Sesame Chicken Recipe

This recipe for Sesame Chicken will have you serving crispy, tender, sesame seed battered chicken nuggets anytime you crave it.

My mother has made Sesame Chicken for as long as I can remember.  I think she came across this recipe in the 1970’s and for our family is has definitely been a keeper.

While it might not be the same as what you get when you order Chinese takeout, this version still results in dish that is delicious.  My mom always makes a homemade sauce to dip it in.

The accompanying sauce is a unique blend of sour from horseradish sauce and sweet from plum jelly. It sometimes helps to place those ingredients in a microwave container and “nuke” for 20-30 seconds to get the jelly to liquify a bit before mixing.

My mom would typically serve this dish with a vegetable on the side and rice that had been cooked with a packet of onion soup mix.

How To Make Sesame Chicken

There are two components for this dish – the tender fried chicken nuggets and a special dipping sauce. To make them, you need the following ingredients:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 cups flour
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 small jar red plum jelly
• 1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
• 1 ½ Tbsp. horseradish
• 1 ½ Tbsp. mustard

To make the chicken, mix together the first 8 ingredients. Place it in an airtight container and add the desired amount of boneless chicken breasts that have been cut into bite-size pieces. Marinate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes in a large skillet.

Combine flour and sesame seeds. Drain the chicken breasts. Dip a few pieces of chicken at a time in the flour mixture and then deep fry until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the oil and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Salt to taste.

For the sauce, mix together all ingredients. Serve over the chicken or use as a dip

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Sesame Chicken, American Style

Sesame Chicken Recipe – crispy sesame seed battered chicken nuggets that are great with or without sauce.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, dinner, sesame

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 26 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 427kcal

Author Lynda

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 cups flour
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1 small jar red plum jelly
• 1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
• 1 ½ Tbsp. horseradish
• 1 ½ Tbsp. mustard

Instructions

• Mix together first 8 ingredients. Place in an airtight container and add desired amount of boneless chicken breasts that have been cut into bite size pieces. Marinate several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes in a large skillet.
• Combine flour and sesame seeds. Drain chicken breasts. Dip a few pieces of chicken at a time in the flour mixture.
• Deep fry until thoroughly cooked. Remove from oil and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Salt to taste if desired.

Sauce

• Mix together all ingredients. Serve over chicken or as a dip.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 2112mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g

This sesame chicken is not spicy on its own, so if you want some heat, you will need to dip it in a sauce.  If you are gluten-sensitive, you could substitute gluten-free rice flour for the (wheat) flour.  If you have any leftovers, they should keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  Just reheat them in the microwave.

This dish is great with a side of green beans or broccoli along with some Minute Rice cooked according to directions PLUS a packet of onion soup mix.

Curious as to which came first – the chicken or the egg?  Head over to the Smithsonian Magazine and read the article 14 Fun Facts About Chicken and discover the answer to the age-old question.

Other Recipes You Might Like:

• Brownie Sheet Cake – This dessert is a cross between a brownie and chocolate cake – kind of like the two got together and had a love child.  
• Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf – This is my go-to recipe for meatloaf.  It’s topped with a sweet brown sugar glaze and is a great way to answer the proverbial question, “What’s for dinner?”
• Southern Buttermilk Biscuits – With a handful of kitchen staples, you can whip up a batch of these biscuits and serve them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

What’s your favorite dipping sauce?