Healthy Sesame Chicken: Gluten Free & Paleo
Is there anything better than making a dish reminiscent of takeout, but with healthier ingredients? I don’t frequent the mall food court much anymore, but when I did, I loved getting that fried chicken with all that sticky sauce. You know the type. Comfort food at its finest, I think. I still get cravings for sesame chicken and other types of fried chicken every now and then. Which is why I created this healthy sesame chicken. It tastes like it’s breaded and fried, but it’s not. And the tahini-sesame-orange sauce on top is irresistible.
How to Make Crispy, Breaded Chicken
The method I use to make this healthy sesame chicken crispy and “breaded” is really quite simple. And you only need two ingredients for it! Tapioca flour and an egg. When breading the sesame chicken, I suggest using one small bowl for the egg and one medium sized one for the tapioca flour. If you haven’t used tapioca flour much in the past, it isn’t your typical flour. It has a tendency to make quite the mess while working with it. So be careful to use a bowl wide enough so the flour doesn’t go everywhere.
A few more tips on breading:
- Use clean hands: keep one hand dry to help pat the chicken pieces with the tapioca flour.
- No Tapioca Flour: Try using an alternative flour like arrowroot, or another type such as almond flour.
- Heat up your pan ahead of time: When you’re ready to start frying the chicken, heat up your pan so it’s nice and hot and ready to go.
How to Make The Sesame Orange Sauce
Personally, I really like the flavours of orange and tahini together. But, if you wanted something different, you could try using almond or peanut butter and omitting the orange juice and zest. Although, personally I think peanut butter would be a bit too strong in this dish.
The sauce will get very thick, quickly. Keep it on low heat, around a 2-3 just to keep it warm. Even though it’s thick, it will still work great once you add it to your chicken. If you really need to thin it out, try adding a touch more sesame oil to it.
Tips If You Need to Keep it Paleo/Grain Free
I don’t personally follow any type of diet, but I know some people need to keep things grain free.
No Rice: Use cauliflower rice, riced parsnip or another veggie
No Soy Sauce/Tamari: Use coconut aminos instead
Fish Sauce: Use a pure fish sauce, like this one from my fave brand, Red Boat. It only uses anchovies and sea salt, and doesn’t have any added sugar.
How to Store this Healthy Sesame Chicken
I like to store the rice and the sesame chicken separately. It holds up really well in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days. Personally, I like eating this cold, but you could also re-heat it on the stove over low for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick, try adding a splash more of coconut aminos/tamari and/or sesame oil.
And if you’re a sesame chicken enthusiast like me, please let me know if you try this healthy sesame chicken recipe by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment/rating or review below.
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Healthy Sesame Chicken: Gluten Free & Paleo
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Delicious, gluten free and grain-free breaded chicken with a sticky sesame-orange sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast skinless, boneless, cubed
- 1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Ghee or organic butter
For the Sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 4 tbsp Coconut Aminos or tamari
- 1 1/2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice or rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Ginger ground
- 1 tsp Orange Juice plus zest from one orange
- 1/2 tbsp Tahini
For Topping
- 1 Green Onion sliced on the bias, optional
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl and add the tapioca flour to another larger bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg first and then the tapioca flour and place on a clean plate until all pieces are done.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the ghee. When the pan is hot, add the chicken, working in batches if necessary and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, until cooked through, flipping halfway.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, over medium-low heat, add the sesame oil and then the garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Let it come to a low simmer, and then remove from heat once it has thickened.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces to the pot with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve over rice with sliced green onion and sesame seeds.
Notes
No Coconut Aminos: Use tamari or soy sauce
No Lime: Use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
