Sesame Chicken Bowls
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30 minute sesame chicken bowls! 1000x better than takeout and delivery. Super saucy and crisp-tender chicken, served with rice and broccoli!
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Why you’ll love this sesame chicken recipe
- Takeout favorite. You can make your favorite takeout dish right at home, tasting even better using fresh, better-quality ingredients. And it has the perfect balance of flavors – sweet, tangy, and savory!
- Weeknight-friendly. Homemade sesame chicken comes together lightning fast, and even faster than takeout or delivery using everyday pantry staples. It’s also an easy stovetop recipe, yielding crisp-tender chicken bites in all the saucy goodness. No hot pot of deep-frying oil required here!
- Excellent for picky eaters. Serve with any and all of the veggies, including broccoli, carrots, snap peas, and bell peppers. Once they’re coated in the sauce, you won’t have any leftovers (even among the pickiest of eaters!).
- Flexible, versatile recipe. Sesame chicken can be served with lentils, brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, fried rice, chow mein, 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.
What is Sesame chicken?
Sesame chicken is a popular Chinese-American takeout dish made with crispy bite-sized chicken pieces tossed in a sweet, savory, slightly tangy sauce, finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
how to make sesame chicken bowls
- Cook the rice. Rinse the basmati rice, then cook according to package instructions in a large saucepan.
- Steam the broccoli. Steam the broccoli florets in a steamer or colander until bright green.
- Prep the sauce. Mix together the chicken stock, orange marmalade, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, and cornstarch until well combined and smooth.
- Prep the chicken. Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Then toss the chicken with the cornstarch until lightly coated.
- Cook the chicken. Heat a splash of oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, then cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Pro tip: work in batches to avoid an overcrowded pan which will steam the chicken instead.
- Add the sauce. Stir in the sauce, letting it simmer for a few minutes until it thickens into a glossy sauce. Stir in the sesame seeds.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked rice and top with chicken and broccoli.
what to serve with sesame chicken bowls
Tools For This Recipe
Sesame Chicken Bowls: Frequently Asked Questions
Sesame chicken is generally mild with sweet and savory flavors whereas general tso’s is a mix of sweet, tangy, and spicy using hot chili peppers.
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.
Broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, and snap peas are all favorited options, tossed directly in the sauce or steamed separately for serving.
You can easily make your own using regular sesame seeds! Place a dry skillet over medium heat and stir the sesame seeds every 15-30 seconds until they turn golden brown, cooling immediately.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water to help loosen the sauce.
Sesame Chicken Bowls
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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 or noodles. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, and chow mein are all great options.
- Meal prep as needed. Sesame chicken is an excellent high-protein recipe to meal prep for the week ahead, stored in airtight containers up to 4 days.
- Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. For even more sesame flavor, add the finishing touches with a hearty sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Can’t find toasted sesame seeds? They can be DIY-ed and toasted in a hot skillet for a few minutes without oil.
Did you make this recipe?
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Insanely ridiculously fabulous. I subbed tofu for the chicken and it was incredible! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!!
I completely agree with Lindsey’s comment. This was tasty but it’s Orange Chicken not Sesame Chicken. Sesame chicken would include sesame oil, and this has a very strong orange flavor to it with the orange marmalade and orange juice.
I agree but still very good!
I made this and all I can say is: WOW!, better than take-out for sure. The only thing I would recommend is that when you cut up the chicken thighs take a little extra care to remove the fat. I’m going to try doubling the sauce mixture and keeping half of it (without the corn starch) in the freezer for next time.
Amazing!! Family loved it. Thank you!
I did this as is very good .
I made this tonight it was SO SO GOOD! I don’t think I changed anything. It looked just like the picture it was delicious! I served it with broccoli and white rice — thank you it’s a keeper!
THIS. IS. DELICIOUS! We used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs and swapped broccoli for some frozen edamame. Turned out great!
Made this over the weekend for dinner, it is so good! Sauteed the chicken thighs in sesame oil, great flavor.
Was out of orange marmalade, substituted fig jam, little sweet. Looking forward to making this again with the marmalade, once I go shopping. We were out of brocolli so roasted various veggies and onions. This is a definite keeper! Hubs went back for seconds and polished off the leftovers next day for lunch.
Thank you, great flavors. Love your recipes, always a hit.
Made this recipe tonight and it was AMAZING!! My husband and kids LOVED it!! Our oldest son’s friend stayed for dinner and he loved it too. I doubled the recipe and there are NO leftovers . Going to triple it next time. Note: I ran short of cornstarch, so I made sure to add it to my sauce first, then to my meat: combined with a little flour. Turned out great. I’m so glad I’m signed for emails and received this terrific recipe that will remain in our family for a long time to come. Thank you, thank you!!
This was def a make again recipe! I used breast tenderloins, as that is what the store had. I added a bit of crushed red pepper to the sauce, and probably another tablespoon of the marmalade. I biased cut some carrots and par-cooked in the microwave, and added with the broccoli. So good!
Hi! This was tasty- but I do think that you should consider renaming it. It should be called Orange Chicken instead of sesame. Sesame chicken would include sesame oil, and this had an awful lot of orange in it 🙂 just a thought!
I find boneless, skinless chicken breasts so much more available. Have you ever tried using them with this recipe? Maybe the browning time is only 3-4 minutes for breasts versus 6-8 for thighs…