Description
This Healthy Sesame Chicken recipe features tender, bite-sized pieces of chicken sautéed to perfection and coated in a flavorful homemade sesame sauce. It’s a quick and nutritious meal that combines coconut aminos, honey, sesame oil, and lime for a bright and balanced taste. Served with green beans and white rice, this dish is perfect for a wholesome weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil
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 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
Optional For Serving
- 2 cups cooked green beans
- 1 cup cooked white rice
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cook white rice and green beans according to package directions or your preference to have ready when the chicken is done.
- Cook Chicken: Heat avocado oil in a pan over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the chicken cubes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Make Sauce: While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the coconut aminos, honey, toasted sesame oil, ground ginger, minced garlic, rice vinegar, black pepper, lime zest, and lime juice in a bowl.
- Cook Sauce: Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside. Pour the prepared sauce mixture into the hot pan (no need to clean the pan from the chicken drippings). Cook the sauce over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring consistently until it starts to bubble and thickens. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce: Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Toss and coat the chicken evenly with the thickened sauce to infuse flavor.
- Serve: Transfer the sesame chicken to plates and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve alongside cooked white rice and green beans for a complete meal.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken breasts with chicken thighs for a juicier texture.
- If avocado oil is unavailable, use olive oil or refined coconut oil.
- Green beans can be replaced with broccoli or your preferred vegetable.
- If coconut aminos are not accessible, low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos are good alternatives.
- For ginger, if fresh is not on hand, 1/2 teaspoon of dried ground ginger works fine.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately half the recipe)
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
