Better than takeout, baked sesame chicken with vegetables is delicious, flavourful, sticky and saucy. Breaded chicken is baked with broccoli and cauliflower and coated in a sweet and sticky sauce packed with honey and soy sauce. This healthier twist on a classic Chinese dish that is traditionally deep-fried is also so quick and easy to make. It's the best dinner on busy weeknights or any day of the week.
I am all about better than takeout meals, especially ones that take less time to make than it does for your takeout order to arrive. Plus, homemade is just always better. Some other easy Asian takeout dishes that we like to whip up in on busy weeknights are healthy lemon chicken, chicken Pad Thai, curry chicken fried rice, and one pot Thai red curry noodle soup.
Ingredients in Baked Sesame Chicken
To make delicious baked sesame chicken, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- chicken breasts - 1 lb. chicken breasts (about 2 chicken breasts) seasoned with salt and pepper.
- all purpose flour - to coat the chicken.
- eggs - to coat the chicken and help the breadcrumbs stick to it.
- Panko breadcrumbs - to coat the chicken.
- cooking oil spray - gets the breaded coating super crispy when baked.
- vegetables - broccoli and cauliflower tossed in olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Feel free to substitute with other vegetables that you like. Carrots also go really well in this dish.
- sticky honey sauce - made with soy sauce, honey, black vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, and fresh garlic.
- toppings - sesame seeds and green onions.
You will also need a half sheet baking pan and a wok or skillet.
How to Make the Best Baked Sesame Chicken with Vegetables
- Prepare the chicken. Pat dry chicken breasts completely with a paper towel and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place into a medium mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Coat the chicken. In a large ziploc bag, add flour and cubed chicken. Seal the bag and shake well to coat. Prepare a shallow plate with the Panko breadcrumbs and another with the beaten eggs. Dip one piece of chicken at a time into the egg wash and evenly coat it, then evenly coat in the breadcrumbs. The flour will stick to the chicken, the egg wash sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash.
- Place chicken on baking sheet. Arrange the breaded chicken on a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Spray the chicken with cooking oil spray. This helps create a crispy crust on the outside during baking.
- Prepare the vegetables. In a large mixing bowl, add broccoli, cauliflower, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread the vegetable mix in a single layer on one half of the same baking pan.
- Bake the chicken and vegetables. Bake the chicken and vegetables in a 350 F preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature for the chicken should be 165F. Set the pan aside.
- Make the sticky honey sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, add soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir well to mix until cornstarch and sugar dissolves. In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Turn down to low heat and stir in sauce mixture. Stir well until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Keep heat on low heat while stirring.
- Toss in chicken and add toppings. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the sauce pan. Toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over a bowl of steamed rice.
Tips
- How to serve: Serve baked sesame chicken over a bowl of steamed rice or vegetarian fried rice. It also pairs really well with most Chinese dishes such as shanghai style fried noodles, Chinese garlic cucumber salad and air fryer vegetable stir fry with tofu.
- How to store: Store any leftover baked sesame chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
More Chinese Recipes
- Healthy Lemon Chicken
- Shanghai Style Fried Noodles
- Vegetarian Fried Rice
- Stir Fried Rice Noodle Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce
- Spicy Chili Oil Wontons
- Crispy Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls
- Vegetarian Steamed Buns
- Spicy Dan Dan Noodles
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Recipe
Baked Sesame Chicken
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Better than takeout, baked sesame chicken with vegetables is delicious, flavourful, sticky and saucy. This healthier Chinese dish is quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- cooking oil spray
For the vegetables:
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sticky honey sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon green onions, finely sliced
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken and Vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Pat dry chicken breasts completely with a paper towel and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place into a medium mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- In a large ziploc bag, add flour and cubed chicken. Seal the bag and shake well to coat.
- Prepare a shallow plate with the Panko breadcrumbs and another with the beaten eggs. Dip one piece of chicken at a time into the egg wash and evenly coat it, then evenly coat in the breadcrumbs. The flour will stick to the chicken, the egg wash sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash.
- Arrange the breaded chicken on a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Spray the chicken with cooking oil spray. This helps create a crispy crust on the outside during baking.
- In a large mixing bowl, add broccoli, cauliflower, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread the vegetable mix in a single layer on one half of the same baking pan.
- Bake the chicken with vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature for the chicken should be 165F. Set the pan aside.
Prepare the Sauce and Assemble:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir well to mix until cornstarch and sugar dissolves.
- In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Turn down to low heat and stir in sauce mixture. Stir well until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Keep heat on low heat while stirring.
- Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the sauce pan. Toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Serve over a bowl of steamed rice.
Notes
How to serve: Serve baked sesame chicken over a bowl of steamed rice or vegetarian fried rice. It also pairs really well with most Chinese dishes such as shanghai style fried noodles, Chinese garlic cucumber salad and air fryer vegetable stir fry with tofu.
How to store: Store any leftover baked sesame chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: Chinese
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Jessica says
I don't usually leave comments but WOW this blew me away. Absolutely delicious and will 100% make it again.
I didn't have black vinegar so subbed it with balsalmic vinegar and some worcestershire and it was great.
I made 1.5x the sauce this time since it looked like it wouldn't be enough. I let it reduce to the perfect amount and stirred in the chicken but forgot to remove it from the heat so I think I ultimately reduced too much. It was only enough for the chicken and not veggies, but still all good since I personally thought it was a touch too salty but my husband loved it and said it was perfect. I will double the sauce next time just in case.
Jenna says
Made this on a whim was delicious had a little trouble with how much of all ingredients to use as there was no guidelines but got there in the end and there wasn’t a plate with any left at the end even my 4 year old and 1 year old loved it!
Bill Burns says
Very nice flavor and texture. Definitely a keeper. A bit labor intensive . I also never have seen *black vinegar" but seasoned rice wine vinegar worked.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you for sharing Bill!
Katie says
Looks amazing! My family would love this.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Katie! Let me know if you try it.
Denay DeGuzman says
My husband and I really enjoyed this delicious baked sesame chicken! It's flavorful, healthy and easy to make. This recipe's a keeper!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Denay! It's one of our favourites!