This one pan sesame chicken is the answer to all your quick and easy weeknight dinner dreams.
It’s extremely versatile – go with whatever pieces of chicken you have in the fridge or picked up at the store on sale, either breasts or thighs will work. I prefer skin off, but skin on works too. The name of the game is ease. From there, your chicken gets a little coat of cornstarch for both tenderizing and to add a bit of crisp.
When I was little, my favorite part of cooking with my mom was when she let me mix the cornstarch with the meat. It’s a classic Chinese cooking technique that helps protect it from heat of the wok while tenderizing at same time. It’s also an excellent way to occupy your kid while you’re busy cooking. I loved it because I got to squish things with my hands.
From there, you just do a quick pan fry and then add the sauce. Hopefully you started your rice before you started cooking so it’s ready at the same time. Quickly stir fry some vegetables and you’ve got yourself dinner!
One Pan Sesame Chicken Recipe
serves 1 – 2
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper, then toss with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in a single layer, until cooked through, golden brown, and crispy, flipping once. Cook in batches, if needed.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook until soft, but not brown.
Add soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook over medium heat stirring, until the sauce turns slightly thick and glossy and coats the chicken. Finish with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy hot!
Hi, looks great, what would you sevrve of vegetables to this dish?
any green vegetables are good, simply stir fried, steamed, or quickly blanched!
Made this list night. Very tasty and easy to do. Somehow did not end up with that much sauce, maybe too much cornstarch?
hi ana,
maybe the sauce thickened too much? you don’t need a lot of time/heat to thicken it :) otherwise, definitely just add some water to thin it out
Do you take the chicken out of the pan and then make the sauce or add the sauce ingredients to the chicken after it is pan fried?
hi sharmila,
i just push the chicken to the side and make the sauce in the pan while the chicken is there. if it’s easier for you, you can remove the chicken, make the sauce, then add the chicken back in.
How many pounds of chicken did you use? Some breasts and thighs are a lot bigger than others.
hi veronica,
1 pound of chicken!