Honey Sesame Chicken – Panda Express Copycat

Chinese takeout at home and even better but this time we’re making Honey Sesame Chicken! It has the perfect balance of sweet and savory with that rich nutty flavor from the toasted sesame oil. Perfect to enjoy over a bed of rice or some noodles.

If you’ve never had the honey sesame chicken from Panda Express, you’ve been missing out until now. Unfortunately they took it off their menu here in the states but it’s so good. Imagine crispy battered pieces of chicken coated in a honey sesame sauce alongside bell peppers and green beans!

How to Prepare the Chicken

Start out with chicken breast that has been cut into small pieces. Then you’ll prepare both a wet and dry batter!

Here’s what you need for the wet batter:

• Eggs
• Salt
• Black pepper

Just whisk together the eggs, salt, and black pepper and add the chopped chicken in. Make sure each piece is fully coated in the wet batter.

Here’s what you need for the dry batter:

• Cornstarch
• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Black pepper

Now for my favorite trick that saves so much time and leaves no mess! Add all the dry ingredients to a ziplock bag and shake around. Then transfer the chicken from the wet batter to the ziplock bag, making sure to let any excess wet batter drip off. Seal the ziplock bag really well and shake it around so each piece is fully coated well in the dry batter. Take the chicken out of the ziplock bag and transfer to a plate.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add the chicken in and fry in batches so it’s not over crowded. Once golden and crispy, take it out of the oil and let any excess oil drain on a wire rack.

THE Veggies

My favorite part about this dish is all the veggies and the color/vibrance they bring! We will be using yellow bell pepper and green beans just like Panda Express does but feel free to switch it up and use any you’d like. They both add a nice sweetness and make the meal as a whole, more filling.

To a small pan, add sesame oil over medium-high heat and add the sliced yellow bell pepper and chopped greens beans. Sauté until golden and soft and then set aside.

Making the Honey Sesame Sauce

Now for the best part, the honey sesame sauce! It’s so simple to make and absolutely delicious. I like to make the sauce first and then work on battering the chicken so that after frying, I can toss it immediately into the sauce.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• low sodium soy sauce
• honey
• ketchup
• rice vinegar
• brown sugar
• red pepper flakes
• sesame oil
• fresh garlic, minced
• cornstarch + water

Just add all the ingredients to a sauce pan over medium heat and simmer. Once simmering, combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the sauce to thicken it up. Once it coats the back of your spoon, transfer to a bowl.

When the chicken is done frying, toss it in the sauce and add the veggies along with lots of toasted sesame seeds.

What to Serve it With

The options are endless of what to serve it with. My favorite way to enjoy it is with some steamed Jasmine rice or coconut rice. It’s also delicious with fried rice or chow mien. Another delicious side to serve it with is some green onion paratha. For a whole spread, try making some crab rangoons on the side.

Other Takeout Recipes to Try

Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat
McDonald’s Chicken Snack Wrap
Bang Bang Shrimp
Mongolian Beef
Crab Rangoons

If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.

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