Sesame Chicken Recipe with a Healthy Twist
Sesame chicken has always been one of my favorite dinner dishes. The sweet and tangy flavor is simply to die for, and I’ve been wanting to make the meal to share with others.
Unfortunately, though, the average recipe calls for soy, which several close people in my life are highly allergic to. And as much as I think the recipe is killer, I’d rather keep “to die for” a figure of speech.
Consequently, I’ve been eating sesame chicken alone for the last few years. My love of the saucy meal had been all but private until recently when I discovered this amazing soy-free recipe from “The Clean Eating Couple”. It’s still got that amazing sesame taste and is honestly one of the better sesame chicken dishes I’ve tried over the years. I ate the meal this weekend with my roommates and we all really dug its taste, low calories, and lack of soy.
Let’s dive into how you can make this quick, healthy sesame chicken recipe at home:
Ingredients
Chopped Ingredients
- A pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into roughly one-inch cubes (Note: I substituted this for uncooked boneless chicken tenders)
Sprinkled Ingredients
- Half teaspoon of ground ginger
- Tablespoon of minced garlic cloves
- Quarter teaspoon of black pepper
- A tablespoon of sesame seeds for garnish
Pourable Ingredients
- Half a tablespoon of avocado oil
- Quarter cup of coconut aminos
- Tablespoon of honey
- Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- Two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- Teaspoon of lime zest (Note: I didn’t include the zest in my making of this recipe and it turned out fine)
- Tablespoon of lime juice
Directions for Sesame Chicken without Soy Sauce Recipe
Step 1
Heat up a pan with your avocado oil and sauté chicken until it is browned on both sides. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2
While the chicken starts to cook, you’re going to create your marinade. Whisk together the coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, honey, ground ginger, garlic cloves, rice wine vinegar, black pepper, lime zest, and lime juice. I recommend adding the honey towards the end if you’re reusing your measuring cups because that stuff will STICK.
Step 3
Once your chicken is well-cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Pour the sauce in the pan and stir the sauce until it begins to bubble and thicken. Watch carefully to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn.
Step 4
Once your sauce has taken on a thick consistency, pour in your chicken. Stir until the chicken is fully coated in the sauce. Then sprinkle on some sesame seeds for garnish and you’re good to eat!
Serving Size
The full recipe can serve up to two people. I added in a few extra pounds of chicken and was able to give six people about 15 cubes. I didn’t up the amount of sauce for the extra chicken and it still was plenty saucy and delicious.
Approximate Prep Time
Another great thing about this recipe is that it takes next to no time to make. Not cooking any green beans, the recipe took me about 25 minutes to put together. So, if you’re in a rush but are still wanting a great, nutritional meal, this is the way to go.
Additional Side Options
The original Clean Eating Couple article suggests cooking green beans and microwave-ready white rice to go along with the chicken. I made the rice but skipped the green beans. I highly recommend checking out my previous article about sheet-pan vegetables, as they are the perfect side dish to go along with sesame chicken: https://hopehwa.com/vegetable-sheet-pan-recipe/.
What Sesame Chicken Contains:
The following nutritional facts account for the chicken, green beans, and rice. Each serving is 12 oz of chicken with green beans and rice:
- Calories: 553
- Protein: 52g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated fat: 3g
Happy eating!
Author of this blog: Creative Content Specialist, Christine Krenke
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