Baked Sesame Chicken (38g Protein)

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Sesame chicken from the takeout counter is battered, deep fried, and drowned in a sauce that is mostly sugar. This version bakes instead, and one serving lands at 38g of protein for about 330 calories. The glaze is still sticky and glossy. You just get to taste the chicken underneath it.

The whole thing runs on one sheet pan and one skillet, and it is done in 35 minutes.

Why this works

The egg white plus cornstarch coating is a lean version of velveting. The egg white holds moisture against the chicken while the cornstarch sets into a thin shell in the hot oven, which gives the glaze something to grip. The other trick is tossing the chicken in the sauce off the heat. If you simmer baked chicken in liquid you undo the crust you just built.

Ingredient notes

Breast keeps the protein number high, but thighs work if you prefer them, just bake 2 to 3 minutes longer. Toasted sesame oil is the flavor backbone here, so do not swap in plain sesame oil. If your sesame seeds are raw, toast them in a dry pan for a minute; it is the difference between fragrant and filler. Honey can be swapped for maple syrup without anyone noticing.

Baked Sesame Chicken

Takeout sesame chicken without the deep fryer. A light cornstarch coating crisps in a hot oven, then everything gets tossed in a honey sesame glaze.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 330

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 650 g chicken breast about 1.4 lb, cut into 3 cm chunks
• 1 egg white
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp white pepper or black pepper
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 scallions, sliced for serving

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 220C (425F) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Give the parchment a light spray or brush of oil.
2. Toss the chicken chunks with the egg white, salt, and white pepper until every piece is slick. Add the cornstarch and toss again until the coating looks like a thin batter, not a dusty powder.
3. Spread the chicken on the sheet in a single layer with space between pieces. Crowded pieces steam instead of crisping. Bake 8 minutes, flip, then bake another 8 minutes until the edges are golden.
4. While the chicken bakes, stir the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic in a large skillet. Simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it bubbles thickly and coats a spoon.
5. Tip the baked chicken into the skillet, turn off the heat, and toss until every piece is glazed. The residual heat is enough; boiling the chicken in the sauce softens the crust.
6. Scatter over the sesame seeds and scallions and serve with rice and steamed greens.

Tips and storage

This holds up well for meal prep. Keep the chicken and rice in containers for up to 4 days and reheat in the microwave; the glaze loosens as it warms. The coating will not stay crisp overnight, no baked coating does, but the flavor is honestly better on day two. If you like this style of takeout remake, the lighter Mongolian beef uses the same toss-off-the-heat trick, and the air fryer char siu chicken is the other chicken recipe I make on repeat. Leftovers are also very good chopped into chicken fried rice.