This Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken is a crispy, juicy, and all-time favorite copycat take-out recipe, we love and enjoy! Perfectly coated and beautifully glazed chicken pieces in sweetness, with crunchy veggies are just on another level. Once you make this, you’ll be obsessed with it!
This luscious Honey Sesame Chicken is a Chinese American favorite, and you can find it in any Panda Express fast-food restaurant. But I have a better idea! I have the recipe and it’s a pleasure, to share it with you. With this recipe, you’ll get the same or even better sesame chicken you could not make before on your own.
When you understand its process, and wherebeings you can easily throw it together in less than 40 minutes. It’s an easy recipe and ready just in a few. First time making this dish, it might seem like a difficult one, but I promise you, it’s not!
To make your process easier, I recommend making the 3 different oils before you start cooking. The ginger garlic oil, the chili flakes oil, and the sesame oil. They are really important! They give the “real taste” for the dish. When you are done with them, the rest of the recipe is fast and straightforward.
By the way, these special oils, are a staple in Chinese American dishes. They use them in different dishes and they are the reason for the Chinese food obsession. I love Chinese food, but for a long time, I have been making it by myself, and no need to buy take-out. After you make this recipe, I can promise you, that you’ll never buy it again! You’ll do it yourself!
I like to serve this Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken with white rice and steamed broccoli. Chow main is another alternative I often make with sesame chicken.
Are you obsessed with Chinese Food like me? Black Pepper Chicken is one of our favorites and I make it almost every other week. I just tried the Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry the other day, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s such a Chinese comfort food.
Table of Contents
Delicious Honey Sesame Chicken
Make The Sauces Before. The process of making this dish will be much easier if you make the oils earlier. They are ready just in seconds, so I prefer making them right before I start making the whole dish. The Ginger Garlic in Oil, Chili Flakes Garlic in Oil, and the Sesame Flavored Oil are really important in our dish and they are the reason for its obsessive taste.
I made sure, I wrote down everything clearly and separately for you because a lot is going on here.
Honey Sesame Sauce. This is the sauce you’ll love and make again and again. This is also the sauce Panda Express uses for their Honey Sesame Chicken, and while it’s easy to make, you’ll need a few ingredients. You got everything in the recipe card.
Ingredients You’ll Need
There are quite a few ingredients here, but I promise, this recipe will win your taste buds, once you try it out.
- Boneless Chicken Breast – cut the chicken breast into approximately 1 inch of strips.
- Eggs – we use it for the coating
- Salt & White Pepper
- Cornstarch Mixed with Flour – will create the perfect coating that will give nice crunchy chicken bites.
- Vegetable oil – Will be used for frying the chicken and the vegetables. We will also use small amounts of the 3 oils.
- Yellow Bell Pepper – is one of the honey sesame chicken ingredients Panda Express pairs with.
- Green Beans/String Beans – the other delicious veggie served with our dish.
- Ginger Garlic in Oil – it’s one of the most important ingredients.
- minced garlic
- ground ginger
- vegetable oil
- water
- Chili Flakes in Oil – will give the spiciness to our dish. Yum.
- red chili flakes
- water
- hot vegetable oil
- Sesame Flavored Oil – this is a staple ingredient in Chinese food. Many dishes include this unique oil.
- Sesame Oil
- Vegetable Oil
- Lemon Juice – the lemon juice will be used for the honey sesame sauce
- White Sugar & Honey – will give the sweetness to our dish
- White Vinegar – an alternative you can use is apple cider vinegar
- Xanthan Gum – is a popular ingredient for thickening, and stabilizing. Another alternative is cornstarch
How to make the Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken
Before you start the process for the dish, make the 3 oils ahead, right before you start cooking. When they are ready you can start throwing all the ingredients together. It will make the process so much easier.
- For the Ginger Garlic in Oil mix the ingredients together in a small container and put it away for the sauce.
- Chili Flakes in Oil is made the same way, add all the ingredients together and mix them for 10 seconds.
- Sesame Flavored Oil is the easiest one, because you just need the 2 ingredients, and mix them together.
Now let’s start cooking…
Whisk the eggs, salt, and white pepper, in a medium bowl. In a second bowl, mix together the cornstarch and the flour.
Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, then completely coat in the flour mixture.
Fry the chicken pieces in 350℉ oil, for 3-4 minutes until they are golden crispy. Drop them one at a time to prevent sticking to each other. In the last 15 seconds of frying, add the string beans and the yellow bell peppers. Then take everything out in a container.
In a wok or a pan, over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, add vegetable oil and the rest of the Ginger Garlic in Oil until fragrant (few seconds).
Pour the honey sauce mixture into the wok, and heat to boiling to thicken, then turn off the heat.
Add in the chicken and vegetable mixture, then pour the Sesame Flavored Oil around the rim of the wok.
Toss until the mixture is fully coated, then garnish with the sesame seeds.
Common Questions
It was removed before due to temporary ingredient shortage at some restaurants, but not anymore. Right now, it’s a permanent dish on their menu.
You can place the leftovers in an air-tight container and leave it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. In the freezer, this dish is good for 2 months. When you’re ready, to eat the leftovers, warm them up in a microwave. Note, that its crispiness will decrease, but its taste will remain the same.
Would you like to check out more Panda Express copycat recipes? This Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken is another favorite, and you can eat it with the Panda Express Fried Rice. This one can be served with our Honey Sesame Chicken too. Delicious, obsessive copycat recipes, you will enjoy doing at home. They are literally better than takeout.
For a different protein choice, you can try Panda Express Shanghai Angus Steak. I make this one frequently, because this is my husband’s favorite meal on the menu. It’s really delicious!
Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breasts 1 inch strips
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil for the coating
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 3 oz yellow bell pepper tri-cut
- 4 oz string beans cut
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- the rest of the Ginger Garlic in Oil
- 1½ tsp sesame seeds
For the Sauce
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp Ginger Garlic in Oil
- all the Chili Flakes in Oil
Ginger Garlic in Oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp water
Chili Flakes in Oil
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp hot vegetable oil (275℉)
Sesame Flavored Oil
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs, salt, and white pepper, in a medium bowl.2 large eggs, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- In a second bowl, mix together the cornstarch and the flour.1 cup cornstarch, ½ cup flour
- Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, then completely coat in the flour mixture.1 lb boneless chicken breasts
- Fry the chicken pieces in 350℉ oil, for 3-4 minutes until they are golden crispy. Drop them one at a time to prevent sticking to each other. In the last 15 seconds of frying, add the string beans and the yellow bell peppers. Then take everything out in a container.2 cups vegetable oil for frying, 3 oz yellow bell pepper, 4 oz string beans
Ginger Garlic in Oil
- Mix the ingredients together in a small container and put it away for the sauce.1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp water
Chili Flakes in Oil
- Add all the ingredients together and mix them for 10 seconds.1 tsp red chili flakes, 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp hot vegetable oil
The Honey Sauce
- In a small sauce container mix the water, sugar, honey, white vinegar, cornstarch, xantham gum, vegetable oil, salt, white pepper, lemon juice, Ginger Garlic in Oil, and Chili Flakes in Oil.¼ tsp lemon juice, ½ cup water, ¼ cup white sugar, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp vegetable oil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp white vinegar, ¼ tsp xanthan gum, ¼ tsp Ginger Garlic in Oil, all the Chili Flakes in Oil
Sesame Flavored Oil
- Mix the vegetable oil and the sesame oil together for 5 seconds.1 tsp vegetable oil, ½ tsp sesame oil
- In a wok or a pan, over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, add vegetable oil and the rest of the Ginger Garlic in Oil until fragrant (few seconds).1 tbsp vegetable oil, the rest of the Ginger Garlic in Oil
- Pour all the honey sauce mixture into the wok, and heat to boiling to thicken, then turn off the heat.
- Add in the chicken and vegetable mixture, then pour the Sesame Flavored Oil around the rim of the wok.
- Toss until the mixture is fully coated, then garnish with the sesame seeds.1½ tsp sesame seeds
Notes
- If you want to add more crisp and crunch to the chicken, place it to the freezer overnight. Make sure you let the chicken cool down. The next day refry the frozen chicken for 2-3 minutes and now add the yellow bell pepper and string beans. Then just continue the process.
Dennise
Oh my … this was perfect! It’s crunchy, juicy and sweet. Just how we like it. My family lived it, and I can’t recommend it enough! Thanks a lot!