Honey Sesame Chicken

Honey sesame chicken is a sweet and familiar Asian dish for all the family. With nutty notes and a syrupy glaze to coat tender chicken breast make it irresistibly moreish. With under ten minutes to prepare and half that to cook, it’s a fast track to a flavourful alternative to takeout.

Cooking for a family means it can sometimes feel like every other meal is chicken. Honey garlic shrimp is just as temptingly sweet (chilli kick optional) as this sticky chicken recipe but provides a seafoody break to the dinner routine. 

Having a little picky eater in the house, which isn’t a problem I have anymore (sob!), can be so tough. You spend time making the food, you spend time negotiating with them to eat the food. No-one eats the food. Especially unfamiliar foods. 

But I found that even the most exotic of meals would be lapped up if the ‘magic’ word was in the title, or ingredients list. And that word was honey.

Sticky chicken recipe

To gently encourage my son, I started to develop honey-centric dishes that resulted in myriad Asian sticky chicken recipes: oven-baked honey soy chicken thighs and drumsticks, Asian air fryer chicken wings, shoyu chicken (actually brown sugar, not honey, but it was only the tiniest lie!), and this honey sesame chicken. He would eat them all. And ask for seconds!

This ‘safe’ recipe is familiar chicken breast very lightly battered and glazed with honey. I say ‘safe’ as some picky eaters (adults included!) can baulk at recipes that include too many ingredients, like peppers, pineapple or baby corn like that old takeaway stalwart: sweet and sour chicken.

But honey sesame chicken is far from plain. It’s a delicate mix of garlic and ginger, soy sauce in place of salt, a touch of vinegar, and chilli flakes (if you dare). Combined with the generous helping of honey and toasty nutty sesame oil, it’s a mild but satisfying blend of, not overwhelming, flavours.

The garnish of sesame seeds and green onion slices are sprinkled over after plating up. If this seems a dangerous step too far, just leave them off your picky-eater’s plate.

Serving suggestions

It can mean a lot of work, but I do love putting together a tempting Asian-inspired banquet for a celebration. A variety of colour, texture and flavour is reminiscent of a New Year’s firework display in dinner form. And it might look something like this:

Easy Dan Dan noodles made with your choice of either ground beef or pork, this is a spicy and peanutty dish. A family favourite. Or try a meat-free vegan version if one meat dish is enough.

Yes, more noodles! Singapore noodles have it all: crunchy vegetables, fat prawns, pork, even egg! They differ from Dan Dan as their bang comes from curry powder rather than chilli. So, on this basis, a second noodle dish is acceptable.

AND rice. We usually keep it simple with plain white rice. Its pure simplicity makes the sticky chicken all the more stunning, and suits that picky-eater!

But if you’re not going noodle-crazy and are running with this ‘more is more’ theme, crab fried rice or kimchi fried rice are certainly worthy of table space. FYI fried rice dishes are a convenient and economical way to use up any leftover rice from another meal.

Finally, vegetables. Perhaps the veg in the stir-fried noodles is enough for you, but I like a pile of fresh steaming greens; jade-hued and delicious. Chinese leaves like pak choi or bok choi are done in no time and are very little effort.

But, you know, you could just serve this dish with rice.

Storage and leftovers

Eating leftover Chinese food is a thing, right? It’s definitely my thing! This sticky honey-glazed chicken will keep in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheat in the oven (covered in foil to prevent drying), or on the stove top with a splash of water to loosen if needed, or give it a good zap in the microwave. 

More Asian chicken recipes

• Chicken Katsu Curry
• Chicken Satay with Easy Peanut Sauce
• Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
• Thai Grilled Chicken Salad
• Chinese Three Cup Chicken