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Overhead view of easy sesame chicken, topped with sliced green onions in a skillet.
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4.55 from 476 votes

Easy Sesame Chicken

This Easy Sesame Chicken recipe is faster and tastier than takeout. Tender chicken coated in a homemade sweet, savory, and tangy sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Total Cost: $5.74 recipe / $1.44 serving
Servings: 4
Calories: 530kcal
Author: Beth Moncel

Equipment

  • Non Stick Cookware
  • Grater
  • Color Cutting Boards

Ingredients

Sauce

  • ¼ cup soy sauce $0.20
  • 2 Tbsp water $0.00
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.32
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar** $0.30
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar $0.14
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger*** $0.10
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.08
  • ½ Tbsp cornstarch $0.03
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds $0.10

Chicken

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs* $3.48
  • 1 large egg $0.67
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch $0.06
  • 1 pinch each salt and pepper $0.05

For Serving

  • 4 cups cooked jasmine rice $0.97
  • 2 whole green onions $0.20

Instructions

  • First, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (Grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater). Set the sauce aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
  • Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium flame. Wait until the skillet is very hot, then swirl the skillet to make sure the oil coats the entire surface. Add the batter coated chicken and spread it out into a single layer over the surface of the skillet.
  • Allow the chicken pieces to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom. Then, carefully flip the chicken, breaking up the pieces into smaller clumps as you flip. Continue to cook the chicken until golden brown on the other side. Stir the chicken as little as possible to avoid breaking the egg coating from the surface of the chicken.
  • Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on all sides, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. As the sauce comes up to a simmer, it will begin to thicken. Continue to gently stir the chicken in the sauce until it has thickened, then turn off the heat.
  • Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Video

Notes

*I use chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay juicy and super tender without fear of drying out, and they’re very budget-friendly. You can use chicken breast if preferred; just be careful not to overcook the chicken.
**Brown sugar provides sweetness to balance the salt of the soy sauce and the acidity of the vinegar. Brown sugar has a deep flavor compared to the more one-dimensional flavor of white sugar. You can also use honey in place of the brown sugar.
***Ginger gives the sauce zing! Be sure to use fresh ginger, not dried ginger, as it has a much more peppery flavor. Keep fresh ginger in your freezer to always have it on hand without it going bad.
The nutritional information includes the cooked jasmine rice and sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 945mg | Fiber: 1g