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Sesame chicken is crisp fried chicken coated in a glossy sauce of soy, hoisin, honey and rice vinegar, finished with toasted sesame seeds. It takes about 35 minutes. The sauce is savoury led rather than sweet, which is what separates it from honey chicken and from sweet and sour.
Toast the seeds first. Raw sesame tastes of almost nothing, and the whole dish is named after them.
Sesame chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and turn pale gold. Tip them onto a plate.
- Pat the chicken dry. Toss with the beaten egg, then with the 4 tbsp cornflour, plain flour and salt until evenly coated.
- Whisk the soy sauce, hoisin, honey, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Mix the 1 tsp cornflour with the cold water in a separate cup.
- Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan over a high heat. Fry the chicken in two batches for 5 to 6 minutes each, turning once a crust has formed. Drain on a wire rack.
- Pour off all but a teaspoon of oil. Add the sauce mix and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir the cornflour slurry and pour it in. Simmer for 30 seconds until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the chicken and two thirds of the sesame seeds and toss to coat. Scatter over the rest of the seeds and the spring onions, then serve.
Notes
Why this recipe works
Two sesame hits, not one. Toasted sesame oil goes into the sauce for depth, and toasted seeds go on at the end for texture and smell. Most recipes use only the seeds, raw, straight from the packet, and the dish ends up tasting like generic sticky chicken.
- Hoisin brings the savoury, slightly fermented depth that honey alone cannot.
- Rice vinegar keeps the sauce from sliding into dessert territory.
- Whole egg in the coating, not just white, gives a sturdier crust for a wetter sauce.
- The pan comes off the heat before the chicken goes back in, so the coating survives.
What are the ingredients for sesame chicken?
Sesame chicken needs chicken thighs, cornflour, egg, light soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. Everything except the hoisin and toasted sesame oil is in a normal UK supermarket, and both of those sit in the world food aisle of most big stores.
What sauce is used for sesame chicken?
The sauce is a soy and hoisin base sweetened with honey and brown sugar, sharpened with rice vinegar, and thickened with a cornflour slurry. Toasted sesame oil goes in at the end, off the heat, because its flavour cooks away fast. The finished sauce should coat a spoon and slide slowly.
Sesame chicken or honey chicken?
Sesame chicken is savoury and nutty. Honey chicken is straightforwardly sweet. Both start with the same fried chicken, so the difference is entirely in the sauce and the finish.
| Sesame chicken | Honey chicken | |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce base | Soy and hoisin | Honey and sugar syrup |
| Main taste | Savoury, nutty | Sweet |
| Finish | Toasted sesame seeds | Sometimes plain, sometimes sesame |
| Colour | Deep brown, glossy | Pale golden |
How to toast sesame seeds
Put the seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and shake for 2 to 3 minutes until they turn pale gold and smell nutty. No oil. They go from perfect to burnt in about twenty seconds, so tip them straight onto a cold plate the moment the colour changes.
What to serve with sesame chicken
The sauce is strong and salty, so keep the sides plain and add something green with bite.
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Stir fried broccoli or pak choi with garlic
- Plain noodles tossed in a little sesame oil
- Quick pickled cucumber to cut the richness
Storage and reheating
Leftovers keep in a sealed box in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer for six to eight minutes so the coating firms up again. The sauce thickens in the fridge, so loosen it with a spoon of water. Freezing is possible for up to two months but the coating never fully recovers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sesame chicken and General Tso chicken?
General Tso chicken is spicy, built on dried chillies and a sharper vinegar hit. Sesame chicken has no heat and leans nutty and sweet. The frying method and coating are near identical, so the sauce is the whole difference.
Can I make sesame chicken without hoisin sauce?
Yes. Replace the tablespoon of hoisin with 2 tsp of dark soy sauce plus 1 tsp of soft brown sugar. You lose a little of the fermented depth, but the balance of the sauce holds up.
Can I bake or air fry the chicken instead?
Air fry at 200C for 12 to 14 minutes, shaking halfway. Oven baking at 220C takes about 20 minutes on a wire rack. Neither gets as crisp as frying, so toss with the sauce right before serving.
Is sesame chicken gluten free?
Not as written. Ordinary soy sauce and hoisin both contain wheat, and the coating uses plain flour. Swap in tamari, a gluten free hoisin and extra cornflour in place of the plain flour, and the dish works.
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- Toasted sesame oil. A few drops finish the dish.
- Sesame seeds. Scattered on top for crunch.
