Description
Healthy Sesame Chicken is a delicious gluten-free and paleo-friendly dish featuring tender chicken pieces coated in a flavorful, tangy sweet sesame sauce. This recipe combines the perfect balance of savory tamari, honey, and toasted sesame oil to create an instant family favorite that's quick and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 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 the diced chicken with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari. Toss thoroughly with a fork to coat each piece evenly.
- Cook The Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. In batches, add chicken pieces ensuring they do not touch. Cook each batch for 3-4 minutes on the first side and 1-3 minutes on the second side until fully opaque with no pink inside. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate. Add more avocado oil if needed and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Make The Sauce: While cooking chicken, whisk together in a bowl or liquid measuring cup the water, 3 tablespoons tamari, maple syrup or honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Make The Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until smooth to create the slurry.
- Cook The Sauce: Reduce skillet heat to medium-low once chicken is cooked. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sesame sauce mixture and whisk until slightly milky. Pour the sauce into the warm pan and stir over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens, becomes bubbling, and translucent with visible whisk trails.
- Heat Through: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and stir to coat with the thickened sauce. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat with a small amount of water to thin the sauce if it gels when chilled.
Notes
- This recipe yields a crispy chicken texture with a tangy-sweet sesame sauce that makes for a family favorite meal.
- Use arrowroot instead of cornstarch for a paleo-friendly thickener.
- Adjust the level of toasted sesame oil and red pepper flakes to suit your taste preferences.
- Ensure chicken pieces are not overcrowded in the skillet for even cooking and crispiness.
- Leftover sauce thickens when chilled; thin with water when reheating to restore consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 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: 9.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
