I had a crazy day recently, but I was tired of takeouts and wanted to still have something nutritious with balanced flavour. As such, a one pot dish was the solution, and best, with as little elbow grease from me. The answer was simple, this delicious and tender Baked Honey Sesame Chicken with no frying, only oven-baked goodness with everyday pantry staples.

The best part is that this recipe doesn’t require a long marination time (about 30 minutes), perfect for you to head straight to shower or wind down, before placing it to cook in the oven!

The two key ingredients you would need, as the name suggests, would be honey and sesame oil. The other ingredients for the marinate can be varied from what you can find in your pantry. For instance, if you don’t have soy sauce you can consider fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce. No vinegar? Consider the use of other acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or lime juice to substitute. As you can see, there’s a lot of flexibility here!

The minimum time to marinate I would recommend would be 20 minutes for a tender finish, and more time if you can afford it. In fact, this recipe is so friendly you can even consider marinating overnight and to heat up before bringing to work the next day. This was exactly what I did. You can do the same for leftovers as well (store in the refrigerator for up to 2 nights, and to microwave).

There’s really nothing else more I can share, apart from again how easy it is to do this especially since it’s one pot and how convenient. The only thing left is the recipe so without further ado, here you go (with a video too!).

One Pot Baked Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe
by Javier Tan May-07-2025

Succulent and tender, this one pot Baked Honey Sesame Chicken recipe shows that you can have convenience and delicious at the same time!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup or 60ml Honey
  • 1/4 Cup or 60ml Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp or 30ml Olive Oil (Vegetable Oil / Butter works too)
  • 1 Tsp or 5ml Sesame Oil (I am using Spicy Sesame Oil for an extra kick)
  • 1 Tbsp or 15ml Vinegar (lemon juice works too)
  • 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
  • 1 Tsp or 5g of Cornstarch
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)
  • 7 Chicken Drumsticks

Instructions

  1. Prepare the marinade by stirring together all the ingredients except the chicken drumsticks in a large pot (that is baking friendly).
  2. Heat the marinade at low-heat for 1 – 2 minutes to combine, then place in the chicken drumsticks to marinate for at least 20 – 30 minutes (overnight works too).
  3. Bake 180C for 25 – 28 minutes till nicely brown. If you would like to caramelise the top, switch to top heat only (broiler) for another 2 – 3 minutes.
  4. Serve and enjoy! Stores well refrigerated for 2 days, with reheating needed.

Details

  • Prep time: 15 mins
  • Cook time: 30 mins
  • Total time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 7 Convenient Pieces of Baked Honey Sesame Chicken

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Best served on the day itself, or refrigerated and re-heated within 2 days!
  3. Feel free to ask if you’ve further questions!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan