Description
Healthy Sesame Chicken is a gluten-free and paleo-friendly dish featuring tender, boneless chicken pieces coated in a tangy, sweet sesame sauce. This easy-to-make recipe uses simple ingredients like tamari, maple syrup, garlic, and ginger, resulting in a flavorful, family-favorite meal that's perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs), diced into 1" cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten free tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
Cooking Oil
- 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 and Garnish
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Coat The Chicken: In a medium bowl or container, combine the diced chicken with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari. Toss well using a fork to ensure all chicken pieces are evenly coated.
- Cook The Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, add the chicken pieces to the pan without crowding them. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 1 to 3 minutes on the second side until the chicken is fully opaque with no pink inside. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate and repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary.
- Make The Sauce: While cooking the chicken, whisk together in a bowl the 1/2 cup water, 3 tablespoons tamari, maple syrup or honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Make The Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to create a thickening slurry.
- Cook The Sauce: Reduce heat in the skillet to medium-low. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sesame sauce mixture and whisk. Pour the combined sauce into the warm pan and cook, whisking constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens, bubbles, and becomes translucent enough to leave a trail when whisked.
- Heat Through: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and toss to coat evenly with the sauce. Heat everything together just until warmed through. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, reheating with a splash of water if the sauce thickens too much.
Notes
- For a crispy texture, avoid overcrowding the pan when cooking chicken to ensure even browning.
- You can substitute arrowroot for cornstarch to keep the recipe paleo-friendly.
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your preferred spice level or omit if you want it mild.
- Leftover sauce may thicken in the fridge; thin it out by reheating with a little water.
- This recipe works well with chicken thighs if you prefer a juicier texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/4 recipe)
- Calories: 275 kcal
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 853.3 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
