Crispy, pan-fried chicken tossed with a sticky, glossy sauce makes this 30-minute honey sesame chicken a surefire favorite the whole family will love. Serve with steamed rice, air fryer fried rice, or veggies for a better-than-takeout night in that rivals your favorite restaurant.
Sweet and sour was always my favorite take-out order as a child, and this recipe feels like a slightly more sophisticated version of that dish. Sweet honey, salty soy sauce, and deeply umami sesame oil come together to make a seriously delicious sauce tossed with crispy pan-fried, juicy chicken thigh pieces.
Served with steamed rice, fresh scallions, and cilantro, it makes for a very speedy better-than-takeout idea that’s also perfect for weeknights. You could also stuff the chicken into fluffy steamed bao buns or pile them on top of two-ingredient dough garlic naan with a crunchy Asian-style slaw for a different, fun twist on the recipe. Or go all out on the better-than-takeout night and pair it with this super easy air fryer fried rice.
Traditionally, the chicken in this recipe would be battered and deep-fried, but here we’ll just pan-fry the chicken pieces. It works just as well, and the cornstarch coating helps to create a light and crispy crust, without the stress and faff of deep-frying. Plus, it’s a whole lot healthier.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super quick and easy – it takes just 30 minutes to make.
- Full of sweet and salty flavors that the whole family will love.
- A great, better-for-you alternative to typical take-out.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs. Use skinless, boneless, and free-range chicken thighs. I like to use this cut because thighs are juicier than chicken breasts or tenderloin, but you can use them if you prefer.
- Vegetable oil. You can use any neutral oil with a high smoke point to cook your chicken pieces – sunflower, canola, peanut or avocado are good options. Just stay away from olive oil as it can burn.
- Cornstarch (cornflour). This ingredient serves two purposes – it gives the chicken a light and crispy crust, and it’s also used to thicken up the honey sesame sauce. If you can’t find it, use regular plain flour.
- The sauce. Use maple syrup instead of honey if you don’t have honey, and swap the rice vinegar for regular white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Honey Sesame Chicken
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the chicken – the full ingredients list, with quantities and instructions, is at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Toss your chicken pieces with cornstarch and a little salt.
2. Mix the ingredients for your honey sesame sauce in a small bowl.
PRO TIP: The reason we’re mixing the sauce separately first, rather than mixing all the ingredients in the pan, is that if you add cornstarch straight into a hot pan, it can become lumpy. Mixing it with the liquid first will stop this from happening.
3. Pan-fry the chicken in a little vegetable oil until golden all over, then remove it from the pan.
4. Pour the honey sesame sauce into the pan, and cook, stirring, until sticky, thick and glossy.
5. Add the chicken pieces back into the pan, and toss them through the gorgeous sauce.
6. Serve the chicken over rice, then sprinkle with more sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and cilantro.
Honey Sesame Chicken FAQs
You can – the chicken just may not be quite as juicy as it’s a leaner cut.
You can, and it keeps well for 3 days, stored in the fridge in a covered container. You won’t retain any crispiness on your chicken after storing it in the sauce, so just keep that in mind. You can also freeze it, then defrost it in the microwave (or overnight in the fridge).
I love to add steamed Asian greens (like pak choi or bok choi), or you could toss steamed or broiled broccoli through the sauce with the chicken to add extra greens.
Like This Recipe? Try These Better-Than-Takeout Ideas Next
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30 Minute Honey Sesame Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Crispy, pan-fried chicken tossed with a sticky, glossy sauce makes this 30-minute honey sesame chicken recipe a sure-fire favorite the whole family will love. Serve with steamed rice, air fryer fried rice, or veggies for a better-than-takeout night in to rival your favorite restaurant.
Ingredients
For the chicken –
- 1 lb (500g) free-range skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
- 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil (or peanut oil, avocado oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil – just not olive oil)
For the honey sesame sauce –
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 cup water
To serve –
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the rice (optional).ย Add 1 cup of rice, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 ยฝ cups of water to a small saucepan and set it over high heat. Once you see the water starting to look foamy on top, pop a lid on the pan (or use a wooden board or plate), turn the heat to low, and let it cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat (still with the lid on) and let it sit until you’re ready to serve.ย
- Prepare the chicken. Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then add them to a large bowl. Add ยฝ teaspoon of salt and ยผ cup of cornstarch, then toss to coat the chicken well. Set aside.ย ย
- Mix the sauce. Add ยผ cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and ยฝ cup of water to a small bowl. Use a fork to whisk together and combine, then set aside.ย
- Cook the chicken.ย Set a large, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once itโs hot, add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until it’s starting to look golden. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a wire rack above a tray, or just on a plate.
- Mix the chicken with the sauce. Discard the excess oil from the pan, give the sauce a mix, then add it to the pan and set the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir for a couple of minutes as it thickens up. Return the cooked chicken to the pan, then toss it through the sauce so every piece is well coated.
- Garnish and serve.ย If you’re serving the chicken with rice, divide your cooked rice between plates. Top with the sticky chicken, then finish with the sliced scallions, cilantro leaves, and the remaining tablespoon of sesame seeds. Enjoy right away.ย
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES:ย I like using chicken thighs because they stay nice and juicy, but you can also use chicken breasts or tenderloin if you prefer.
SUBSTITUTIONS:ย You could use maple syrup in place of honey, and if you can’t find rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or regular white wine vinegar. If you don’t have cornstarch (cornflour), just use regular all-purpose flour.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:ย The chicken will keep well for 3 days, stored in the fridge in a covered container. You won’t retain any crispiness on your chicken after storing it in the sauce, so just keep that in mind. You can also freeze it, then defrost it in the microwave (or overnight in the fridge).
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:ย Try stirring steamed or broiled broccoli through the chicken and sauce at the end, to get some veggies in, or serve with steamed bok choi or pak choi on the side.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 23.8g
- Sodium: 1144.9mg
- Fat: 25.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 74.9g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 27.5g
- Cholesterol: 73mg
Delicious! I tossed in some broccoli for a bit of green and it worked perfectly