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

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.

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

Sesame Chicken, American Style

Name: Sesame Chicken, American Style
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 26 min
Total time: 36 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 small jar red plum jelly; 1 ½ tsp. lemon juice; 1 ½ Tbsp. horseradish; 1 ½ Tbsp. mustard; 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

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 26 minutes

Total Time: 36 minutes

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 breast that has 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. Salt to taste if desired.

For the Sauce: Mix together all ingredients. Serve over chicken or as a dip.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 427 Total Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 29mg Sodium: 2112mg Carbohydrates: 63g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 10g Protein: 21g

Nutrition information is an approximation.

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 a 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:

What kind of dipping sauce would you use?

Comments

Marcie W. says
March 11, 2013 at 5:57 pm
I would usually be overwhelmed by the thought of making sesame chicken at home but your recipe doesn’t seem as difficult as I would suspect.
April Golightly says
March 10, 2013 at 8:41 pm
I love sesame chicken and cannot wait to try it.
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
March 10, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Yumm, I’m going to have to try this!!
Emily @FamilyNLifeLV says
March 10, 2013 at 1:49 am
Yum!I had no idea it was so easy!
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
March 9, 2013 at 10:36 pm
This looks crazy good.
Kathleen says
March 9, 2013 at 10:17 pm
Yum! I love sesame chicken!
Tricia Night Owl Mama says
March 9, 2013 at 6:02 pm
sounds so tasty we’ve been trying to do more with chicken
Stefani Tolson says
March 9, 2013 at 12:45 am
I made sesame chicken last night for the first time. Mine came out good but I want to try your recipe too!
Ty @ Mama of 3 Munchkins says
March 9, 2013 at 12:05 am
That looks really good!
HilLesha @To the Motherhood says
March 9, 2013 at 12:00 am
This looks good!
Vanessa: the queen of swag ! says
March 8, 2013 at 11:59 pm
looks yummy. thanks for sharing.
Andy Grant says
March 8, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Makes my belly growl just reading about it. Must try soon!
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy says
March 8, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Oh that sounds and looks delicious.
Mellisa says
March 8, 2013 at 12:03 am
Wow, this sounds amazing.
Mom Foodie says
March 7, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Interesting flavor combos. I think I’d like it.
Jenn says
March 7, 2013 at 11:21 pm
Where do you get Greek seasoning and what is in it?
- Lynda says
  March 8, 2013 at 10:15 am
  I buy it in the spice section. Salt, black pepper, garlic, MSG (oh my!), oregano, flavor base (?), sugar, onion powder, parsley….Looks like I need to figure out how to make my own version that is healthier.
Katy says
March 7, 2013 at 9:50 pm
My kids love sesame chicken. I have to try this recipe. I don’t have Greek seasoning I’ll have to see if I can find some.
Meghan @JaMonkey says
March 7, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Yum!
courtney says
March 7, 2013 at 7:43 pm
yum! Love sesame chicken!
Maryann says
March 7, 2013 at 3:40 pm
that sounds delish.
Elaina- @atimeout4mommy says
March 7, 2013 at 11:23 am
yummy!
patti says
March 7, 2013 at 10:31 am
Looks delicious!

Sesame Chicken Recipe