Lighter Sesame Chicken satisfies a craving for Chinese take-out, without all the calories, sugar, and gluten. Easy and satisfying!
I’ve got another Take-Out Fake-Out recipe for you today — Lighter Sesame Chicken.
Sesame Chicken is my all-time favorite Chinese dish. Fried, savory, sweet…along with all the calories that comes with eating something fried…savory…and sweet!
That is to say, while candied chicken tastes good on the tongue, it doesn’t look so good on the hips, which is why I am ecstatic about this lightened up version.
Lighter Sesame Chicken is just sweet enough, and you’ll flip over the faux-batter technique that gives each piece of chicken a delicate and satisfying crunch without the need for deep-fat frying.
Furthermore, you can make this recipe in under 30 minutes, and I bet you have most, if not all, of the ingredients already on hand.
Start by making the lightly-sweetened sesame chicken sauce.
Combine 2-1/2 Tablespoons gluten-free Tamari (or soy sauce if not GF) and 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds in a bowl.
Next add 1/4 cup honey which naturally sweetens the Sesame Chicken sauce.
Finally, add 1 minced garlic clove then stir everything up and set aside.
Next, prep the chicken. Slice 2 small chicken breasts into 2″ pieces then season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken pieces to 1 egg white whisked with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch in a large bowl, then toss to coat.
This is the faux-batter I was talking about! It’s amazing how the egg white and cornstarch combine to mimic a tempura-like batter, minus the gluten.
Time to cook! Heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet, then add the battered chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes a side, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Turn off the heat, remove the skillet from the burner, then add the pre-made sauce and 2 chopped green onions. Toss everything to combine.
Finally add 2 cups steamed broccoli into the skillet then toss again to combine.
Serve the Lighter Sesame Chicken over cooked brown rice for a super-satisfying, quick and easy, take-out fake-out dinner!
This dish comes with all the flavor of sesame chicken, just without the ridiculous amounts of calories and fat.
Plus, like I said, each bite is blissfully gluten free. Enjoy every last drop!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 egg white
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 chicken breasts, 1lb, cut into 2" pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 cups broccoli florets
Directions
- Prepare rice according to package directions.
- In a small saucepan, steam broccoli until crisp tender then set aside.
- Combine honey, sesame seeds, Tamari, and garlic together in a small bowl then set aside.
- In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together egg white and cornstarch until smooth. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper then add to egg white mixture and toss to evenly coat.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then carefully add chicken in one layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Turn off heat then remove skillet from burner. Add prepared sauce and green onions then toss to coat. Stir in broccoli then scoop mixture into bowls over cooked rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I believe your photos in this recipe have been hacked. I saw the pictures for this recipe on Pinterest. When you go into the sight to learn how to make it though, there is a word that says “Instructions” and if you want the instructions on how to make this recipe, you have to click on the word. Anyways, I clicked on it and my page became this grey page with a loud beeping noise saying I had a Major Virus and that I needed to call the number on the screen. Longer story short, they are a scammer company that try to link to your computer and charge you for fixing the problem they caused. Which there really isn’t a problem and they aren’t fixing anything…just want you to think so. I know this bc, I called a local computer store and they had heard of them before and informed me that I didn’t really have a virus and that I just needed to turn my computer on and off. ( I think they might be based out of India, bc the guy on the phone had a deep accent.) Anyways, just wanted to let you know that they have your photos. I’m excited to try this recipe though. Here is the link that I saw your photos on.
http://www.freshdreamer.com/2015/01/lighter-sesame-chicken.html
Tried this tonight. It was inhaled by all. Delicious!!
I don’t fancy myself a skilled cook by any means, but after moving out on my own a couple of months ago, I’ve decided to start cooking healthier. This was the first of several dishes I’ve made from browsing your blog, and I’m so glad I did! My boyfriend loved it and was impressed. Thank you so much! The chicken was just crispy enough and the sauce was perfect!
My boyfriend and I made this last weekend. It was SO delicious. I can’t wait to share your recipe on my blog tomorrow :)
I’ll be making thus soon with chicken-less for a veggie version
I moved away from Des Moines AND Hyvee’s sesame chicken a year ago and I miss it. so. much! I’ll have to try this!!
I made this dish last night and it was a hit, my kids loved it
Soooo yum. Stumbled across it this morning and just made for dinner. It’s so good. The batter was sticky as I saw someone else write but with a little attention it turned out just fine. Just be sure to store often and use a nonstick pan. I added some ginger and sesame oil. Thanks for posting!!
Do you know the calories per serving by any chance?
I’m going to try this with my zucchini lo mien. I am so excited. This recipe looks amazing! Thanks
Hi, thank you for all of your recipes! Love love them all! I made this tonight, but I didn’t get the caramelizing like your pictures show; I used raw honey and EVOO vs veg oil; any ideas of what I needed to do differently to get it to thicken up towards the end? Perhaps i had too much honey as it was more liquid at the end. We still loved it though!!
This was delicious! Great recipe!
Just did this for dinner. My bf and I LOVED this! reduced the amount of green onion by half though since I’m not a fan of onion flavour, it still worked out great. Thank you for this share!