Baked Honey Sesame Chicken

A white plate of orange chicken garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, placed on a wooden table with ginger, green onions, and rice nearby.

5 from 2 votes

Baked Honey Sesame Chicken

🍗🍯🧄 Just 30-minutes for chicken that's better-than-takeout, minus the grease! Bite-sized pieces of chicken are baked (not fried), and tossed in the best honey, garlic, and soy sauce mixture which coats every piece to juicy PERFECTION! Picky eater approved and great for busy weeknights! Always season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to your own taste preferences.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: 30-Minute Meals, Asian, Chicken, Dinner

Cuisine: Asian, Chicken

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Asian baked chicken, asian chicken, baked honey sesame chicken, honey sesame chicken

Servings:

Calories: 457cal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch (boneless skinless chicken thighs may be substituted)
4 tablespoons cornstarch divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil or to taste
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium or lite soy sauce)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 garlic cloves finely minced
1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil or to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger or about 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste (add more for more heat, less for less heat)
1 or 2 green onions trimmed and sliced into thin rounds, for garnishing as desired
1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnishing as desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. To a large bowl, add the chicken, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 /2 teaspoon pepper, and toss well to combine with clean hands.
To a large baking sheet, add the chicken (discard any residual cornstarch from the bowl), evenly drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping once midway through if desired for more even cooking.
Cooking Tip - The smaller the chicken pieces, the quicker it will cook. These pieces are pretty small at 1-inch and it's quite a hot oven, so keep an eye on the chicken because you don't want to overcook it and dry it out, which is easy to do. Take the temperature, it's done at 165F.
While the chicken bakes, to a large skillet, add the 1 reserved tablespoon of cornstarch, honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, red pepper flakes, and heat over medium to medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to dissolve the brown sugar. The sauce will thicken slightly from the cornstarch as you keep stirring. Flavoring Tip - Taste the sauce and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more soy sauce, more ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes for heat, rice vinegar for tanginess, sesame oil if you love the flavor like I do, etc.
Transfer the baked chicken into the skillet with the sauce, toss to combine and coat evenly, and cook for about 1-2 minutes over medium-low or low heat.
Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, to taste, and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Extra chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as desired.

Nutrition