Ginger sesame chicken is healthy and easy to prepare, high in protein and great for meal prep! The sesame chicken sauce is full of flavor with a hint of sweetness and warm zest of ginger. Serve it with a cauliflower rice bowl or in a cup of lettuce.
I hope everyone had an amazing labor day weekend! It always makes me so happy when I see my instagram feed filled with happy people, good memories and sunny days. This week is a short work week, but I bring you a healthy meal prep recipe!
I was never really a fan of Chinese take-out growing up. Take-out places can make their sesame chicken way too salty and way too sweet. Fun fact: I was going to name this recipe kung pao chicken, but then I started reading what kung pao chicken really is and I realized this recipe fit better with a traditional Chinese sesame chicken recipe. I love ginger, so of course I had to add a dose in. The whole meal can be made in one dish and the possibilities of what to serve it with are endless.
What Is Sesame Chicken Made Of?
Sesame chicken is traditionally made with soy sauce, brown sugar and a semi thick sauce glaze on the chicken. A lot of places deep fry the chicken before the sauce goes on. This ginger sesame chicken is healthier and doesn’t involve a deep fryer or high sodium sauces like most take-out places.
Ingredients
- Ginger (fresh is best)
- Soy sauce (coconut aminos, or liquid aminos may be substituted)
- Rice vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Pepper
- Corn starch
- Onions
- Garlic
After the ginger cooks down, the sauce is not spicy. If you like a spicy sauce, I suggest swapping out the onion for a spicy pepper or adding sriracha into the sauce after it finishes cooking.
What To Serve With Sesame Chicken
- Serve it up in lettuce wraps: I love using a tender lettuce like Boston or butter lettuce for this ginger sesame chicken.
- Over a bed of rice (or cauliflower rice) with broccoli for a meal prep bowl. I like to buy frozen steamable broccoli for convenient quick meal prep.
- By itself: So good in a bowl with some scallions, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds on top!
Healthy Ginger Sesame Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This healthy ginger sesame chicken is easy to prepare, high in protein and great for meal prep. The sesame chicken sauce is full of flavor with a hint of sweetness and warm zest of ginger. Serve it with rice and broccoli or in a lettuce wrap.
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts ( or 2 large Costco ones)
- ¼ cup corn starch (arrowroot powder or tapioca flour if GF)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (use coconut aminos or liquid aminos if soy/gluten free!)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (coconut sugar can be substituted)
- 2 tsp rice vinegar (red wine or ACV can be substituted)
- ¾ tsp fresh black pepper
- ½ tbsp fresh ginger, zested
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼-½ cup onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- Garnish: Chopped scallions, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Cut chicken in cubes and place in a bowl. Toss with the cornstarch and begin cooking in a saucepan with 1 tbsp cooking oil over medium heat.
- While the chicken is cooking, begin whisking the ingredients for the sauce together. Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, black pepper and ginger in a small bowl, set aside.
- Once the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Using the same pan the chicken was cooked in, pour in the sesame oil. Add in the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add in the sauce mixture and reduce the heat down and cook for 2 minutes continuing to stir and deglaze the pan.
- Add the chicken back into the pan. Continue to cook on low heat for 3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken around the chicken and the bits on the bottom of the pan will lift.
- Serve it with scallions, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds, enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have onions or garlic, you can use a ½ a shallot.
No fresh ginger? Sub ⅛ tsp ground ginger.
If you like it spicy, you can swap out the onion for a hot pepper or add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Chinese
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