Better Than Takeout Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe. (2024)

Home » All Recipes » Dinner Recipes » Chicken Dinner Recipes » Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe (Better than Takeout)

Shared by Amy Desrosiers | 36 Comments
Updated on January 9, 2022

11K Shares

White meat chicken is cubed, and coated lightly. It is then browned, and finished in the oven with a sweet and tangy sauce. This Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe is a keeper and will have your family wanting seconds.

If you are looking for a new chicken dinner to try out, this recipe is for you! The meal has all the tasty flavors of honey sesame with a little less calories from not deep frying it.

Making Honey Sesame Chicken

This Better Than Takeout Baked Honey Sesame Chinese Chicken is tastier, and fresher than the greasy, fried, dark “mystery” meat chicken most eateries serve. I feel comforted in knowing that the meat used in my Baked Honey Sesame Chinese Chicken was all white meat and not overly fatty.

I used a combination cooking technique to get the chicken crispy but without all the fat and grease. A quick pan toss to get the chicken’s corn starch coating golden brown, and an oven bake produced some of the tastiest and moist honey sesame chicken.

Ingredients

Chicken:

White Meat Chicken – You can also use boneless, skinless thighs for a little more flavor. You will want to cube them into smaller, bite-sized pieces as shown.

Corn Starch – This is the coating that will provide the chicken with a nice, golden brown outer.

Oil – You can use coconut oil, canola, or vegetable oil for this recipe. This is used to brown the chicken in your large skillet. If you do not have a large skillet, you may need to repeat this process twice.

Sauce:

8 tablespoons of honey
5 tablespoons of ketchup
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Garnish:

Green onion, diced
Toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

In a bowl, mix cubed chicken with the 1 cup of corn starch; coat thoroughly. Shake out the pieces to not have extra clumps of cornstarch stuck to them.

Heat a skillet with oil and brown chicken pieces until slightly golden, but NOT fully cooked (about 3-5 minutes). You just want to give the chicken a nice crisp coating, and golden brown color.

In a large bowl mix sauce ingredients. Pour ingredients into a small saucepan and heat until sauce bubbles. Remove from heat and set aside until chicken is done being browned.

Once chicken is done being browned, place it in a greased baking dish and pour the sauce over it.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

Once done, garnish chicken with toasted sesame seeds and scallions/green onion.

ThisBetter Than Takeout Baked Honey Sesame Chinese Chicken is so darn good, and you will not even miss the takeout! Plus, since you use way less oil you are not getting all that fat!!!

Side Dish Ideas

Baked Crab Rangoons

Baked Tuna Rangoons

Cream Cheese Wontons

Storing

Refrigerator

If you want to store your Honey Sesame Chicken in the refrigerator, just follow these easy steps.

Allow chicken to fully cool.
Place chicken in a microwave-safe bowl with an airtight lid.
This chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for best flavor.
To reheat, microwave until warm. Chicken may be a bit soggy after reheating.

Recipe

Follow the recipe below to makeHoney Sesame Chicken. This recipe makes enough for six people, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.

Print Pin Save

3.76 from 50 votes

Better Than Takeout Chinese Honey Sesame Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 6 people

Calories 567cal

Author Amy Desrosiers

Cost $7

Equipment

large skillet
2-quart casserole dish
Sauce pan
Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Chicken

2 pounds white meat chicken raw, cubed
1 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons oil your choice*

Honey Sauce

8 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons corn starch mix with 2 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

In a bowl, mix cubed chicken with the 1 cup of corn starch; coat thoroughly.
Heat a skillet with oil and pan fry chicken until slightly golden brown but NOT fully cooked (about 3-5 minutes).
In a large bowl mix sauce ingredients. Pour ingredients into a saucepan, and heat until it just bubbles form. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once chicken is done being browned, place it in a greased baking dish and pour the sauce over it.
Bake at 375° F. for 25 minutes uncovered.
Garnish chicken with toasted sesame seeds and green onion before serving.

Notes

Nutritional values may vary and are meant to be a guide.

Storing leftovers

Refrigerator

If you want to store yourHoney Sesame Chickenin the refrigerator, just follow these easy steps.

Allow chicken to fully cool.
Place chicken in a microwave-safe bowl with an airtight lid.
This chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for best flavor.
To reheat, microwave until warm. Chicken may be a bit soggy after reheating.

Nutrition

About Amy Desrosiers

Hi! I am Amy! I am a former teacher, fueled by coffee, and cheese. I love photography and always have a camera handy! I might be a little obsessed with cute photography props, and Rae Dunn, but all is good! Welcome to my site! I hope you find an easy to make recipe, or product you might also love!

Reader Interactions

Comments

CakePants says
August 7, 2015 at 1:20 pm

Sesame chicken is my favorite take-out indulgence, but I know what you mean about the stomachaches afterward! I’ve been looking for a healthier homemade version, and this could be it! I’m looking forward to trying this :)
Reply
- Amy says
  August 7, 2015 at 3:09 pm
  
  I hope you love it! I know I am ready to make it again!!
  Reply
- Kristine Cunningham says
  January 12, 2017 at 2:16 am
  
  Using a Non GMO Cornstarch also helps a lot to stop stomach upsets and such. I will never use another GMO corn product again was such a good thing for my tummy.
  Reply
Betty says
August 25, 2015 at 5:37 am

i have leaned more cooking from yr receipts and i love it
Reply
- Amy says
  August 25, 2015 at 11:03 am
  
  So glad you are learning new tips & tricks Betty!
  Reply
Kristina says
September 2, 2015 at 12:37 pm

This is the best and easiest sesame chicken recipe I’ve ever made. It is one that you don’t have to buy a special product for. After I fried the chicken I used the last bit (about 2tbls) of coconut oil and fried some leftover cold brown rice I had with a dash or two of soy sauce. It’s healthier to which is always a plus. I will definitely be keeping this for a go to recipe.
Reply
- Amy says
  September 2, 2015 at 2:21 pm
  
  Great to hear!
  Reply
- Elle W says
  October 18, 2016 at 9:36 am
  
  Thank you for trying it and then posting. I was looking for a comment like yours to decide if this is dinner tonight or not. Thanks to your great comment, it will be! Sounds amazing. (We always love to make fried rice from our leftovers, too. I add an egg to the pan after the rice is fried and scramble it in the pan off to the side then toss it through the fried rice the way they do at hibachi grills. Yummy!)
  Reply
Barry Kennedy says
January 27, 2016 at 11:14 am

What a great recipe and easy to make too. Many thanks from a very happy family in Ireland! :)
Reply
- Amy says
  January 27, 2016 at 12:48 pm
  
  Thank you! :)
  Reply
Ronald Gagnon says
February 4, 2016 at 9:48 pm

I love originally made chinese dishes..but this one is very near the top..and all the ingredients are usually around
Reply
Ronald Gagnon says
February 7, 2016 at 2:18 pm

I am so impressed by this recipe that I am going to comment twice upon it….love the main dish..the sesame is a bonus
Reply
Gynine Bekech says
April 9, 2016 at 1:04 pm

I want to try this chicken dish. Unless I missed it, you didn’t mention when you add the sesame seeds and scallions. Is it after the chicken is removed from the oven?
Reply
- Amy says
  April 9, 2016 at 2:45 pm
  
  Hi! After before eating :)
  Reply
- jes058 says
  February 16, 2018 at 9:22 pm
  
  It says to add them after the chicken comes out of the oven!
  Reply
Carol Ann Korpinen says
October 18, 2016 at 9:54 pm

This sounds great, but I could not print it because of the page layout…too much crap on the left side of my screen that I could not delete. This is a problem with the Yummly site. I hate technology so cutting and pasting is not worth the time, even if I knew how to do it. Wish they would lay it out like other sites, because I have had to ignore lots of great recipes.
Reply
- terry mccleary says
  November 3, 2016 at 4:41 am
  
  Same problem here
  Reply
- jes058 says
  February 16, 2018 at 9:23 pm
  
  Can you do a screen shot? That’s what I do and it’s very easy to get the recipes.
  Reply
- Irene from Ontario says
  February 20, 2018 at 9:47 am
  
  hi,
  I just highlight the recipe, then put the curser on it, right click, then click on copy. then open up Microsoft word, then right click and click on paste. real easy, then ” save as ” with my title on my recipes folder. real easy.
  no extra stuff.
  Reply
sonia says
December 29, 2016 at 11:10 am

Overall this dish was really good. The chicken really was moist and perfect! I am definitely printing this out and adding it to our rotation!
For someone who is relatively “new” at cooking make sure you fry your chicken in batches if you have to so as not to over crowd the pan.
I have one tiny little complaint… my sauce tasted a bit .. powdery/ corn starch-y. Was I supposed to add the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in 2 tablespoons of water onto my sauce? Because that is what I did… Anyone have any opinions on if this would still come out good without that in the sauce?
Reply
- Pat Whyland says
  February 22, 2017 at 11:40 am
  
  This recipe was not “laid out” very well especially for those who are new to cooking. Most recipes would have a heading “Sauce Ingredients”, “Sauce Directions”, this one did not and relied on the cooks knowledge of the ingredients. Having had some experience with sauces, I believe the problem you had was the fact that it does not tell you to put the sauce ingredients in a pan and heat them to almost boiling (bubbles around the edge of pan) and then add the cornstarch mixed with water and stir until thickened. When added to the heated sauce ingredients, the cornstarch becomes the thickener. Also the recipe didn’t say when to add the sesame seeds and scallions and it did not explain how to toast the sesame seeds for those new to cooking. Someone obviously did not review or edit the recipe to ensure it was accurate and ready for print. For the most part, the recipe sounds delicious, and I will be trying it today.
  Reply
  - Amy says
    February 22, 2017 at 12:01 pm
    
    You are correct. I had a plugin issue that messed with my recipes and put them horribly out of order ( I no longer have it). I have adjusted this recipe to the correct steps. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It is now correct.
    Reply
    - Irene from Ontario says
      February 20, 2018 at 9:53 am
      
      Hi, the recipe sounds tasty, but has far to much sugar in it. should only have natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar. this make the carb content way to high for a meat dish. once you quit using white and brown sugar, this would probably hurt my teeth and give me a sugar high. I would like to see some way to cut down on the sugar and still taste nice.
      thanks.
      Reply
Julie Jackson says
June 19, 2017 at 11:06 am

same problem COULD NOT PRINT
Reply
Elsa says
September 19, 2017 at 10:55 pm

I would like to receive your free savvy content weekly. Your baked honey sesame Chinese chicken sounds delis, can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Elsa
Reply
Eleanaor says
December 25, 2017 at 10:49 am

I don’t see any PRINT button on this recipe. I would really like to print it out for my recipe book.
Thanks.
Reply
- jes058 says
  February 16, 2018 at 9:25 pm
  
  If you can do a screenshot, it’s very easy to print.
  Reply
Josee says
November 12, 2018 at 11:36 am

Could I make this the day before and just pop it in the oven the day of?
Reply
- Amy says
  November 12, 2018 at 2:38 pm
  
  I do not advise because it would get mushy and gummy!
  Reply
Sandy Long says
September 26, 2019 at 9:21 am

I love this recipe, I find that it freezes beautifully. What sides do you recommend. I always use saffron rice but am stuck on what to use since I don’t have an egg roll recipe
Reply
- Amy says
  September 27, 2019 at 9:44 am
  
  Thank you, so much for stopping bye!
  For us, I serve baked crab rangoons! I love this recipe: https://www.sizzlingeats.com/oven-baked-crab-rangoons-recipe/
  Reply
Sean says
April 27, 2020 at 2:31 pm

Wayy too sweet for my liking. I didn’t achieve the crispiness I can see on your picture either. It just came out all soggy and with a super thick sauce. Couldn’t taste the ginger.
I think baking the chicken and keeping the sauce in the saucepan would benefit the chicken and help it get crispier. That’s what I’m going to try next time. I don’t think it needs all that sugar and honey either, so I’ll probably reduce it a little. My fiance loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
Brenda says
February 19, 2021 at 6:49 pm

Made this tonight, even though I had to mix 2 types of honey (which I was worried about), the dinner came out delicious! Will def keep this recipe and share. Sauce was nice and thick and stuck nicely to chicken pieces.
I made stir fried rice to go with it.
There are only 2 pieces of chicken…..hubby loved it
Reply
- Jared Desrosiers says
  February 20, 2021 at 3:49 pm
  
  We’re very glad to hear. Thanks for the feedback, Brenda!
  Reply
Mark says
March 8, 2022 at 1:08 pm

What is the best oil to use,and how much do I use?
Reply
- Amy Desrosiers says
  March 8, 2022 at 3:43 pm
  
  Hello, 2 tablespoons as noted of your choice. You can use vegetable, olive oil, coconut or canola.
  Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Better Than Takeout Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe. (2024)

Making Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken:

Sauce:

Garnish:

Directions:

Side Dish Ideas

Storing

Refrigerator

Recipe

Better Than Takeout Chinese Honey Sesame Chicken

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

Honey Sauce

Instructions

Notes

Storing leftovers

Refrigerator

Nutrition

About Amy Desrosiers

Reader Interactions

Comments

Leave a Reply