Eggless Sesame Chicken
Crispy, saucy, and deeply savory, this sesame chicken delivers everything you want from a takeout-style dinner — made entirely in your own kitchen for four. The batter is built from cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and cold water, which means it gets genuinely golden and crisp in the skillet without a single egg in sight. That's a detail that matters, because most restaurant versions and even many homemade recipes rely on egg to bind the coating, so this approach is a real find. The sauce comes together with soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger, and garlic — it's glossy, fragrant, and clings to every piece of chicken beautifully. Pan-frying in batches keeps the coating crisp rather than steamy, and resting the chicken on a wire rack while the second batch cooks means nothing goes soggy before it hits the plate. Finished with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallion greens over a bowl of white rice, this is the kind of meal that genuinely competes with your favorite order-in spot.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the chicken
- 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup cold water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, for pan-frying
For the sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
For serving
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
- cooked white rice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just softened, about 1 minute — watch closely so the garlic does not brown.
- 2
Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved, then pour the mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through leaves a clear line, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
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