Healthy Sesame Chicken is a delicious, healthy dinner! Packed with protein, low in carbs, and gluten free – it’s simple to make & better than takeout!
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If you like sesame chicken – you have to try this Healthy Sesame Chicken! It’s so easy to make and it’s delicious.
This Healthy Sesame Chicken recipe only takes 25 minutes from start to finish.. and you know that you’d be waiting that long for delivery anyways!
What Makes This Healthy Sesame Chicken?
- Cooked on a stovetop vs being fried: Sesame chicken is usually fried. We cook the chicken over the stove which helps to make this lower in fat and carbs.
- Not super high in sodium: Most sesame chicken recipes are made with a lot of salt or coated inÂ
- Simple Ingredients: This recipe is made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about eating and find at pretty much any store.
Important Note: This is not an authentic sesame chicken recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. If you’re looking for an authentic sesame chicken recipe check out this Sesame Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients in the sauce/this dish, and it only needs about 25 minutes to come together over the stove in total.
- chicken breasts
- garlic
- ground ginger
- lime zest
- pepper
- rice vinegar
- honey
- toasted sesame oil
- sesame seeds
Even though the ingredients are minimal, the sauce is still that delish, thick, sticky sauce that you know and love from your favorite takeout place.. but it has super clean + delicious ingredients!
Substitutions
This recipe is pretty versatile. Here are a few ways you can customize it!
Chicken: You can sub chicken breasts with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tender.
Rice: You can serve this over any type of cooked rice or grain. Quinoa is great with this or you can do cauliflower rice. This would go great with our Fried Cauliflower Rice!
Avocado Oil: If you don’t have avocado oil you can use olive oil or coconut oil.
Green Beans: You can sub in green beans with broccoli or any other veggies you like.
Coconut Aminos – If you don’t have coconut aminos you can use low sodium soy sauce.
Honey: You can substitute honey with maple syrup.
Toasted Sesame Oil: This is essential to the recipe. It adds that rich sesame flavor! Sesame oil and toasted sesame oil are not the same. Toasted sesame oil has much more flavor.
Fresh Ginger: If you want to use fresh ginger you can use 1 teaspoon, grated.
Rice Vinegar: If you don’t have rice vinegar, omit it. You can add a splash more of coconut aminos.
Paleo: to make paleo sub rice for cauliflower rice. We love our cauliflower fried rice!
How to Make Sesame Chicken
Making healthy sesame chicken is super easy!
- Get all your ingredients out and whisk together your marinade.
- Brown the chicken and set it aside.Â
- Add your marinade to the same pan and bring to high heat.
- Cook until sauce is thickened and pulls away from the pan.
- Add chicken back to the pan, toss in sauce + serve with green beans/rice!
Time Saving Tips for Homemade Sesame Chicken
- Have everything on the counter -This will make it super simple to grab everything you need while you’re cooking.
- Get precooked rice! All you have to do is tear the bag open and microwave.. doesn’t get much simpler than that!
- Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce + put everything away while the chicken cooks.
I think you’re going to love this easy meal, and I know it’s going to make you think twice about calling your favorite takeout place on Friday night when you’re tired and don’t feel like cooking! Here’s the recipe.
Sesame Seed Chicken FAQ
You can make sesame chicken without soy sauce. Use a soy sauce substitute like liquid aminos or cooonut aminos!
Sesame chicken is very different from General Tso. The main difference is that General Tso chicken is tossed in a chili based sauce, while sesame chicken is
Sesame chicken sauce is usually made of toasted sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and a little bit of sweetener
Storing & Serving Healthy Sesame Chicken
Storing:Â I keep this healthy sesame chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
Reheating:Â You can reheat this healthy sesame chicken in a pan or in the microwave.
Freezing:Â We have not tried freezing this healthy sesame chicken but I think it would work!
Other delicious healthy takeout recipes:
Need more ideas for dinner? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Healthy Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cups green beans
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lime zest (zest of one lime)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (juice of one lime)
- 1 tablespoons sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a pan, heat avocado oil. Sauté chicken until browned on all sides, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, whisk together the sauce.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from the pan + set aside. Pour sauce mixture into the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until it starts to bubble, stirring consistently. The will thicken quickly, but be careful to watch that it doesn't burn.
- While sauce is thickening, steam green beans per direction on package.
- Add cooked chicken back into the pan and coat in sauce.
- Serve over cooked rice and green beans!
Video
Notes
- Chicken – You can sub chicken breasts with chicken thighs.
- Avocado Oil – If you don’t have avocado oil you can use olive oil or refined coconut oil
- Green Beans– You can sub in green beans with broccoli or any other veggies you like
- Coconut Aminos – If you don’t have coconut aminos you can use low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
- Fresh Ginger – If you don’t have fresh ginger you can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried ground ginger.
Hayley says
So easy to make and SO good! Can’t wait to make this meal again!
Liz Marino says
Yay! So glad you liked it Hayley. Thank you so much for trying it!
Jessica says
The sauce is tasty but there was barely enough to cover the chicken. It also wouldn’t thicken. I let it bubble for 10 minutes at medium high heat, so I added cornstarch. The chicken also isn’t the most appetizing texture. Tastes and feels boiled. Next time I will double the sauce and actually marinate it in the sauce for 20 minutes and then cook it on medium high heat to get the chicken caramelized.
Liz Marino says
Sorry you felt that way, Jessica! I would not recommend marinating the chicken – the sesame mixture will burn when you try to sear the chicken because of the honey, so try tat your own risk!
Diane says
I tried this today and it sure is tasty! I didn’t have a lime so I used lemon and only had liquid aminos and it it still came out delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
Liz Marino says
So happy you enjoyed it, Diane! Thank you!!
Katherine Marengo says
My sauce never thickened so I added a little cornstarch to it and it worked great. What is the thickening agent in the sauce? The flavor is great!
Liz Marino says
There is no thickening agent in the sauce. The sugar from the honey and coconut aminos are enough to make the sauce thicken! Did you let it bubble over heat? it really needs to bubble!
Abby says
this recipe was delicious, easy and quick! i’ll definitely be doing it again!
Liz Marino says
So glad you liked it, Abby!!
Taylor counts says
My sauce is not getting thick!! How long does it normally take?
Liz Marino says
Did you let the sauce bubble? It needs to be heated to the point of bubbling. It should take 5-10 minutes depending on how hot your pan is!
Taylor counts says
Yes I let it bubble for a long time! It just never got thick. It was watery. It still tasted delicious but I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my sauce.
Alexis Novoa says
Hi, I just wanted to know if you meant white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
Liz Marino says
It says rice vinegar in the post 🙂
Dave Whitehouse says
The recipe did not make enough sauce to coat the chicken as per your picture, it barely covered the chicken ?
Liz Marino says
Did you over-reduce the sauce? there should be plenty to cover the chicken!
Melissa says
So easy and delicious!
Liz Marino says
Thanks, Melissa!
Michaela Skaarup says
This is soooooooooo good it tastes amazing and it’s super easy to cook!
Donna says
Is it important to use toasted sesame oil? I only have regular sesame oil. I have always wondered if there is a difference in the taste. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Elizabeth Marino says
We covered this in the green substitutions section 🙂 Toasted sesame oil is essential to the recipe. It adds that rich sesame flavor! Sesame oil and toasted sesame oil are not the same. Toasted sesame oil has much more flavor.
Holly says
Hubby and I loved this. Easy to make and delicious!! Will be making again.
Donna A says
This dish was amaaaaazzinnggg!!!!
Kaitlyn I. says
Healthy has never tasted so good! Delicious and SO easy! Definitely a new weeknight favorite.
Gina says
Made this tonight and it was really easy and delicious. I paired it with green beans and quinoa. This is great recipe for a quick weeknight dinner!
Charlotte-Grace Delerue says
I’d like if it told us exactly how it makes the sauce I think I messed it up but you can still make it yummy and it was delicious so it only lost one star
If you like honey soy chicken this is for you 😋
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure what you mean.. It’s pretty clear how to make the sauce in the step by step photos and instructions. If you have a specific question feel free to ask!