Sesame Hoisin Ground Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender ground chicken, hoisin sauce, vegetables, and linguine combined with toasted sesame for a flavorful dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz linguine

→ Meats

02 - 1 lb ground chicken

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup snap peas, halved
05 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced (reserve some for garnish)
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

→ Sauce

08 - 5 tbsp hoisin sauce
09 - 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
10 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
11 - 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
12 - 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (optional)
13 - 1 tbsp honey

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
15 - Fresh cilantro or scallions (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water, and set aside.
02 - Whisk hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce if using, and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
03 - Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add a splash of neutral oil. Add ground chicken and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
04 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and sliced green onions to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Stir in sliced bell pepper and halved snap peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp.
06 - Pour prepared sauce over chicken and vegetables, tossing to combine evenly.
07 - Add cooked linguine to the skillet. Toss everything together, gradually adding reserved pasta water as needed until sauce coats pasta evenly.
08 - Remove from heat. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and additional green onions or cilantro over the dish.
09 - Transfer to plates and serve immediately to enjoy peak freshness.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means busy weeknights suddenly feel less stressful.
  • The balance of savory hoisin, bright ginger, and nutty sesame makes you feel like you're eating at a restaurant, not your own kitchen.
  • Ground chicken keeps it lean and affordable while still delivering real, satisfying flavor.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta water all at once—a little goes a long way, and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • The difference between good and mediocre is in the quality of your hoisin sauce and whether you toast your own sesame seeds; these small choices actually matter.
  • If your vegetables are sitting around for more than a few minutes after slicing, they'll lose some of their crispness, so prep them right before you start cooking.
03 -
  • If your hoisin sauce seems too thick when you're mixing it, add the sauce ingredients to the pan one at a time instead of pre-mixing, and stir each one in directly—sometimes the cream of the hoisin responds better to heat than to whisking.
  • The toasted sesame oil should go in the sauce raw, not into the hot pan, because cooking it turns it bitter and destroys the whole point of using it.
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