Sesame-coated chicken strips are made by coating strips of chicken breast in sesame seeds and then shallow frying them to crispy golden brown perfection. Served with your choice of dipping sauces, these sesame chicken strips are the ultimate party snack.
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A great party snack
These sesame-coated chicken strips have to be one of my favourite party snacks.
They are made from tender strips of chicken breast which has been coated in beaten egg and sesame seeds and then shallow fried until golden brown. Just crunch through the outer coating of crispy sesame seeds to reveal the succulent juicy chicken on the inside, and I think you'll love them too. Party snacks don't come much better than this.
I first made these years ago when I was looking for a way to impress my mother-in-law. We'd invited the family around for a barbeque and I wanted to show off my cooking skills, by making these as a starter.
The chicken strips were a great success, but my plan to impress back-fired badly. Ever since then, whenever we were invited round to the in-laws, it was 'Oh Veronica - I know you love making these chicken strips so I got the ingredients for you' and I ended up in the kitchen, frying sesame chicken strips for the starter, while everyone else was outside chatting around the barbeque.
Why I think you'll love them too
- These chicken strips are a breeze to make. Once the chicken strips have been coated all you have to do is shallow fry them for a few minutes until they turn golden and crispy.
- You only need a few ingredients. The main ingredients are chicken breasts and a packet of sesame seeds. Add some cornflour, an egg and a little salt for seasoning and you're good to go.
- A little chicken goes a long way. Because the chicken breasts are thinly sliced, one chicken breast will easily make enough strips for 2 to 3 people so don't need to spend a fortune.
- You can do all the prep ahead of time. Once the chicken has been coated you can leave it overnight in the refrigerator and fry the strips once your guests arrive.
- The sesame coating provides a delicious nutty taste.
- They are not only for parties. Whenever I need a quick meal I often fry up a batch of these sesame chicken strips and serve them to the family with a salad and slices of crusty bread.
There are actually lots of names for these sesame chicken strips. Make them for the family and you could call them chicken tenders, chicken fingers, and even chicken nuggets. If you want to impress dinner guests with your fabulous starter, you would, of course, call them sesame chicken goujons 🙂 .
Don't forget the dips
I love to serve these chicken strips with a variety of dipping sauces. I've included the recipes for these 2 dips further down the post.
- Spicy lime dipping sauce
- Easy honey mustard sauce
And here are two other dipping sauce recipes on my site that you may like to try:
Let me show you how easy they are to make:
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the chicken.
To hold the coating ingredients you will need 3 shallow bowls.
And for frying the chicken strips you will need a frying pan.
Ingredients
This recipe will serve at least 6 people as a starter.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these sesame-coated chicken strips on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
- Chicken breast fillets - the chicken breast should be cut into long thin strips. You could also use boneless chicken thighs cut into slices instead, but the cooking time will be longer as thigh meat takes longer to cook than breast.
- Cornflour or cornstarch - this is the first coating ingredient. If you don't have cornflour you can substitute with plain or all-purpose flour.
- Egg - lightly beaten. This is the second coating ingredient.
- Sesame Seeds - the third coating ingredient. You can use raw sesame seeds as the seeds will toast on the chicken as it fries.
- Salt - this is optional, but I always like to sprinkle the chicken with a little salt before coating it, as I think it enhances the flavour. You can omit this if you don't include salt in your diet.
- You will also need a little sunflower oil for frying the chicken. The actual amount will depend on the size of the pan you are using. You will need sufficient to just cover the base of your frying pan.
What to do
Step 1
Start off by cutting the chicken into thin strips (about one-quarter of an inch thick). If your chicken breasts are very thick you may like to cut them in half through the middle first (butterfly them). Sprinkle the chicken strips lightly with salt.
Step 2
Prepare 3 bowls containing the cornflour, egg and sesame seeds.
Step 3
Dip the chicken strips into the cornflour and shake off any excess, then dip them into the beaten egg. Finally coat the chicken with sesame seeds, patting them on firmly.
Step 4
Arrange the chicken strips on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to give the coating time to settle.
Step 5
Heat sufficient sunflower oil in a frying pan to just cover the base. Add the chicken strips once the oil sizzles when you add a drop of water.
Step 6
Fry the chicken strips over a moderate heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan and lay it on a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Serve either hot or cold with your choice of dipping sauces.
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Notes for cooking perfect chicken strips
- Don't cut the chicken breast too thickly or they will not cook through in the time that the coating has turned brown.
- Also, cut each strip to an even thickness so the entire strip cooks at the same time.
- The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 75 degrees C or 165 degrees F. The chicken should also be completely white on the inside if you break a piece in half.
- The recipe uses the dry-wet-dry coating method, which means you first coat the chicken with a dry ingredient (cornflour) then with a wet ingredient (egg) and finally with another dry ingredient (sesame seeds)
- When coating the chicken, use the two-handed method so you don't end up with clumps of sesame and cornflour on your fingers. Using one hand coat the chicken with cornflour and drop it into the beaten egg. Using the same hand, remove the egg-coated chicken and drop it into the sesame seeds. Use your second hand to press the sesame seeds onto the chicken.
- When measuring out the sesame seeds, use less than you think you will need and top up the bowl if necessary. That way you won't have to throw away any leftover seeds.
Dipping sauces
Spicy lime
This sauce only takes 4 ingredients, and it is whisked together in seconds.
You will need:
- ½ cup (or 170g or 8 Tablespoons) lime marmalade
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (more or less, depending on how spicy you like it)
You can halve the ingredients if you only want a small bowl. The above amounts make about ¾ cup.
Just put all the ingredients into a bowl and either whisk or mash together with a fork until everything is well combined.
You can make this lime dipping sauce in advance and keep it in a closed jar in the refrigerator until you need it. It has a shelf-life equal to that of the marmalade.
Easy honey mustard
Mix together:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Taste and adjust the flavouring to your own taste by adding either more honey (sweetness) or more mustard (tartness).
If you've run out of mayonnaise, you can make your own by following one of these easy recipes - one-minute mayonnaise or the more traditional method how to make mayonnaise.
Your questions answered
Yes - this is also suitable for turkey breast.
I haven't tried it with beef yet, but I believe this would work well, served with a horseradish dipping sauce.
And of course, as I mentioned earlier, you can swap out the chicken breast for boneless chicken thighs, and add another minute or two to the cooking time.
Yes - you can freeze these provided you make the strips with FRESH chicken. Do not freeze these if you use chicken breasts that have been previously frozen.
To freeze - spread the coated chicken strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid. Once frozen put the strips in a plastic freezer bag (or another suitable freezer container) and label them with the date. You can store them for up to 3 months.
To cook - fry the frozen chicken strips in hot oil for a few minutes until golden. Check that they are fully cooked by cutting one strip in half - there should be no pinkness showing.
Not at all. If you don't have any sesame seeds at all you could use Panko breadcrumbs for the crispy coating.
If you do have a small amount of sesame seeds you could make a mixture of sesame seeds and Panko.
Either way will still be delicious.
Save for later
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Related recipes
Visit my chicken and poultry recipes page for other tasty chicken appetisers. Here are a few you may enjoy.
📋The recipe
Sesame-coated chicken strips with dipping sauces
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- 3 Shallow bowls
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Chicken strips
- 1 lb / 450 grams chicken breast fillets
- 1 cup / 125 grams cornflour or cornstarch
- 2 small eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 cup / 150 grams sesame seeds
- Salt to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
Lime dipping sauce
- ½ cup / 120 ml lime maralade
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha (or other hot sauce) or to your own taste
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Easy honey mustard sauce
- ½ cup / 120 ml mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
Chicken strips
- Slice the chicken into thin strips1 lb / 450 grams chicken breast fillets
- Sprinkle with salt to tasteSalt to taste
- Prepare 3 shallow dishes - one containing cornflour, one containing beaten egg, and the third containing the sesame seeds.
- Dip each piece of chicken in cornflour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the sesame seeds1 cup / 125 grams cornflour or cornstarch, 2 small eggs (lightly beaten), 1 cup / 150 grams sesame seeds
- Fry the chicken in batches in hot oil until golden brown2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Drain on paper towels
- Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
Lime dipping sauce
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk or mash with a fork until well combined.½ cup / 120 ml lime maralade, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sriracha (or other hot sauce), 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator
Easy honey mustard
- Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Use more or less honey or mustard according to your own taste.½ cup / 120 ml mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Notes
- Don’t cut the chicken breast too thickly or they will not cook through in the time that the coating has turned brown.
- Also, cut each strip to an even thickness so the entire strip cooks at the same time.
- The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 75 degrees C or 165 degrees F. The chicken should also be completely white on the inside if you break a piece in half.
- The recipe uses the dry-wet-dry coating method, which means you first coat the chicken with a dry ingredient (cornflour) then with a wet ingredient (egg) and finally with another dry ingredient (sesame seeds)
- When coating the chicken, use the two-handed method so you don’t end up with clumps of sesame and cornflour on your fingers. Using one hand coat the chicken with cornflour and drop it into the beaten egg. Using the same hand, remove the egg-coated chicken and drop it into the sesame seeds. Use your second hand to press the sesame seeds onto the chicken.
- When measuring out the sesame seeds, use less than you think you will need and top up the bowl if necessary. That way you won’t have to throw away any leftover seeds.
- Do not freeze these if you use chicken breasts that have been previously frozen.
- To freeze – spread the coated chicken strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid. Once frozen put the strips in a plastic freezer bag (or another suitable freezer container) and label them with the date. You can store them for up to 3 months.
- To cook – fry the frozen chicken strips in hot oil for a few minutes until golden. Check that they are fully cooked by cutting one strip in half – there should be no pinkness showing.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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Balvinder
I love your wonderful idea of coating chicken in sesame seeds.
VJ
Thanks Balvinder. I find that as they fry they get a lovely toasty flavour.