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Honey Sesame Chickenis an easy weeknight meal the entire family will love! This easy chicken recipe only takes 25 minutes to make because it is made in the Instant Pot. It is a chicken dinner winner!
I thought we should take a break from cookies and share an easy weeknight meal. The holiday season is busy and I am sure you are allin need of a quick and easy dinner recipe.
This Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is guaranteed to be a family favorite. And the best part? It only takes 25 minutes to make because it is made in the Instant Pot. I hope you all bought an Instant Pot on Black Friday. If not, don’t worry, there is still time. Treat yourself to an early Christmas present. We LOVE our Instant Pot, it is a lifesaver for making easy and delicious recipes.
This recipe is from our friend Barbara’s new cookbook, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook. I featured this cookbook in our cookbook gift guide this year, it is a good one! If you have an Instant Pot, you need this book because it is filled with over 200 pressure cooker recipes! Barbara is the pressure cooker queen. We can always trust her recipes.
When Josh saw the Honey Sesame Chicken recipe he got out our Instant Pot and said he was making dinner. I was ok with that. Josh is actually the Instant Pot pro in our house. He loves using the Instant Pot. He makes hard boiled eggs every week and his cilantro lime rice and 4-ingredient chicken chile verde are favorites at our house. And now this Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is a favorite.
The sticky sweet sesame sauceis easy to make and gives the chicken a ton of flavor. The Instant Pot cooks the chicken in no time and the chicken is perfectly tender. Josh served the chicken with rice and roasted broccoli.This easy chicken dinner is a winner and SO much better than take out. Get out your Instant Pot and make it for dinner tonight!
Looking for more easy weeknightdinners? Check out our top 25 easy weeknight dinners!
If you like this easy chicken recipe, you might also like:
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
- Easy Mongolian Beef
Chicken
Honey Sesame Chicken {Instant Pot}
This easy Honey Sesame Chicken recipe only takes 25 minutes to make because it is made in the Instant Pot.It is a family favorite and SO much better than takeout!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce use Tamari for gluten-free
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 2 scallions white and green parts, chopped
- Cooked rice and roasted broccoli for serving, optional
- Chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Select Browning/Sauté to preheat the Instant Pot. When hot, add the oil, onion, garlic, and chicken to the pot. Sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens.
Stir in the soy sauce, ketchup, and red pepper flakes. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 3 minutes cook time.
When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Add the sesame oil and honey to the pot and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Add the slurry to the pot. Select Simmer/Sauté and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the scallions. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve roasted broccoli on the side, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 890mg, Potassium: 393mg, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 140IU, Vitamin C: 3.5mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 0.9mg
Keywords honey sesame chicken
Have you tried this recipe?
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FAQs
Over medium-high heat to a saucepan, add soy sauce, honey, ketchup, rice vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Mix together, bring to a simmer, and then lower the heat. Combine the water and cornstarch and pour in the pan to thicken the sauce into a glaze.
What is honey chicken sauce made of? ›
Honey chicken contains pieces of fried breaded chicken in a sauce of honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar. What to serve with honey chicken? While I often serve this dish over steamed white rice, other great grain options include crispy fried rice noodles, quinoa, brown rice, or a boiled rice or egg noodle.
What is sesame chicken sauce made of? ›
In a separate bowl, create your sauce by combining light soy sauce, ketchup, chicken stock, sugar, honey, and sesame oil. Mix until well combined and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, white pepper, and baking powder.
What is the difference between General Tso chicken and honey sesame chicken? ›
Sesame chicken's sauce accentuates the flavor of sesame and is a brown sugar/honey based sauce. General Tso's chicken's sauce is more pungent with hoisin, ginger and rice vinegar. When they do have in common is soy sauce and corn starch.
What does Chinese sesame chicken have in it? ›
The dish involves chicken (usually thigh) pieces that are de-boned, battered and Chinese deep-fried, then dressed with a translucent, reddish-brown, semi-thick, somewhat sweet sauce made from corn starch, vinegar, wine or sake, chicken broth and sugar, the last of which is a major contributor to sesame chicken's ...
What does honey sesame chicken taste like Panda Express? ›
Perfectly balanced flavor: It's savory but also a little sweet, tangy, and vinegary, which makes the dish super addictive! One pan meal: You'll only need this one dish for a perfect weeknight meal — juicy protein with crisp green beans and bell peppers, making it both balanced and wholesome.
Can you use maple syrup instead of honey for honey chicken? ›
Yes, since they are both liquid sweeteners their shouldn't be any problems, But remember honey and maple syrup have different flavors so expect different taste but they both pair great with chicken anyways.
Can I use sugar instead of honey in a sauce? ›
Replace I cup of honey with 1 1/4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of liquid. The liquid can be water or a liquid that is in the recipe. The flavor and texture won't be quite the same, but that doesn't mean you won't like the result!
Can I add honey to my sauce? ›
Honey will enrich and add subtle flavour to dishes such as casseroles, sauces and dressings. Honey can be used as a natural substitute for sugar in most recipes but as it is sweeter than sugar, less is needed.
How do you thicken sesame sauce? ›
Whisk together a tablespoon of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water until smooth, in a small bowl. This slurry can then be gradually introduced to your stir-fry sauce over medium heat, leading to a thicker, glossier consistency.
Sesame Chicken is typically salty with a hint of sweetness, served with sesame seeds. General Tsos is typically sweeter with a little more heat and served with broccoli and carrots. The sauce is usually more red in color than the brown sauce served with sesame chicken.
Which is better General Tso or sesame chicken? ›
What is better General Tso or sesame chicken? It all comes down to personal taste. Some people prefer the sweeter, less spicy taste of sesame chicken. Others like it hot, and craze the chili kick of general tso chicken.
What's better orange chicken or sesame chicken? ›
Choosing by taste:
Sesame chicken if you like the nutty notes of sesame oil and seeds. General Tso if you like a bit of spice. Orange chicken if you want something a bit sweeter.
Is the honey sesame chicken spicy? ›
Honey sesame chicken has a sweet, savory flavor with hints of heat. The chicken is coated in a sticky honey-based sauce containing soy sauce and sesame oil for an intense umami flavor. The addition of sweet chili sauce adds just the right level of sweetness and subtle spiciness, making this dish irresistible.
Is sesame chicken authentic Chinese food? ›
Sesame Chicken isn't a real Chinese cuisine, but Asian restaurants have promoted it. Despite the fact that certain recipes call for a brief soak in sesame oil and soy sauce, the majority isn't marinated. Bite-sized bits of chicken breast are often breaded in flour and cornstarch before being with salt and black pepper.
Does sesame chicken contain honey? ›
What is sesame chicken made out of? While I typically use chicken breasts for this recipe, I've also made it with chicken thighs which also works well. The sauce is a combination of honey, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil and takes just minutes to put together.
Is honey sesame chicken the same as orange chicken? ›
Orange chicken and sesame chicken may both feature boneless chicken meat, but they are distinct dishes that differ in several key ways. While sesame chicken uses a base sauce of soy sauce and sesame oil to create a savory, nutty flavor, orange chicken incorporates soy sauce and orange zest for a sweet and tangy taste.
What is the origin of honey sesame chicken? ›
Origin of this dish
Originated in Chinese-American restaurants like the popular General Tso's Chicken and Orange chicken. What is this? Also known as Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken because the crispy chicken is tossed in sweet, glossy, and sticky honey sauce. It's usually served over a stir fry noodle or steamed rice.
What is the difference between sesame chicken and orange chicken? ›
They are both alike, the only difference is with the sauces. Orange Chicken does not typically included any sesame seeds. Sauce is made from orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, ginger, soy sauce. Sesame Chicken, the sauce is also sweet but it does not included any of the orange flavoring.
