a deep golden brown.
Cook Sauce and Coat Chicken – In a pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tbsp of neutral oil and fry the garlic and ginger for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Immediately add your sauce until it starts to bubble (about 45-60 seconds). Add the cornstarch slurry and the vinegar, and continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. Add your chicken and coat in the sauce and finish with sesame seeds and sesame oil. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
Coat Chicken Thoroughly – Individually coat the chicken pieces in the dry seasoning mix so that there are no dry spots. Be sure to pack the dry mix in to the chicken with your hands (I like squeezing it in) to properly coat the chicken so the batter sticks.
Monitor the Oil Temperature – Do not let the frying oil drop below 325F when frying! I highly recommend using a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. If you see it dropping below 325F, fry the chicken in batches – frying at a lower temperature will result in the chicken turning oily/soggy.
Storage and Reheating – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Because Sesame Chicken is battered, fried, and coated in a sticky sauce, air-frying isn’t the best way to reheat. I personally like to reheat in a hot pan or wok – this helps me separate any pieces stuck together and I can try to restore some of the texture. If you don’t care about this, you can also reheat until warmed through in a microwave.
If you tried this Sesame Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Sesame Chicken (VIDEO)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, and cut into 1" pieces
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Sauce
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Seasoned Dredge
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1 quart plus 2 tablespoons neutral oil, for frying and sauteing; I used avocado oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken pieces to a bowl with kosher salt, white pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Mix well to combine, then marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, create your sauce by combining light soy sauce, ketchup, chicken stock, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, white pepper, and baking powder and mix well to combine. Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the flour & cornstarch mixture. Pack in the dredge with your hands to ensure there are no dry spots and shake off any excess. Let rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes while you heat your oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved to create the cornstarch slurry and set it aside.
- Line a tray with foil or a wire rack. In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, heat 1 quart of neutral oil to 350F and fry half of the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the chicken to the tray, then repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Remove the chicken pieces from the oil, then bring the oil temperature back to 350F and fry all the chicken pieces at once for a second time for 1-2 minutes until a deep golden brown.
- In a pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tbsp of neutral oil and fry the garlic and ginger for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Immediately add your sauce until it starts to bubble (about 45-60 seconds). Add the cornstarch slurry and the vinegar, and continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. Add your chicken and coat in the sauce and finish with sesame seeds and sesame oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This authentic Chinese takeout Sesame Chicken recipe was originally published in February 2023, and updated in June 2026.
The sauce is delicious! We used GF 1-1 flour to make this gluten free as it’s very hard to find GF Chinese food. Kids loved it.
Delightful and delicious.
So easy and so good!
Absolutely deliciously and easy to make. This is a regular favourite in our house.
Made this recipe today, was so good. My new go-to Sesame Chicken recipe. The sauce would go well pork as well.
Wow. Delicious. Way better than takeout and the directions were super easy to follow. I especially appreciate the way you organized the ingredients into categories. I don’t normally deep fry on a weeknight but I think this was worth it! Wondering if anyone has tried this method with an air fryer?
Check out the air fryer orange chicken or air fryer general tso’s chicken recipe! You can use the same method and swap the sauces!
So good! Love it!
Good, clear instructions, easy recipe and really great taste
Great recipe! Crispy chicken with a flavorful sauce ( I added some chopped fresh red chilies for some added heat).
Might cut back on the white pepper next time, as this seemed like to dominant flavor in the recipe.
What kind of vinegar are you supposed to use? I just made this and used regular white vinegar. It came out good but I want to make sure I got the flavor right.
Thank you
I used distilled white vinegar! I’m glad you enjoyed it!