Julie Clark
Updated:
Honey Sesame Chicken
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You’ll love this copycat recipe for a Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken with perfectly crispy chicken in a sweet & savory sauce.
Do you love getting takeout? When we’re traveling, a family favorite is Panda Express. Orange chicken is a favorite, but this crispy honey sesame chicken recipe never disappoints.
About this Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe:
- Flavor: Love sweet & tangy? Then this honey sesame chicken is for you! It gets its sweet flavor from both honey and brown sugar, and the tang comes from soy sauce, tomato, ginger and vinegar. It’s a delicious combo.
- Texture: The crispy chicken pieces are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. You’ll toss it with the sticky sauce right before serving so that it stays crispy.
- Method: This chicken fries on the stove top. You can use an air fryer if you are familiar with that method, but I highly recommend frying the chicken for that rich flavor you know and love.
Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken Ingredients
This popular take-out chicken comes and goes on the Panda Express menu, so we’re happy to share the ingredients in this copycat recipe with you so you can enjoy it any time you’d like. I think you’ll love it.
The ingredient list looks long, but if you’ve made any type of fried Asian chicken (like our General Tso’s chicken) in the past, then this will come together quickly for you. It takes about 45 minutes start to finish. See the ingredient list below.
This honey sesame chicken recipe calls for chicken tenderloins. I like using them because they are small and easy to cut into bite size pieces. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
Before You Begin
Deep frying chicken can be a messy process, so here are a few tips to remember as you make this honey sesame fried chicken.
- Keep the oil temperature at 350ºF. Use a probe thermometer to test the oil temperature. The temp will drop when you put the chicken in, so be prepared to keep testing and adjusting the heat on the stovetop as needed.
- Work in batches and don’t crowd the pan. You want that chicken to fry on all sides, so do 2 or three batches if needed.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it tests 165ºF in the center.
- To keep the chicken crispy, allow it to cool on a wire rack. Place paper towels on a baking sheet, then put the wire rack on the paper towels.
How to Make Honey Sesame Fried Chicken
- Prepare the sauce. Combine all ingredients except the cornstarch slurry in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water for a cornstarch slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce and whisk. Place a lid over the saucepan and turn off the heat, but keep the pan on the burner. Sauce will thicken as remaining steps are completed.
- Meanwhile, saute the veggies. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and sesame oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Thinly slice the bell pepper, then cut the pepper slices and green beans into 1” pieces. Add peppers and green beans to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes to soften.
- Add 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wok or a deep skillet. Heat to 350°F.
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Prepare a dredging station. Combine eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk well. In a separate bowl combine tempura, cornstarch, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Dredge the chicken in the eggs, allow excess to drip off the chicken then add to the tempura. Toss to coat.
- Add chicken to the oil and fry for 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Stop to turn the chicken over halfway through. Work in batches and do not overcrowd the oil. The chicken is done when it tests 165ºF inside. Place fried chicken onto a wire rack lined baking sheet as you work. This is our trick for keeping the honey sesame chicken crispy.
- Add chicken and sautéed veggies to a large bowl and pour in the sauce. Toss to coat. Season with sesame seeds and garnish with chopped green onions and more red pepper flakes if you’d like. Serve with rice.
Make it a Meal.
This honey sesame chicken is perfect with butter rice, brown rice or even quinoa. It has the veggies built into the dish, but you can add a side of roasted broccoli which is delicious with this sauce.
Storage Instructions
Our honey sesame chicken is best served immediately after cooking to the chicken retains it crispiness. If you have any leftover, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or store it in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
If you want to have crispy chicken when you’re warming it up, heat in the air fryer.
Honey Sesame Chicken
You'll love this copycat recipe for a Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken with perfectly crispy chicken in a sweet & savory sauce.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the honey sesame sauce:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the cornstarch slurry:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
For the veggies:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 large yellow bell peppers
- 1 cup fresh green beans
For the chicken:
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup tempura batter mix
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- pinch red pepper flakes
- vegetable oil for frying
For garnishing:
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- ½ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce. Combine all ingredients except the cornstarch slurry in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, ½ tablespoon ginger paste, ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water for a cornstarch slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce and whisk. Place a lid over the saucepan and turn off the heat, but keep the pan on the burner. Sauce will thicken as remaining steps are completed. 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Meanwhile, saute the veggies. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and sesame oil and swirl to coat the pan. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Thinly slice the bell pepper, then cut the pepper slices and green beans into 1” pieces. Add peppers and green beans to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes to soften. 2 large yellow bell peppers, 1 cup fresh green beans
- Add 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wok or a deep skillet. Heat to 350°F. vegetable oil
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Prepare a dredging station. Combine eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk well. In a separate bowl combine tempura, cornstarch, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.1 lb chicken tenderloins, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 cup tempura batter mix, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, pinch red pepper flakes
- Dredge the chicken in the eggs, allow excess to drip off the chicken then add to the tempura. Toss to coat.
- Add chicken to the oil and fry for 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Stop to turn the chicken over halfway through. Work in batches and do not overcrowd the oil. The chicken is done when it tests 165ºF inside. Place fried chicken onto a wire rack lined baking sheet as you work. This is our trick for keeping the chicken crispy.
- Add chicken and sautéed veggies to a bowl and pour in the sauce. Toss to coat. Season with sesame seeds and garnish with chopped green onions and more red pepper flakes if you'd like. Serve with rice. 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, ½ cup green onions
Notes
- I used a tempura batter mix, but if you don’t have this on hand, use ½ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. That cornstarch keeps the chicken crispy!
- Because the rice vinegar can add to the “salty” flavor of the sauce, it’s perfectly fine to use a low sodium soy sauce.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 1977mg | Potassium: 928mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 794IU | Vitamin C: 181mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 4mg
Would love to make this recipe, but what is tempura. Never heard of it?? tyia