Description
Healthy Sesame Chicken is a flavorful and gluten-free dish featuring tender chicken pieces coated in a tangy sweet sesame sauce. This paleo-friendly recipe is perfect for a nutritious and delicious family meal that comes together in just 30 minutes.
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
- 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
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Thickener 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 to evenly coat all pieces.
- Cook The Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in batches, spacing them so they don't touch. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side until golden, then flip and cook 1-3 minutes more until fully opaque and no pink remains inside. Remove cooked chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining pieces, adding more oil as needed.
- Prepare The Sauce: While the chicken cooks, whisk together in a bowl the water, tamari, maple syrup or honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and optional red pepper flakes until well combined.
- Make The Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to create a smooth slurry for thickening the sauce.
- Cook The Sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce mixture; it will appear milky. Pour this mixture into the warm skillet and whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens, becomes translucent, and bubbles. You'll be able to see the whisk's path through the sauce.
- Combine and Heat Through: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and toss in the thickened sauce to coat and heat through thoroughly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving warm.
Notes
- Use chicken thighs instead of breasts for a juicier version.
- Adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of maple syrup or honey to taste.
- For extra heat, increase the red pepper flakes or add a dash of chili oil.
- To keep it paleo, ensure your tamari or soy sauce alternative is compliant or use coconut aminos.
- Leftover sauce thickens when refrigerated; thin it with water when reheating.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or steamed vegetables for a low-carb option.
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
