This Crispy Sesame Chicken recipe sure beats the one we order in the restaurant. Its crispy and sweet-savory sesame flavor is very addictive, in a good way!
If you’re craving restaurant-style Chinese food at home, this Crispy Sesame Chicken is the recipe you’ve been looking for! With its golden, crunchy coating and sweet-savory sesame sauce, it’s a family favorite that’s even better than takeout.
This dish is one of the most popular items in Chinese restaurants, often paired with Chicken Fried Rice or Lo Mein noodles. But here’s the best part—you don’t need to order delivery. With a few simple steps, you can make this crispy sesame chicken at home in under 40 minutes.
My family absolutely loves it—my son especially asks for seconds every time I make it!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CRISPY SESAME CHICKEN
- Super crispy, never soggy chicken
- Sweet, sticky sesame sauce with a hint of garlic and ginger
- Easy to make with pantry ingredients
- Cheaper and healthier than takeout
HOW TO MAKE THE CHICKEN CRISPY?
The key to this dish is the crispiness of the chicken. We prefer our sesame chicken crispy and not soggy. And to make that happen, you have to fry the chicken first dipped in beaten eggs and then flour mixture. The flour mixture includes cornstarch, which gives and makes the chicken more crispy.
HOW TO MAKE THE SAUCE?
Making the sauce is so easy. Grated garlic and ginger give this sauce a little boost of flavor. Hoisin sauce and brown sugar give its sweet flavor.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. You can add a tablespoon or 2 of honey to give more sweet flavor. And you can also add 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce if you want to add a little bit of sweet and heat.
After you combine all the sauce ingredients, make sure you mix it very well, pour the sauce into the clean pan and wait for it to boil and get bubbly, stirring occasionally, before adding the fried chicken.
MAKING THE SESAME CHICKEN
When the sauce starts to boil and get bubbly, it is now ready to add the crispy chicken. Make sure you don’t over boil the sauce and burn it by accident.
Lightly stir to incorporate the sauce into the chicken.
RECOMMENDED KITCHEN TOOLS
- Wok or deep skillet – for frying the chicken – https://amzn.to/4mF2stg
- Mixing bowls – to prepare the batter and sauce – https://amzn.to/4pKAZZF
- Whisk – for mixing sauce ingredients – https://amzn.to/4pJ4Th1
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer – to remove fried chicken from the oil – https://amzn.to/46LgFip
- Saucepan – to cook the sesame sauce – https://amzn.to/3Wc6o9Q
- Tongs – to toss chicken with the sauce – https://amzn.to/4nWZdyl
If Crispy Sesame Chicken is one of your go-to takeout dishes, you’ll love how easy and delicious this homemade version is.
Try this recipe tonight, then leave a comment below: Do you like your sesame chicken extra crispy or extra saucy?
Snap a photo and tag us on social media. #lerrieskitchen or @lerrieskitchen
And don’t forget to share this recipe on Pinterest or Facebook so more food lovers can enjoy it too!
Crispy Sesame Chicken
This Crispy Sesame Chicken recipe sure beats the one we order in the restaurant. Its crispy and sweet-savory sesame flavor is very addictive, in a good way!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place the eggs in a separate bowl, whisk with salt and pepper.
In another bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil on medium-high.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture and then into the flour.
Add the chicken into the pan, do not overcrowd. Cook one side then flip to the other side, cook until golden brown and crispy, roughly around 5 to 7 minutes. Depending on how large your pan, you might do 2 to 3 batches. Set aside the cooked crispy fried chicken.
While the chicken is cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
After cooking all the chicken, remove all the extra oil from the pan, and then quickly clean with paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
Add the sauce mixture into the pan, let it boil for a minute or two or until bubbly. Stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked crispy chicken and stir for a minute to incorporate the sauce.
Top with sesame seeds and green onions.
6 servings
1 cup
- Amount per serving
- Calories993
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 82.6g106%
- Saturated Fat 13.1g66%
- Cholesterol 156mg52%
- Sodium 1306mg57%
- Total Carbohydrate 29.9g11%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Total Sugars 7.7g
- Protein 38.7g
- Calcium 52mg4%
- Iron 3mg17%
- Potassium 355mg8%
- Vitamin D 5mcg25%
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Hi, I'm Lerrie! Come join me in my kitchen as I bring Filipino favorites and global recipes to life. Born and raised in the Philippines and now living in the US, I love sharing the food I've missed most from home. 
This looks awesome! My family loves takeout and I am always looking for ways to achieve the same results at home. I will be sure to try this one. Thank you for sharing!
Sesame Chicken is my FAVORITE! I’d love to make it myself, but I think I get to lazy and just order out. Thanks for the recipe – doesn’t seem difficult so I should just take the plunge and make it.
This looks really good! I did something similar with the wild turkey my son got last spring. I hope he gets another this spring, so I can try this recipe on it.
This looks so delicious and easy to make! I will definitely be giving this a try.
This recipe sounds amazing. I think I need to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This looks DELICIOUS!!
This looks delicious. I love anything with crispy chicken. Definitely going to try this.
Looks amazing! I can never get my chicken crispy. I will have to add the cornstarch. Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing wrong all this time!
I do enjoy Sesame Chicken but never thought it possible to make at home. This sounds so delicious, and I love that you share a tip for making the chicken extra crispy! I may give this a try. Pinned! 😋
This looks amazing! My husband is gluten-free so I need to try this with a gluten-free flour. It looks so good!
This looks and sounds so tasty!
Yummy!