This glazed sesame chicken uses only a few simple ingredients to create, a quick, easy, economical workday dinner in only about 40-50 minutes.
Originally published September 2014.
I often get requests from fans of Rock Recipes and this recipe for Glazed Sesame Chicken was the result of one reader asking for advice.
It wasn’t one of my recipes but he was having trouble with a baked glazed wings recipe that he said always burnt in his oven. This is really an all too common problem, especially if the glaze is added from the beginning, like in his recipe.
TIPS
There are three things that I would recommend to alleviate this problem.
- Make sure that you are using good quality aluminum bake-ware. Cheaper quality alloy bake-ware, the kind that turns dark brown or black after lots of use, is often the problem. Some of those pans carry the heat far too quickly for many recipes and especially baking. Aluminum buffers heat and distributes it more evenly and slowly.
- Parchment paper is a great help. The layer of paper acts as an additional buffer and I’ve found that the sugars in glazes will cook for longer without burning on parchment paper.
- Don’t start with a glaze that’s too thick and turn and re-glaze the chicken often. This way the chicken builds up the glaze more slowly and the pan gets a minute or two rest from the direct heat.
I took a short video clip of the way I make the chicken glaze to get the proper consistency. As you can see from the photos, it turns out pretty perfectly.
Sesame Glazed Chicken can use any part of the chicken.
I used chicken drumsticks in this case but the same applies to wings or any other chicken parts. Thighs are my favourite for recipes like this.
I really like the extremely simple glaze on this chicken that uses very few ingredients. It relies on the great flavour of roasted sesame oil which is one of my favourite additions to any Asian inspired dish.
You can find Sesame Oil on Amazon too. (Affiliate link)
The darker sesame oil is often sold in smaller bottles and has far more flavour due to the roasting of the seeds before processing. A little goes a long way with the intense flavour of the darker oil.
It’s a flavour you will probably instantly recognize from some of your favourite Chinese Take Out restaurants.
The drumsticks took only about 35 minutes total time in the oven so this recipe makes a very welcome addition to any weekday meal plan.
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Glazed Sesame Chicken
This glazed sesame chicken uses only a few simple ingredients to create, a quick, easy, economical workday dinner in only about 40-50 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken parts
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash the chicken parts well and pat dry on paper towels.
- In a small saucepan add the soy sauce, water, pepper, brown sugar and sesame oil.
- Bring to a rolling boil until the sauce resembles the consistency of warm honey. (See video.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken parts and toss well.
- Place the pieces on a parchment paper lined aluminum baking sheet. Don't crowd the pieces together, leave an inch or two between them to allow for good heat circulation.
- Bake for about 35-50 minutes depending upon the size of the chicken pieces. wings and drumsticks will be faster than thighs and larger breast pieces.
- Turn the pieces every 10 minutes and spoon a little of the glaze/sauce from the bowl each time you turn them.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes on the pan before serving with a generous sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Jenn
Tuesday 15th of August 2017
I'm sure toasted sesame oil and regular sesame oil are different things?
gail
Wednesday 10th of April 2024
@Barry C. Parsons, I have only seen the "Pure Sesame Oil" as pictured in your photo. Where can you get "Toasted Sesame Oil"? If you only have the "Pure" can it be used as directed?
Barry C. Parsons
Tuesday 29th of August 2017
They are. Toasted sesame oil is more intensely flavoured, sold in smaller bottles.
Julie
Saturday 31st of January 2015
Good and quick! We used a base of crunchy Asian noodles on our plate and it went great together.
Barry C. Parsons
Tuesday 3rd of February 2015
That does sound like a great combination. Glad you liked the recipe.
J, GANZ
Thursday 2nd of October 2014
Can this be made with skinless chicken breast?
Barry C. Parsons
Thursday 2nd of October 2014
I haven't tried that yet but I would certainly give it a try.
Bren Short
Tuesday 9th of September 2014
I was impressed with this recipe. It was quick to assemble and very tasty.