Sesame Chicken Recipe

This healthy Sesame Chicken recipe features chicken breast bites in a sweet, savory, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce topped with sesame seeds and green onions.

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT20M

Total time: PT35M

Rating

4.77 stars (47 reviews)

Keywords

chicken breast, high protein, homemade takeout, quick stir fry

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into small 1/2-inch cubes)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon arrowroot ( or cornstarch)
1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
3 cups cooked white rice
2 scallions (sliced)
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
3 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener (coconut sugar, honey or sweetener of choice)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 ½ tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (plus more for garnish)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon arrowroot ( or cornstarch)
¼ cup filtered water

Cuisine

Asian
Chinese-American

Steps

Combine cubed chicken with salt, pepper, ginger, arrowroot, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. I like to lay it flat on a cutting board and sprinkle the oil first and mix. Then I evenly distribute the powders and seasonings and mix well to evenly combine.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. When hot add half of the avocado oil and let it heat up for 1 minute.
Add half of the chicken in an even layer to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway until golden brown. It’s best to cook in batches not to overcrowd the pan so chicken can crisp up. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken and set aside.
Prepare the sauce by mixing the soy sauce, sugar, tomato paste, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger together in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
Make the slurry by combing the tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot flour and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Add 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil to the pan along with red chili pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 30 seconds, stirring the pan frequently, until fragrant.
Add half of the sauce to the pan and continue cooking for 1 minute, stirring the bottom of the pan frequently.
Return the chicken back into the pan and toss to combine. Add the remainder of the sauce into the pan. Slowly drizzle in the arrowroot slurry and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve with cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 3 /4 cup chicken with 3/4 cups rice
Calories: 513 kcal
Carbohydrates: 54 g
Protein: 44.5 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
Cholesterol: 124 mg
Sodium: 1115.5 mg
Sugar: 1 g

Reviews

Kaeli on 2025-08-11 (5 stars):
Just made this as my meal prep for the week. Super yummy!
Heather on 2025-07-20 (5 stars):
We love this recipe in our house, I use hot honey to spice it up a little more and serve with jasmine rice and air fried green beans. Thanks for a lightened up option!
Mary Adgate on 2025-05-22 (5 stars):
Big hit! Husband took leftovers so of course had to make it a second night. Love all your recipes Gina!
Jane on 2025-05-07 (5 stars):
So delicious! The flavor of the sauce amazing. Definitely going to make this again.
karen Van Rees on 2025-04-29 (5 stars):
First time I made this recipe ! I made it exactly as written. When I asked hubby how he’d rate it 1-5 he said it’s a six . I’ll definitely making this on a monthly rotation . Served it over the rice , with roasted broccoli on the side .
Sherry on 2025-04-27 (5 stars):
Easy to make and very tasty. I added 1T of coconut sugar and it was plenty sweet enough. I air fried broccoli and cauliflower and added to the chicken and sauce mixture.
Crystal on 2025-03-06 (5 stars):
So delicious!! I love all of your recipes. I have never been disappointed and certainly not with this one, either! The whole family loved it.
CK on 2025-02-28 (5 stars):
DELICIOUS!! And so easy to make. Will definitely be making this one again. We added mushrooms to it, recommend adding those to it!
Dorothy on 2025-02-26 (5 stars):
this was a great weeknight dinner, with most ingredients pantry staples. Sauce was really flavorful and combined with rice and broccoli, even better.
Sarah on 2025-02-17 (5 stars):
Wonderful! I made it whole 30 by using coconut amino's, date paste, and cauliflower rice! worked out perfect! (same ratios)
Amanda on 2025-02-03 (5 stars):
We love this recipe!!!
Dave Skolnick S/V Auspicious on 2025-01-25 (4 stars):
Ms. Homolka, I made your recipe last night. I took some liberties. I used tuxedo sesame seed. I sauteed in canola oil instead of avocado oil. It came out very well and your recipe goes in my "keep" file. I do note you refer to deep frying the chicken in your text but the instructions are clearly for saute. Your recipe came up high in the results of a Google search. I'm a jump to recipe sort of guy so it wasn't until I returned to your page that I saw the picture of you serving over rice and with broccoli which is exactly what I did. I like rice and I love broccoli. Thank you for your work. Your bio says Long Island. I was born in Brooklyn and lived in East Northport until my family moved away. I ended up going to college in Glen Cove.
Anna on 2025-01-20 (5 stars):
This was delicious. It’s my favorite Chinese type recipe from skinny taste so far. I like this better than Chinese food from the restaurant. I followed it exactly and served it over steamed broccoli and omitted any rice and I loved it. It was very easy to make, and I will be making this on a regular basis for my family.
Larina Babers on 2025-01-17 (5 stars):
This is the best recipe I've tried yet! Crispy and indulgent without being awful for my health. Thanks again !