Sesame Chicken Bowls
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Super saucy, crisp-tender sesame chicken! 1000x better than takeout, made in 30min or less. Serve with rice and broccoli. SO SO GOOD.
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This recipe was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using a regular pan instead of a cast iron skillet. The sauce was perfect and the chicken was so tender. Even my picky eater loved this recipe!
why i love this recipe
- Takeout favorite. Now you can make your favorite takeout dish right at home, tasting even better and using fresher ingredients.
- Weeknight-friendly. Homemade sesame chicken comes together lightning fast, and even faster than takeout or delivery using everyday pantry staples.
- No deep fry method. No hot pot of oil required here! This is an easy stovetop recipe, yielding crisp-tender chicken bites in all the saucy goodness.
- Balance of flavors. The sesame chicken here is a perfect balance of flavors – sweet, tangy and savory. It is everything you want it to be.
- Great for picky eaters. Serve with any and all veggies such as broccoli, carrots, snap peas and bell peppers. Once they’re coated in the leftover sauce, you won’t have any leftovers (even among your pickiest of eaters).
- Flexible recipe. Sesame chicken can be served with your favorite grains – lentils, brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, fried rice, you name it. Because at the end of the day, the saucy bits from the chicken can be served on top of anything and everything.
tips and tricks for perfect sesame chicken bowls every single time
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Chicken thighs will have more flavor. Chicken breasts can certainly be substituted but chicken thighs will be much more juicier (and will cook much faster here).
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all great options.
- Meal prep as needed. Sesame chicken is a great high-protein recipe to meal prep for the week ahead, stored in airtight containers up to 4 days.
pro tip
Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
For even more sesame flavor, add the finishing touches to your sesame chicken bowls with a hearty sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Can’t find toasted sesame seeds? They can be DIY-ed and toasted in a hot pan for a few minutes sans oil.
what to serve with sesame chicken bowls
Sesame Chicken Bowls: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
What other vegetables can I serve this with?
Broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, green beans and snap peas are all favorited options, tossed directly in the sauce or steamed separately for serving.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Sesame Chicken Bowls
Super saucy, crisp-tender sesame chicken! 1000x better than takeout, made in 30min or less. Serve with rice and broccoli. SO SO GOOD.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, about 2-3 cups
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 ½ tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional
- 4 ½ tablespoons corn starch, divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 1 1/2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Place broccoli florets into a steamer or colander set over a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 5 mins, or until cooked through and vibrant green; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, orange marmalade, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, if using, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
- Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle with remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch until evenly coated.
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in two batches, add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in chicken stock mixture until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds.
- Serve chicken immediately with rice and broccoli, garnished with green onion, if desired.
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My whole family loved it! Even my super picky son asked for seconds! You’re amazing!
This super saucy, crisp-tender sesame chicken looks like pure perfection! I love how the chicken stays juicy on the inside while getting that perfect golden crunch on the outside, and the glossy sesame sauce ties everything together with just the right mix of sweet and savory. It’s the kind of dish that makes you want to grab a second helping before you’ve even finished the first. So delicious and comfort meal! Thanks for sharing.
Tried this tonight and was bummed it wasn’t as awesome as I expected. As another reviewer shared, the color in mine was pale in comparison to the above photos (maybe the sauce coulve used more soy sauce?). The chicken stuck like crazy to my cast iron skillet. And the whole process was looooong. I like the reviewer ideas to either air fry the chicken, or cook the thighs whole and chop afterwards. The flavor is definitely more like orange chicken, but I think I’ve made better orange chicken than this. Too bad. But I love pretty much every other Damn Delicious recipe I’ve tried.
Fast and easy, and delicious. I may double the sauce just because it was so wonderful.
I made this tonight. So AWESOME. It was perfect. I find that the first time I make a recipe, I usually will tweak it the next time – not this one. Don’t be afraid of the Sriracha. The amount called for in this recipe does not make this even remotely spicy. The Sriracha just cuts the sweet from the marmalade. I love spicy, so I may up the spice next time. Thanks so much for an amazing dinner recipe.
Oh my gosh, how awesome does this look! Today, I’m doing another of your recipes, it’s the copycat PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps and I’m using ground turkey. Then I’ll make this recipe.
Thanks for another stellar recipe.
My chicken wasn’t as rich brown in color as the photo. Pretty “pale” looking. Is it better to use an air fryer to achieve that crispy brown color I wonder? The flavor was good though.
I just had to cook mine longer but it eventually turned a beautiful golden color. Excited for dinner tonight!!
This recipe was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using a regular pan instead of a cast iron skillet. The sauce was perfect and the chicken was so tender. Even my picky eater loved this recipe!
This took me way longer to cook than 30 minutes. It was also my first time making it. Still needed an hour to prep and cook everything. First, I am unsure about one cup of rice being enough for four servings. It got me two. I’d also add more broccoli in, because we love it and I also love leftovers. Sadly, there was no leftover rice or broccoli when I cooked it for two people. I liked the chicken – I know everyone said it taste like orange chicken, which it does, but the flavor was good and the orange wasn’t overwhelming. I will try adding the Sriracha next time for a little kick! I’d make some salt adjustments (less) next time I make this dish. I also like that it wasn’t heavy. Another great recipe! Thank you for sharing.
The flavor is SO good. Even my picky 3 year old loves this. Like other reviewers, I do think it tastes more like orange chicken than sesame chicken.
One thing I do on weeknights to speed this up is cook the thighs whole because it takes forever to cut them up and cook in two batches. Instead I salt and cornstarch the whole thighs, brown them, and then cut them up and add to the sauce. Cooked chicken is much easier to quickly cut up than raw chicken.
This recipe was a total winner in my house! The sauce’s sticky texture was perfect. Will definitely make it again since I now have a jar of orange marmalade to use up 🙂
I have made SO MANY recipes from Damn Delicious and usually love all of them… although this one, I wasn’t feeling the orange marmalade at ALL. I agree with other reviews that this is definitely more of an orange chicken, but I think if the OJ and marmalade were omitted, it would be bomb.
can you cook this chicken in an air fryer?
This was a hit and will be on rotation at our house!
Needed brown sugar to offset soy sauce. Marmalade wasn’t enough. Otherwise, good and easy to make.
The orange juice and marmalade REALLY made this dish. Sure, my 4-year-old dumped most of the marmalade on our freshly resurfaced floors, but I’m already ready to make this recipe again.
Thinking this would make an easy camping meal if I prep a bit in advance. Could I mix the sauce the in advance and put in a mason jar so I don’t have to take all the ingrediengs? I’d add the cornstarch when ready to cook it up.
Thanks!
I enjoyed this. It tastes more like orange chicken than the sesame chicken served at my local places, but it was really good and came together quickly once I had the chicken cut up.
Super easy and quick. I doubled the sauce and used 2# of chicken tenders instead of thighs. Also doubled the rice so that we could all have leftovers. It was perfect. More like Orange Chicken – terrific meal for a busy Monday night.
Wow! This dish was super easy and so wonderful! The chicken cooks great in the mixture and it has such a good, but light flavor. Will add to our dinner rotation!
Like another reviewer, I would definitely say this is more orange chicken than sesame chicken. I did use homemade marmalade so maybe it was more orangey/less sweet than it was supposed to be.