Description
Healthy Sesame Chicken is a delicious gluten-free and paleo-friendly recipe featuring crispy chicken coated in a tangy, sweet sesame sauce. Perfect as a family favorite, this dish combines tender chicken cubes cooked to perfection and enveloped in a glossy, flavorful sauce made with tamari, maple syrup, garlic, and ginger.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 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
- 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)
Thickener
- 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 Tablespoons cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tablespoons tamari. Toss with a fork until the chicken pieces are evenly coated.
- Cook The Chicken: Heat 1 Tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches without overcrowding, 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 the chicken is fully opaque with no pink inside. Remove cooked chicken to a clean plate and repeat with remaining pieces, adding more oil as needed.
- Make The Sauce: While cooking the chicken, in a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup water, 3 Tablespoons tamari, 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey, 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, and optional red pepper flakes until well combined.
- Make The Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon water until smooth to create the cornstarch slurry.
- Cook The Sauce: Reduce skillet heat to medium-low. Add the cornstarch slurry to the prepared sauce mixture and whisk to combine (the mixture will look milky). Pour this sauce mixture into the warm skillet and whisk continuously over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until the sauce starts bubbling, thickens, and becomes translucent. You should be able to see the path of your whisk in the sauce.
- Heat Through: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and toss well to coat each piece in the thickened sauce. Cook together for a minute or two to heat through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat gently with a little water to thin the sauce if it thickens upon chilling.
Notes
- This dish is an instant family favorite thanks to its crispy chicken and flavorful, tangy sweet sauce.
- You can substitute arrowroot powder for cornstarch to keep it paleo-friendly.
- If you want extra heat, increase the red pepper flakes to taste.
- Use coconut aminos as a soy-free alternative to tamari to keep it gluten-free.
- The sauce thickens upon chilling; reheat with a splash of water to restore desired consistency.
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: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
