Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe - Grumpy's Honeybunch (2024)

FAQs

What does honey sesame chicken taste like Panda Express? ›

This honey sesame chicken panda express is a staple for me. I make it at least once a week, and now, you will too! Perfectly balanced flavor: It's savory but also a little sweet, tangy, and vinegary, which makes the dish super addictive!

Mix together honey, soy sauce, water, corn starch, ginger and red pepper flakes. Whisk until no corn starch lumps appear. Pour sauce mixture into skillet with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.

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.

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.

Oftentimes new items are introduced on a limited-time offer basis and when we're lucky, they stay for good after becoming popular with customers. This is fortunately what happened with the Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken Breast dish that will now be a permanent offer.

A classic combination of honey, soy sauce and garlic working together to produce a sticky, sweet sauce to coat golden tender chicken pieces. I love to whip this up to serve over boiled rice for dinner, or as an easy addition to a homemade Chinese banquet.

There is no sign of any sour or spicy in the Honey Sauce of Chinese restaurants. It is honey plus a bit of seasoning to add salt and a hint of complexity – soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine.

Honey Can Help Enhance Browning and Crisping

It's the perfect way to add texture, color and, of course, flavor to popular dishes like pork, chicken, vegetables and even fruits.

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.

Honey chicken

's main ingredient is a dead giveaway that it's origins aren't Chinese - it's way too saccharine for Chinese palates. The sweetness of the honey is balanced with soy sauce and rice vinegar, giving honey chicken the familiar sweet and sour flavour of many Australian-Chinese dishes.

What is the difference between honey sesame chicken and orange chicken? ›

Our orange chicken sauce includes coconut aminos and orange juice for a tangy, sweet taste, while this honey sesame chicken includes things like soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey for a slightly deeper savory flavor (though it is plenty sweet, also).

Sesame chicken is a dish commonly found in Chinese restaurants throughout the United States and Canada. The dish is similar to General Tso's chicken but the taste of the Chinese-based chicken is sweet rather than spicy.

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.

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.