Finger lickin’ sesame chicken is sticky, sweet, savory and super easy to make. Forget about take-out because this healthier version is 1000x better than any restaurant sesame chicken and comes together in 20 minutes.
Last week I shared my favorite beef and broccoli stir-fry recipe. And because you all enjoyed it so much, I thought it’s about time I pull out this finger lickin’ sesame chicken.
This sesame chicken is one of those meals that you can whip up in just about 20 minutes, in on pan, easy clean up. The chicken is cut into small bite size pieces so it cooks super fast and the yummy sesame sauce comes together in under a minute.
All that’s left to do is to coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until browned. Add the sesame soy, simmer for just a few minutes until the sauce is thick and sticky and that’s it! Serve on white rice or noodles and enjoy this lightened up healthy version of sesame chicken any day of the week. 
20 Minute Healthy Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , (cut into 1/2 inch strips or cubes)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or sesame
- Cooked white rice for serving
- Small bunch spring onions, scallions, chopped
- For the sauce
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sriracha, add more for more heat
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, sriracha, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the chicken, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a large pan over high heat for at least 2 minutes. Add oil and chicken to pan. Stir-fry chicken for 5-6 minutes or until it's golden brown. Add the sauce and allow the sauce to simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce is thick and sticky.
- Remove chicken from pan, sprinkle with chopped spring onions and more sesame seeds if desired. Serve with hot white rice or noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Awesome, easy recipe, better then take out!! I also fried peppers and onions in a skillet
and roasted broccoli in the oven, delicious!
peppers and onions sound like a delicious addition to this dish! Thanks for stopping by, Jana 🙂
Tasty easy to make when in hurry.
This should not be called “healthy” with over 900 mg sodium per Serving. Certainly not necessary to add the pinch of salt to the chicken before it will be swimming in soy sauce. I think you could reduce the soy to 2 tbsp & add one tbsp water. Also use low sodium soy. I made as written with ground ginger instead of FRESH and added a bit of water to cut the SODIUM..And 1teaspoon sesame oil. sauce didn’t Thicken enough and flavor tasted like plain soy. Not bad, but flavors need adjusting to individual taste.
Love this recipe. Ignore the naysayers.
Considering what the Panda Express version is or other Chinese food this version is considerably healthier. If you are on a super health kick, Chinese food is probably not something you want to be cooking and consuming.
As someone who’s diet is pretty low in sodium, I have no problems including this meal in my diet and staying within the RDI of sodium per day. If salt is a problem for you, then use less. That’s the beauty of making a sauce from scratch rather than using a store bought one – you can customise it suit your needs/tastes! This meal is pretty balanced especially when you add in a lot of veggies like I did.
Absolutely amazing! I added mushroom and onion with my chicKen towards the end just because i Has it on hand. Used 3/4 cup of flower instead of cornstarch only because i realized i dodnt have any in the house. Still turned out fantastic!!!
Delicious and easy! I can’t eat soy, so i used coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce. They are sweeter and less salty than soy sauce, which i thought worked well for this.
What’s that last tablespoon on oil for?
Hi Layla, looking forward to makjbg this. Can you tEll mE the fiber count? Im tRying to fIgure Out the net carbs. Thanks!
Hi lAyla! This loOks AWESOME, and i think we will make it tonight. 🙂 can yOu tell me what the fiber count is in the dish? Im trying to figuRe out the net carbs.
Thanks!
it’s imposible to dEscribe how good it is! Thanks!
what is the Nutritional information for this dish??
Just updated the recipe to include the nutritional info box. It can be found right below the recipe.
I Love this recipe, simple and delicious.thanks for shaRing it. I was just wondering if i can make it with beef? (Sirloin tips)
There used to be nutrition information listed with this recipe but it’s not anymore. Can you please provide me with the nutrition information?
How many calories is this dish ?
Great recipe! I didn’t have sesame oil so i tried coconut oil and it was fantastic!
This was good (no All Caps!!)I might add a bit more umph! but the adults in the room liked this.
I would like to make this but don’t stock flour or cornstarch in my kitchen. Is the cornstarch necessary?
Yes, you can make it without the flour or cornstarch but the sauce won’t be as thick.
Suggestion: use potato flakes or grated raw potato as thickener. You can also try oat flour or rollrd oats!
Tried to make this yesterday, when i added the sauce it immedIately burned. Was able to salvage it somewhat and tasted great. However, in your recipe you say to heat pan on high for two minutes Then never say to change the temp. Is there a step mIssing tonturn down heat? Way too hot for sauce.
As it turned out to me the dish is far too dry, it really needs sauce. Someone says what to do to thiken thr sauce. The honey is the thikener, a grat thikener. So i don,t see where,s the pRoblem.
Perhaps it is because i cook wholegrain rice. Having said that, the chicken cooked this way, tuns out super tender, really nice.
I am cooking it again today adding much more soyA, let,s see.
The thickener would be the cornstarch the chicken is cooked with
This tasted absolutely fantastic! I had my reservations, as my wife loves PF Chang’s version of this but it turned out that she thought it was Delicious.
I’m happy to hear you and your wife enjoyed the dish, Mark 🙂
Whole family loved this! I added Some veggies as well after chicken was cooked, broccoli, snow peas, shredded carrots, doubled the sauce. Going to try again but with pork next time! Thanks for the EXCELLENT healtHy recipe!
I made this for dinnner tonight and enjoyed it. will make it again.
My whole family Loved this! I left out the sriracha because my daughter and mother in law are sensitive to spice, I tripled the recipe and then added in sauteed matchstick carrots, snow peas, and broccoli and they devoured it. My 5 year old said “Delicious, best chicken ever! This is my favorite!” Will definitely make again, it was great that it was not fried. One of the best things about this recipe is that it uses SIMPLE ingredients, I didnt have to go to the Asian market to buy anything special, i had it all on hand. THANK YOU!
I’m gonna make this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious!
“Add the mixture of the chicken and allot sauce to simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce is thick and sticky.” What does it mean to add “The mixture of the chicken and allot sauce to simmer”? Does it mean add the sauce to the pan or?
That was a typo. The Allot was “allow”. I’ve re-written the recipe to make it easier to understand! 🙂
Hi,
Can’t wait to try easy and tasty recipes.
Does this chicken freeze well after cooked?
Thanks
Awesome recipe
This was delicious! My sauce never thickened up so I made a quick slurry to add but the taste is a winner! Definitely adding this to the rotation.
Delicious. The cornstarch made the chicken extra tender. Already made this three times. I drizzle a little extra honey for extra sweetness.
Delicious. Easy to make. The cornstarch makes the chicken extra tender and juicy.
Made three times already.
I made this tonight. It was quick, delicious and so easy. 3 out of 4 of us loved it. The 4th is 9 and Mr. Bland and boring. So I wasn’t expecting him to like it. Thank you for a great Asian flavor dish to add to my rotation. 🙂
There’s always a picky eater in every family! I have one of my own and it gets tricky. I’m glad the rest of you enjoyed the recipe, Meredith 🙂
The nutritional facts are completely wrong. For example. The corn starch in this recipe alone contain 14g of carbs. This does not include the carbs from the honey (34g) or sesame seeds (4g), which add a significant amount to what you think you’re consuming. And that’s not including the rice that’s served with it. Just for the people out there who are trying to be a little more health-conscious; do your research. 🙂
SMH I just noticed that says it’s per serving. I thought that was for all of the ingredients combined. Sorry for the confusion!!! I just made it it was awesome
I am not trying to be rude, but what kind of person would eat this entire recipe by themselves? …
Me
How about some Thai recipes please!!!????
Will do! please check these out for now https://gimmedelicious.com/tag/thai/ 🙂
This was great! Easy to make and everyone in my family loved it.
Easy and good. I will make again. Use a wok if you have one.
Tried this tonight. Very tasty. My 4yr old son didn’t want the chicken then tried a bite. He said it was the best chicken ever!
Glad he enjoyed it! I have a 4 year old as well and she loves this dish too <3
I love this recipe, i made it for my family And they also love it. I have never ate chicken with corn starch and I Think it makes big role in this dish. Thank you so much, It was awesome
Do the calories include the rice please?
The calories do not include the rice 🙂