Sesame Chicken
This Sesame Chicken recipe is a healthy spin on the classic take out dish that you can make in just 30 minutes, This is an easy to make meal that is perfect for weeknight dinner and sure to be a hit with the whole family. 
Why You Will Love This Healthier Sesame Chicken
- This sesame chicken recipe is a spin on the classic Chinese takeout dish that you can make in less time than it takes for the delivery to arrive (just 30 minutes).
- The sauce! The sesame chicken sauce is the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and tangy and it’s highly addictive.
- It’s healthier than any Sesame Chicken that you can order at local Chinese restaurants. This Paleo Sesame Chicken is also Whole30, Grain Free, Gluten Free and Dairy Free but you would never be able to tell!
- This really is the best sesame chicken and its guaranteed to be a huge hit with the whole family, even picky eaters!
How To Serve This Sesame Chicken
I like serving this healthier sesame chicken with cauliflower rice, but if you are not on a grain free diet then white rice (jasmine rice) or brown rice also work and is perfect for absorbing any of the excess sauce (because you won’t want any of that to go to waste!). I also like making a simple side of steamed broccoli for some added greens. There is no need to add any seasoning or sauce to the broccoli, the sesame chicken is the star of the show and the sauce will give everything else flavour too.
How To Make This Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar), baking soda and coconut aminos or soy sauce.
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat add the toasted sesame oil and once hot add the garlic and ginger
- To make the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together all of the sauce ingredients (tomato paste, chicken broth, honey, vinegar and coconut aminos/soy sauce). Pour the sauce mixture into a small sauce pan on medium heat and leave to simmer until it has thickened and reduced by half. Taste to ensure you are happy with the flavor of the sauce.
- Work in batches dredging the chicken pieces in the arrowroot starch. Add the chicken to a large pan with hot oil and cook until the chicken is crispy and golden brown in color.
- Once all of the chicken is done cooking, add it to the pan with the savory sauce. Toss to ensure every piece is well coated in the prepared sauce before serving the crispy sesame chicken garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
You can find more detailed instructions in the recide card below.
Can I Add Some Veggies To This Sesame Chicken?
I prefer to cook the veggies separately and serve them on the wide, but if you would prefer to add them in with the chicken you definitely can. Chopped onion, bell peppers, snow peas, asparagus or broccoli would all work well. Cook the veggies in a tablespoon of sesame oil until just tender and then set them aside on a plate before adding the chicken to the pan and cooking. Combine the chicken and veggies of choice in the sauce and ensure they are warmed through before serving.
Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Thighs
For this Sesame Chicken recipe it’s really up to you! I prefer using chicken thighs because I find that they have more flavour and remain moist when cooked, added bonus is they are cheaper than breasts. Boneless skinless chicken breast are slightly lower in fat which means that they can dry out quickly if cooked too long.
Why Use Baking Soda?
Baking soda is my not so secret trick that I use in the majority of my Asian inspired recipes to tenderize the meat and give it an underlying flavour and texture that can be found in a lot of Chinese takeout dishes. I would leave the chicken to marinate in the baking soda for a maximum of 20 minutes and no longer, otherwise it will begin to turn the chicken to mush. Don’t skip the baking soda marinade step, it really makes a big difference in the end flavour and texture of this sesame chicken.
What Does The Arrowroot Do?
In this paleo sesame chicken recipe arrowroot starch is used to coat the chicken pieces and give them a nice crispiness when cooked. It is a starch made from the root of the arrowroot plant and is used in a lot of grain free diets such as Whole30 or Paleo. If you aren’t following a grain free diet then feel free to use corn starch or potato starch in place of arrowroot starch, it will result in the same crispy chicken.
How To Make This Sesame Chicken Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal
Unfortunately arrowroot starch is not allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I would recommend skipping the starch coating and instead simply frying the chicken until golden in colour. I made a batch of this chicken without the coating and it tasted just as good, so you won’t be missing out by leaving it off.
Can I Make This Sesame Chicken In The Air Fryer?
You can! Make the sauce as instructed on the stove top. Leave the chicken to marinate for 10 minutes before dredging it in the arrowroot starch. Spray the bottom of the airfryer with avocado oil and then lay the pieces of chicken out evenly, ensuring that they do not touch (you will likely have to work in batches to cook them). Spray the chicken with avocado oil and cook for 8 minutes at 400º Fahrenheit. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Once all cooked toss in the sauce and serve.
Can I Make This Sesame Chicken In Advance?
The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and quickly reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan with a splash of water. For the best crispy chicken results I would only cook the chicken right before eating. To save time you can marinate and coat the chicken in the arrowroot coating up to 4 hours in advance. Place the coated chicken pieces on a sheet pan and store them covered in the fridge until ready to cook. Bring the chicken out a few minutes before cooking to allow it to warm to room temperature before frying.
What About Leftovers?
Any sesame chicken leftovers will last for up to 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. Unfortunately reheating them in the microwave will cause the crispy coating on the chicken to become mushy, instead I would recommend reheating them in a pan on the stovetop on medium high heat until warmed through. That being said I have been known to devour any leftovers cold, they are also delicious. This sesame chicken can be frozen although it will completely lose its crispy texture. Store the chicken in a ziploc bag or container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Other takeout fakeout recipes that you might enjoy…
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Moo Shu Pork
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Spicy Orange Chicken
- Thai Basil Beef
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs or breasts cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp chopped ginger
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp honey*
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 3/4 cup arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped scallions
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together the coconut aminos, baking soda and apple cider vinegar and then add in the chunks of chicken and stir to ensure that they are all well coated in the liquid. Leave to rest for a few minutes while you prepare the sauce.
- In a bowl whisk together the honey, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, tomato paste, chili flakes and chicken stock.
- Heat the sesame oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add in the chopped ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour the sauce in, increase the heat to high and leave the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes until it has reduce by half and thickened.
- While the sauce is simmering, finish making the chicken. Add the arrowroot starch to a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces in the arrowroot starch so that they are all well coated.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat. Working in batches add in the chicken (making sure not to overcrowd the pan) and cook for approximately 3 minutes per side until golden in colour. Once cooked set the chicken naside on a plate and continue cooking the remaining chicken adding more oil if needed.
- Once the chicken is all cooked, add it to the pan with the sauce, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and toss to ensure the chicken is all well coated. Garnish with chopped scallions before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious and easy dinner. Served with green beans and rice.
My daughter and I made this for our whole 30 meal prep. It is incredible. You will never need to buy take out sesame chicken again.
Is the 3 T apple cider vinegar and 3 T coconut aminos for the sauce?
Thanks!
This was delicious! My husband has been craving Sesame Chicken for a long time and I finally found a recipe to scratch his itch. YUM!
Family friendly! Everyone loves this sesame chicken. If you have any left overs it great the next day as well.
Worst receptor ever
Loved it! Thank you!
Hi, isn’t coconut aminos also illegal on SCD? I find that to be the hard part about making Asian dishes.
Let me start by saying OH.MY.GOSH! This recipe was so easy to make, and was very tasty. I’ve tried several seseme chicken recipes to try and replicate chinese takeout- and this recipe was pretty dang close. I’ll definetly keep this in my back pocket for when I’m carving some takeout!
Oh my… this was sooo good. Better than the local Chinese. I served with riced cauliflower stir fry. Next time I’m going to double the sauce so there’s enough for the cauliflower rice.
Will this work with shrimp instead of chicken?