Description
Healthy Sesame Chicken is a gluten free and paleo friendly dish featuring tender chicken coated in a tangy, sweet sesame sauce. Perfectly crispy on the outside and coated in a flavorful glaze, this recipe is quick to prepare, making it an instant family favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons gluten free tamari or soy sauce or coconut aminos
Cooking
- 1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil
Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free tamari or soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil or more to taste
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Slurry
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 Tablespoon water
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Coat The Chicken: In a medium bowl or container, combine diced chicken with 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tbsp tamari. Toss with a fork until the chicken pieces are well coated.
- Cook The Chicken: Heat 1 Tbsp avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add chicken pieces so they are not touching. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side and 1-3 minutes on the second side until fully opaque and cooked through with no pink inside. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate and repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil if needed.
- Make The Sauce: While chicken is cooking, whisk together water, tamari, maple syrup or honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and optional red pepper flakes in a bowl or liquid measuring cup until combined.
- Make The Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water to create a smooth slurry.
- Cook The Sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low in the skillet used for chicken. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce mixture and whisk until milky. Pour the sauce mixture into the warm skillet and cook while whisking over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until the sauce bubbles, thickens, and becomes more translucent. You should be able to see the path of your whisk through the sauce.
- Heat Through: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce, heating through thoroughly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat with a little water to thin the sauce if needed.
Notes
- For crispier chicken, cook in smaller batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- You can substitute arrowroot for cornstarch for a paleo friendly option.
- Adjust the amount of toasted sesame oil and red pepper flakes to suit your taste preference.
- If sauce thickens too much when refrigerated, reheat with a splash of water to loosen.
- Use chicken thighs instead of breast for juicier meat variations.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 275 kcal
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 853.3 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
