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Restaurant-worthy Baked Honey Sesame Chicken is the simplest takeout-style baked Asian Chicken. Tender pieces of honey sesame chicken breast are bathed in a sweet, garlicky sauce and topped with crunchy sesame seeds. Spoon oven baked sesame chicken over rice for a delicious meal any night of the week.
Take-out may be convenient, but it can be expensive, and it’s often straightforward to make baked Asian chicken dishes at home. This Baked Honey Sesame Chicken breast is ready in 40 minutes and tastes authentic. Best of all, these tender bites of chicken bathed in sticky, sweet honey sesame sauce freezes well for an even easier meal at another time. This oven baked sesame chicken is perfect for busy families.
If you love sesame chicken, try my Chinese Sesame Chicken or Sesame Broiled Salmon Recipe with Vegetables.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Chinese Sesame Chicken
- It’s better than takeout. Oven baked honey sesame chicken is a delicious take on an Asian take-out classic. You’ll love this simple homemade version.
- It’s quick. I can make this entire meal from start to finish faster than I can get delivery or go through the drive-thru at my favorite Chinese restaurant.
- It’s so easy. Baking this in the oven frees me to do other tasks without babysitting a skillet. It’s a simple, relatively hands-off meal.
Sesame Chicken Ingredients
For the chicken
- Chicken Tenderloins: Cut chicken tenderloins into bite-size pieces. You can also use chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Salt & pepper: for seasoning the chicken.
- Dredge: All-purpose flour gives the chicken a crispy coating.
- Eggs and Milk: Whisk the eggs and milk to dip the chicken.
For the honey sesame sauce
- Sweeteners: a combination of honey, ketchup and brown sugar create the base for this sweet and sticky sauce.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce. You can also use tamari or amino acids.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: this sweet, mild vinegar is commonly used in Asian dishes. You can substitute other kinds of vinegar.
- Sesame Oil: A touch of sesame oil adds a traditional Asian flavor.
- Garlic: freshly minced garlic adds flavor and aroma.
- Cornstarch + Water: Create a slurry to thicken the sauce.
- Sesame Seeds: for sprinkling over the chicken.
- Green Onion: for garnish.
How To Make Honey Sesame Chicken
- Prepare the equipment. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a parchment over a baking sheet and keep it aside.
- Season the chicken. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Mix it well and set it aside.
- Dredge the chicken. In a medium bowl, place the flour, and in another bowl, whisk the eggs with milk and keep it aside. Dredge the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and then back to the flour until well coated.
- Bake the chicken. Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Prepare the sauce. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, prepare the sauce by combining honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.
- Thicken the sauce. Stir in the cornstarch slurry by combining cornstarch and water. Mix it well and allow the sauce to simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Bake with the sauce. Transfer the baked chicken to a rectangular baking dish and pour the prepared sauce on top and toss it until evenly coated. Bake the chicken further for 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and chives on top and serve while it is still warm.
Tips To Make Crispy Sesame Chicken In the Oven
- Dry your chicken with paper towels before coating it in the flour and egg and it will adhere better.
- Honey supplies a lot of flavor to this dish, so use high-quality honey.
- Allow the sauce to thicken before adding it to the chicken. This will help prevent the chicken from becoming soggy.
- Don’t skip the 10 minutes of baking after adding the sauce. It will finish cooking the chicken and bring everything together beautifully.
- Cook the chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Easily double the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Like many popular takeout options, honey sesame chicken is not authentically Chinese but is a favorite at many Asian restaurants. You can find honey sesame chicken in most Chinese restaurants.
Place leftover honey sesame chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat or microwave until the chicken is warm and crispy.
This recipe is so easy to freeze but it will lose it’s crisp. To freeze, cool completely and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet until the chicken is warmed through. Another way to do this is by freezing the chicken aside from the sauce and once you reheat the chicken, you can pour over the sauce and bake.
Sesame chicken is perfect for serving over white rice or noodles and pairs well with steamed vegetables. You can also serve with Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice, or Cauliflower Rice to make it a lower carb meal.
More Asian Chicken Recipes
- Easy Grilled Chicken Satay
- Crispy Honey Chicken
- Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Sweet Thai Chili Chicken Stir Fry
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Honey Sesame Chicken recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Baked Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 ½ lb chicken tenderloins, cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
For the sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
- Chopped chives, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a parchment over a baking sheet and keep it aside.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Mix it well and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, place the flour, and in another bowl, whisk the eggs with milk and keep it aside.
- Dredge the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and then back to the flour until well coated.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, prepare the sauce by combining honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry by combining cornstarch and water. Mix it well and allow the sauce to simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Transfer the baked chicken to a rectangular baking dish and pour the prepared sauce on top and toss it until evenly coated. Bake the chicken further for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds and chives on top and serve while it is still warm.
Notes
- Dry your chicken with paper towels before coating it in the flour and egg and it will adhere better.
- Honey supplies a lot of flavor to this dish, so use high-quality honey.
- Allow the sauce to thicken before adding it to the chicken. This will help prevent the chicken from becoming soggy.
- Don’t skip the 10 minutes of baking after adding the sauce. It will finish cooking the chicken and bring everything together beautifully.
- Cook the chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Easily double the recipe.
We had this tonight, it was tasty! I appreciate the method of baking the chicken too, frying it is so time consuming and makes my house smell. I will use this method with other sauces as well. Thank you!
Hi Abbie,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review.