Sesame Chicken Bowls
by Chungah
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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.
Featured Comment
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 cornstarch, 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
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.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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I’ve made this at least ten times. We love it. It’s our go to when we’re in the mood for take out but don’t want to order it. Very consistent and I’ve never gone wrong just following the directions. I’ve made tons of recipes from this site and the cookbook over the years and they’re all dope. YUM!
I’m having trouble finding Rice Wine Vinegar. I find all kinds of Rice Vinegar, but not Rice Wine Vinegar. I read online that they are different and have two different flavors. Can anyone who’s made this tell me what you used?
I used Mirin, which I think is rice wine vinegar. I agree though, it’s a little confusing because I almost used rice vinegar too. Flavor was good.
Angelique, that does help a lot! At the time I wrote the original post the ONLY rice vinegar I could find was online, and there were only like 2 or 3 brands I could find, with totally varying prices, so it was hard to determine what made one better than the other. So after reading your reply, I went to one of the most health driven stores that I know of here in San Francisco (Rainbow Grocery), and I asked and no one had any idea either. Just like every other store, they had Rice Wine (in one section) and Rice Vinegar (in another), but neither said Rice Wine Vinegar. Your response came in VERY handy because as I was leaving Rainbow, I noticed (in the vinegar section) the only one brand of Mirin they carried (which they were almost all sold out of – I grabbed the last bottle) which EXPLICITLY says, Rice Wine Vinegar. I was ecstatic! I haven’t made the dish yet, but I plan to probably this weekend. I will reply or update with my experience afterwards.
So after making this, just as someone else posted below, my sauce wasn’t as dark as in the picture. My sauce ended up being kind of a light brown. All in all, it’s a good recipe that my son (who’s a very picky eater) actually enjoyed. The ONLY thing I didn’t measure out was my chicken. Rather than measuring how much chicken, I simply used 1 large breast and 1 small breast. (I wanted a leaner meat than the thighs), but I estimated the weight to be about 1-1/2 lbs, if not, it was a little shy on the weight. But because I didn’t weigh it, I question the viscosity of the sauce itself. When I added the sauce to the chicken, it thickened up so much that there was hardly any sauce to use on the broccoli. So at that point, I added more chicken stock, which only helped a little. Next time, I’ll be making twice as much sauce for the chicken and I’ll just add it to the chicken accordingly. Like I said though, this is a great dish! Already planning to make more in a couple of days.
Great dish but needs more sauce. I will double next time. To make any sauce darker, I use kitchen bouquet. It’s a GF product.
Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are the same thing. Mirin is rice wine, not fermented to become vinegar.
Rather late post but try finding Rice Wine Vinegar on Amazon
This was super tasty, my parents and I really enjoyed it!
Loved this meal.
This was great. Husband loved it. My sauce did not look as dark as yours in the picture, unsure why. Still very good. Thanks
Hello, This recipe sounds delicious. Could I use chicken breasts instead of thighs ? Would the flavor be affected?
Thank You
on occasion, if I don’t have thighs, I use breasts and usually the flavor is just as good.
I never leave reviews, but this satisfied an extremely picky eater in my household, so I am thrilled! She said it was almost like take-out, but totally worth not being deep fried. Very easy to make, although it did take me almost an hour from start to finish, but I also doubled the recipe. Thank you so much!! Will definitely be trying other dishes from your site.
Delicious & kid approved! It was a little too salty for us, so I’ll reduce the soy sauce in the future.
So yummy!!! My husband and I made this tonight and it is so good!! Easy and very tasty, total win!
This was amazing!!! My family, including picky kids, loved it! Licking the pan good. Very quick to make too.
Can this be made without the Rice Wine Vinegar and still be delicious?! Or if it needs vinegar..would apple cider work the same?
This was an insanely good recipe. Followed everything to the tee except used chicken breast (1lb). Wow. Will definitely make again!!
This was one of the first recipes I made when the lockdown first started in March…I had forgotten about it until the other night when I made it again and so glad I did! It is a keeper! Fabulous flavors combine with the crunch of the veggies make this the perfect dinner. I served with brown rice. Love this recipe !!!
So incredibly good. I can’t believe I made something that tastes and looks like restaurant quality. Thanks for another great recipe!
Another winner❣️ I don’t understand the comments about it tasting too ‘orangey’. I threw in another tbsp. of orange marmalade at the end! YUM!
I love these recipes since I cook for my Mom who has Celiac, and a lot of them use all gluten-free ingredients. Thank you
My son is celiac, and I use these recipes a lot too. Definitely try the shrimp that noodles. So good!
We loved this. I followed the recipe exactly and did add the sriracha. I’m not a huge fan of orange, which is the predominant flavor, but I must admit that I DID devour the entire dish. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside…so good. And I liked the fact that you can prep everything in advance and then just cook it up quickly when you are ready. I cooked the broccoli during the last few minutes that the chicken was in the pan and then served everything piping hot the second it came off the stove. By the way, I found that the amount of food specified in the recipe was enough to feed myself, my husband, and my 16 year old…with no leftovers. Thank you again, Chungah, for another wonderful recipe!
This is fabulous. It hits all my buttons fast, fabulous and every smiles when I serve it. I have to make a double batch because we all want left overs for lunch.
This turned out great! I added a splash of toasted sesame oil. My family loved it. Will make again.
This recipe is amazing!
This was damn delicious. Followed recipe exactly using the sriracha. No changes necessary. Call it sesame chicken or orange chicken, who cares!! It was DAMN DELICIOUS!!