• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Air Frying Foodie
  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Air Fryer Appetizers
    • Air Fryer Breakfast
    • Air Fryer Desserts
    • Air Fryer Dinner Recipes
    • Air Fryer Side Dishes
  • Air Fryer Cookbooks

Home » Air Fryer Sesame Chicken

Air Fryer Sesame Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you. You can read more about this on our Privacy Policy Page, via the About page.

Share

Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
Buy Air Fryer eCookbooks HERE

This Air Fryer Sesame Chicken Recipe gives you restaurant-quality Chinese food at a fraction of the cost and calories while still giving you a great flavor. Keep reading to discover how you can make this easy Air Fryer chicken recipe!

Air fried sesame chicken in a white bowl ready to serve.

Why You Will Love Air Fryer Sesame Chicken

You will love this Air Fryer Sesame Chicken recipe because it gives you extra crispy chicken without dousing it in oil, as restaurants do. Plus, since this is such an easy recipe, you'll find yourself looking for excuses to make it more often!

There's something about Sesame Chicken that makes you want to sit in your sweatpants and watch your favorite show.

However, ordering Sesame Chicken from your local Chinese restaurant can set you back hundreds of calories! Don't worry, though.

In addition, this delicious dinner recipe only requires a few ingredients, so even the most novice cooks can whip this up!

Ingredients:

  • Chicken Thighs
  • Olive Oil Cooking Spray
  • Corn Starch
  • Soy Sauce
  • Brown Sugar
  • Orange Zest
  • Hoisin Sauce
  • Ground Ginger
  • Minced Garlic
  • Cold Water
  • Corn Starch
  • Toasted Sesame Seeds
  • Green Onions (optional)
  • Cooked White Rice (optional)
Ingredients needed to make sesame chicken in the air fryer.

How to Cook Sesame Chicken in the Air Fryer

  1. Cut the chicken into cubed chunks, then toss in a large bowl with cornstarch and coat the chicken evenly.

    chicken tossed in cornstarch and flour in a glass bowl.

  2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 390º Fahrenheit.

  3. Place the coated chicken pieces into the air fryer basket and use a little olive oil spray to coat the chicken.

    Coated chicken in the basket of the air fryer

  4. Air fry the chicken for 24 minutes until golden brown, tossing the chicken halfway through the cooking time. Add a spritz of oil after
    tossing the chicken.

    Cooked Sesame Chicken in the basket of the air fryer.

  5. Add the sesame chicken sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until the sauce has reached a small boil.

  6. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, whisk in the cornstarch and water. Allow the sauce to thicken for around 5 minutes. Continue to whisk.

  7. Mix in the sesame seeds.

  8. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to continue thickening.

  9. Place the chicken into a medium size mixing bowl and cover with the sauce. Toss the chicken so that each piece is coated in sauce.

    Chicken tossed in sauce and in a bowl before serving.

  10. Serve topped over rice and garnish with green onion.

    Air fryer sesame chicken in a bowl ready to serve.

NOTE: This recipe was made using a 5.8 qt Cosori air fryer. If you're using a different air fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

FAQs:

Can I use chicken breasts or chicken tenders for this recipe?

Absolutely! As long as you cube the chicken tenders and boneless skinless chicken breasts, you'll still end up with a great dish.

What if all my chicken won't fit in the Air Fryer?

You can cook the chicken in small or large batches, depending on the size of your Air Fryer.

What vegetables go well with this recipe?

Air Fryer Green Beans, Air Fryer Broccoli, or steamed vegetables pair well with this easy Air Fryer recipe.

Can I use All-Purpose Flour instead of Corn Starch?

Yes! Flour is a wonderful substitute for corn starch as it has starch in it already. However, keep in mind; you will need twice as much flour as cornstarch to make homemade sesame sauce.

How can I make this recipe low carb?

Instead of corn starch, you can swap out tapioca flour to coat the chicken. You'll still get crispy chicken without the added carbs.

Why isn't my sauce sticky?

To get a sticky sauce, you need to allow the sugar to dissolve completely. In addition, you need to allow the sauce to thicken for at least 5 minutes. If your sauce still isn't sticky enough, you may need to add more cornstarch or flour mixture (if you're using flour instead).

How do I keep the chicken from sticking to the basket of the Air Fryer?

You can use a little oil to coat the bottom and sides of the Air Fryer basket or add a small piece of parchment paper to the basket. Adding parchment paper also makes cleanup a lot easier!

How to achieve the best results with this recipe?

To get the most out of this recipe, make sure you use a cooking spray so that you don’t drown the chicken in oil. Too much oil can cause the chicken to become greasy and not as crispy.

In addition, you need to cut your chicken into even bite size pieces so that they cook through and be easily coated with sesame sauce.

If you like chicken, check out more of my favorite chicken recipes below.

MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES:

  • chicken wings
  • chicken strips
  • air fryer chicken thighs
  • chicken legs
  • chicken breasts
Air Fryer Sesame chicken in a bowl ready to serve.

We Would Love to Hear From YOU!

Let Us Know What You Think!

Be sure to leave a review of this recipe and give it a star rating. It lets us know how we are doing and lets others know they should try it! 

Tag Us In Your Photos! Are you on Facebook? If so, join our Easy Air Fryer Recipes Group (with hundreds of thousands of Air Fryer Foodie Fans!) and share your photos! We love to see your creations. 

Are you on Instagram? Follow along and TAG US @airfryingfoodie.

Have a Question or General Feedback?

Jump down to the COMMENT section and let us know! We would love to help and also love feedback on all of our posts. 

Air fried sesame chicken in a white bowl and ready to serve.

Air Fryer Sesame Chicken

Jen
This Air Fryer Sesame Chicken Recipe gives you restaurant quality Chinese food at a fraction of the calories while still giving you a great flavor.
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 24 mins
Total Time 34 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4
Calories 358 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

Sauce Ingredients

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 5 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon cold water
  • 1 Tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted

Chicken Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken thighs boneless skinless
  • ⅓ cup corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil spray

Instructions
 

  • Cut the chicken into cubed chunks, then toss in a large bowl with cornstarch and coat the chicken evenly.
  • Preheat the Air Fryer to 390º Fahrenheit.
  • Add the chicken to the prepared air fryer basket.
  • Air fry the chicken for 24 minutes until golden brown, tossing the chicken halfway through the cooking time. Add a spritz of oil after tossing the chicken.
  • Add the sesame chicken sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until the sauce has reached a small boil.
  • Once the sugar has completely dissolved, whisk in the cornstarch and water. Allow the sauce to thicken for around 5 minutes. Continue to whisk.
  • Mix in the sesame seeds.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to continue thickening.
  • Place the chicken into a medium size mixing bowl and cover with the sauce. Toss the chicken so that each piece is coated in sauce.
  • Serve topped over rice and garnish with green onion.

Notes

Flour is a wonderful substitute for corn starch as it has starch in it already.
However, keep in mind; you will need twice as much flour as cornstarch to make
homemade sesame sauce.
You can also use chicken tenders or chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. 
Instead of corn starch, you can swap out tapioca flour to coat the chicken. You'll still
get crispy chicken without the added carbs.

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 20gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 982mgPotassium: 292mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 91IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.

©AirFryingFoodie 2021

Share this recipe! Follow @AirFryingFoodie on Pinterest.

Share

Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
« Air Fryer Eggplant
Air Fryer Halibut »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Su

    April 27, 2022 at 1:43 am

    5 stars
    Soo good yum thank you

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

About Us

Welcome to Air Frying Foodie, where our recipes have been featured in the New York Times, MSN, MOM.com, Parade, and more. Here we share all of our favorite Air Fryer recipes from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Find out more about Jen and Becky in the ABOUT section in the menu. Read More about the Air Frying Foodies here...

Air Fryer Cookbooks

Air Fryer Cook Times Magnet

Air Fryer Magnets in 8x10 and 5x7 size

100+ Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners

Collage of photo with words stating over 100 beginner air fryer recipes.

You Might Also Like:

Juicy close up of tuna steaks on spinach garnished with green onions

Air Fryer Tuna Steaks

Mickey shape cinnamon rolls on a white plate with berries on a marble table

Air Fryer Mickey Cinnamon Rolls

A stack of peanut butter cookies made in the Air Fryer with a glass of milk and the Air Fryer in the background.

Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

Cooked and cheesey stuffed mushrooms on a white plate after being cooked in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms

Close up photo of golden rolls in the air fryer basket.

Air Fryer Rolls

Recent Posts

  • Air Fryer Blooming Onion
  • Air Fryer Breakfast
  • Air Fried Banana Pudding Pie

Privacy Policy

Find out more about our Privacy Policy by clicking here. 

TOP 3 Air Frying Secrets!

FREE Cooking Guide when you sign up for the newsletter.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Copyright © 2022 · AIR FRYING FOODIE