Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

If your Friday night pull toward the takeout menu is strong, let me hand you a better plan. This honey sesame chicken has a shatter-crisp coating, a sauce that clings like lacquer, and a flavor that lands somewhere between sweet, savory and gently garlicky. It takes about 35 minutes, one skillet and one saucepan.

I came up with this version after a long stretch of soggy attempts. The chicken was tasty but the coating went limp the moment the sauce touched it. The fixes were simple: a cornstarch and egg white dredge, a shallow pan fry in hot oil, and a sauce that is thickened separately and added at the very last second.

Everything in this recipe uses pantry staples. You need chicken breasts or thighs, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and a spoonful of toasted sesame seeds. Serve it over rice with steamed broccoli and you have a full dinner that the whole table will fight over.

Why This Stir Fry Style Dinner Works

Great sesame chicken depends on three things: a crisp coating, a balanced sauce, and fast, confident timing. Miss any one and you end up with sweet chicken soup. This recipe tackles each one directly.

• The coating uses cornstarch plus a little flour, which fries up lighter and crunchier than flour alone.
• The sauce is simmered until it coats a spoon before the chicken ever touches it, so there is no extra moisture to soften the crust.
• A small amount of rice vinegar cuts through the honey so the glaze tastes bright instead of cloying.
• Toasted sesame oil goes in off the heat, because heat dulls its nutty aroma.

The result tastes like the best version of your favorite takeout order, only fresher, and you control the salt and sugar.

Ingredients You Will Need

Here is the full shopping list, grouped by job. Nothing is hard to find, and most of it is probably in your kitchen already.

For the chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup (60 g) cornstarch
• 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• About 3/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or avocado

For the honey sesame sauce

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon ketchup for color and body
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus extra for serving

For serving

• 4 cups cooked jasmine or long-grain white rice
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 sliced green onions

Step-by-Step Instructions

Read through once, then line up your ingredients. This recipe moves fast once the oil is hot, so a little prep pays off.

1. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. Toss it with the salt, pepper and egg white until every piece is lightly coated.
2. Whisk the cornstarch and flour together on a plate. Press the chicken pieces into the mixture, shaking off the excess, and set them on a rack for 5 minutes so the coating hydrates and sticks.
3. Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ketchup. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes.
4. Stir the cornstarch slurry, pour it in, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
5. Steam the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain and keep warm.
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat to about 350F (175C). It should reach about 1/2 inch deep. Fry the chicken in two batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden.
7. Check that the chicken reads 165F (74C) in the thickest piece. Drain on a paper towel lined plate for one minute.
8. Return all the chicken to a clean, dry pan, pour the warm sauce over it, and toss for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve right away over rice with the broccoli.

Prep Smart: Cutting and Timing Tips

A few minutes of organization makes the cooking itself feel calm. Start the rice first, since it holds heat well under a lid. Next, cut the chicken into pieces of similar size, about one inch, so they cook at the same pace. If the chicken is slippery, chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing and the knife will glide through.

Mince the garlic and ginger while the oil heats, and measure every sauce ingredient into one small bowl or directly into the saucepan. Once frying begins, you will not want to stop for a measuring spoon. A wire rack set over a sheet pan is the best landing spot for fried pieces, because air can circulate underneath and the bottoms stay crisp instead of steaming against a plate.

Finally, have your serving dish warm. A few minutes in a low oven, or a rinse with hot water, keeps the glaze glossy and the chicken hot from the first bite to the last.

The Secrets to Crispy, Sticky Chicken

Most disappointing sesame chicken comes down to moisture, so everything here is aimed at keeping the crust dry until the last moment.

• Dry the chicken thoroughly. Surface water turns the coating gummy before it ever hits the pan.
• Rest the dredged pieces for five minutes. The coating bonds to the egg white and fries into a crisp shell.
• Fry in batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature and steams the chicken.
• Sauce at the last second. Thirty seconds of tossing coats the pieces without soaking them.
• Serve immediately. Glazed chicken is best within ten minutes, so have the rice and broccoli ready.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If you want a no-fry route, see the oven option below. It is not quite as shatter-crisp, but it is excellent.

Variations to Try

• Oven baked: toss the dredged chicken with 2 tablespoons oil, spread on a rack set over a sheet pan, and bake at 425F (220C) for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping once.
• Air fryer: cook at 400F (200C) for 10 to 12 minutes, shaking halfway, then toss in the sauce.
• Spicy: add 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the glaze.
• Orange honey sesame: replace 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce with fresh orange juice and add a strip of zest.
• Shrimp swap: use peeled shrimp and fry for 2 minutes per side. Try the sauce on my coconut curry shrimp night for a different spin.

For more dinner ideas that use a sticky glaze, my honey garlic meatballs follow similar flavors and are great for meal prep.

What to Serve With Honey Sesame Chicken

Fluffy jasmine rice is the classic pairing, because it soaks up every drop of extra glaze. Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear for separate, tender grains.

• Steamed or roasted broccoli, snap peas or green beans
• A quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar
• Fried rice made with day-old rice, an egg and frozen peas
• Egg drop soup for a full takeout spread

If you love sweet and savory chicken dinners, my garlic butter chicken thighs are another reliable weeknight favorite.

Storage, Make Ahead and Food Safety

Leftovers keep well, though the coating softens. Store the chicken and sauce together in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

• Reheat in a 400F (200C) oven or air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes to re-crisp the coating.
• Make the sauce up to 4 days ahead and keep it chilled. Warm it gently before tossing.
• Dredge the chicken up to 30 minutes ahead, but fry just before serving.
• Freeze fried, unsauced chicken for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 400F (200C) for 12 minutes, then sauce.

Always cook chicken to a safe internal temperature of 165F (74C), and refrigerate leftovers within two hours. You can review the full list on the USDA safe temperature chart.

Frequently Asked Questions

If this honey sesame chicken became a new family favorite, please leave a star rating and a comment below. I love hearing how you changed it. For more cozy weeknight meals, browse all of my dinner ideas.

Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken

Crispy bite-size chicken tossed in a glossy honey, soy and garlic sauce with toasted sesame seeds, served over rice with broccoli.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Resting 5 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian Inspired

Calories: 545

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup neutral oil for frying

Sauce

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

To serve

• 4 cups cooked rice
• 3 cups broccoli florets steamed
• 2 green onions sliced

Method

 

Chicken

1. Pat the chicken dry and toss with salt, pepper and egg white. Press into the cornstarch and flour mixture and rest 5 minutes.

Sauce

1. Simmer honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ketchup for 2 minutes. Add the slurry and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until thick. Stir in sesame oil.

Cook

1. Steam the broccoli 3 to 4 minutes. Fry the chicken in batches in 350F oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and 165F inside.
2. Toss the chicken in the warm sauce for 30 seconds, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice with broccoli.

Notes

For an oven version, bake the coated chicken on a rack at 425F for 20 to 22 minutes. Store leftovers up to 3 days and reheat in a hot oven or air fryer.

There is real joy in beating the takeout menu at its own game, and this sticky chicken does it with ease. Make a double batch, pile it high over rice, and enjoy every bite. Happy cooking, friends. Chef Amber.