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Sesame Chicken is a classic we all know and love, but now you can enjoy at home with this Paleo Sesame Chicken!
Traditionally, this dish consists of crispy chunks of deep-fried battered chicken in a sweet, slightly sour, and savory glaze packed with sesame flavor. Inspired by the dish, I’ve created an absolutely fantastic Paleo rendition of Sesame Chicken that will leave you so satisfied! Plus, there are very few ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, especially if you already have a well-stocked pantry.
This recipe is seriously all about the sauce, which comes together with mainly pantry ingredients!
Here’s What You’ll Need for the Sauce:
- Coconut Aminos
- Fish Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Chicken Broth
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Honey (You can also omit this to make this dish Whole30!)
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
Once your chicken is browned and the sauce is whisked up, you’ll add it to your skillet for it to begin to thicken. After it is reduced and thickened, you’ll add the chicken back to the skillet along with the sesame seeds and toss to coat and warm the chicken.
Serve this saucy chicken as-is, or with prepared rice and steamed broccoli as I did here. No matter how you serve it, it is delisious.
You guys are going to LOVE this one, it’s definitely a new favorite at our house and my kiddos love it, too! Enjoy this Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken!
Paleo Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
For the Sauce
- 3/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 3 tablespoon honey optional, omit for Whole30
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- thinly sliced green onions (optional for serving)
Optional Serving Suggestions:
- prepared rice (brown rice or cauliflower)
- steamed broccolli
Instructions
Brown the Chicken:
- Cut chicken against the grain into thin strips. Place in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the arrowroot and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet, spread out in a single layer if possible, and sear on all sides until cooked through and lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Make the Sauce:
- Meanwhile, whisk together the coconut aminos, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, chicken broth, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and honey (if using).
- Pour the sauce into the skillet used for the chicken and using a wooden spoon, scrape up as much of the browned bits on the bottom as possible. Continue to cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened and reduced, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the toasted sesame seeds and the cooked chicken and toss until well-coated. Remove from heat.
Finish the Stir Fry:
- Garnish with scallions and additional sesame seeds, if desired. This dish goes great with steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower rice.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and Styling by Jess Gaertner Creative.
Made this for my hubby tonight and we both loved it! By loved it I mean we had no leftovers because we ate it all!
With 3/4 cup of coconut aminos and 3/4 cup of chicken broth this was like a soup at the end. I’ve made this before and it wasn’t like that. Did something change on the recipe? I wonder if it should be 1/4 cup coconut aminos? Should have gone with my instincts that it was way too much liquid. Anyways, I have loved it when I made it in the past but might need to double check that.
I made this for dinner last night and my SUPER picky teenage son loved it! Thanks for another great recipe!
Woohoo! love when the super picky kids approve!! Thanks Jayme!
This was so good!!! My whole family loved it and they are picky! It will definitely be made again. Thank you for sharing.
This is one of my staple recipes! I put the leftovers on a cauliflower crust from Trader Joes and oh my… its devine! Thanks Alex for this staple recipe!
5 stars! My husband said and I quote ‘better than takeout’ & ‘best Chinese you’ve ever made’ also my 2 and almost 4 year old ate it so I will 100% be making this again!! So excited. Thank you!!
This recipe is just so delicious! My hubby (who loves Chinese take out) and I absolutely love it!
Oh good! so glad you guys enjoyed it!! It’s one of my personal favorites right now. 🙂
Made this recipe tonight and it’s amazing! Love all of your recipes. Thank you for keeping me inspired to cook clean!
YAY! Thank you so much, Callie! 🙂
My family and I went crazy over this recipe. It is so full of flavor hard to believe it’s so healthy, tastes like we are endulging.
YAY! It is very indulgent indeed!
This looks incredible! Can’t wait to try!
Do you think coconut or almond flour would work as well?
I find that Coconut and almond flour make stir frys like this a little grainy. I’d stick with arrowroot, the second best option is Tapioca flour!