Chinese Sesame Chicken (paleo, whole30)
by Chinese Sesame Chicken recipe made healthy, easy, and delicious with a Whole30 sesame chicken sauce. It’s savory, naturally sweet, healthy delicious. This is a must-have Chinese stir-fry dish for Sesame Chicken lovers!
If you love homemade takeout, you’ll also love my Panda Express honey sesame chicken!
One of my goals this year is to revisit some of my older recipes and make them even more user friendly. This new take on my Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken has much-simplified ingredients and cooking steps, but is just as delicious as (if not more delicious than) the earlier version.
Simplified Healthy Sesame Chicken (Whole30 friendly!)
Dates are a good replacement for honey if you are on Whole30. They add a hint of sweetness and thicken the sauce naturally. However because dates still pack with higher amount of natural sugar I recommend using them sparingly as the recipe describes below.
I blend all the sesame chicken sauce ingredients in a small food processor until they are very well chopped/blended with almost no fruit chunks. You can prepare the sesame chicken sauce ahead of time during meal prep and store it in a glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If the paste gets too thick before using, simply add a tablespoon of water or chicken/veggie broth to thin it a bit.
Your Favorite Chinese Take Out – Chinese Sesame Chicken
I used a combination of boneless skinless chicken thighs and breasts to make my Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken. In my opinion, all breast meat tends to give drier mouthfeel. You can absolutely use all thigh meat if preferred.
Dice the chicken into smaller bite sizes (cube shape), this will allow the meat to grab the sauce better and therefore be more delicious.
If you are wondering how to bring your stir-fry techniques to the next level (hint: golden brown gorgeous chicken stir-fry), I highly recommend that you check out this article I recently wrote for 7 stir-fry mistakes to avoid!
This Healthy Sesame Chicken Recipe is –
Healthy
Easy
Naturally Sweet
Savory
Family friendly
& Absolutely delicious !
If you give this dish a try, let me know ! Leave a comment and rate the recipe. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #IHeartUmami on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. XOXO !
Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken (Whole30, gluten-free)
Ingredients
Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken (Whole30):
- 1.25 lbs chicken thighs and breasts, boneless skinless
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp arrowroot powder, alt. tapioca
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- White sesame seeds, garnish
- Chopped scallions, garnish
Aromatics:
- Ginger, ,2 to 3 thin slices
- 1 large garlic clove, ,thin sliced
Paleo Chinese Sesame Chicken Sauce (Whole30):
- 6 whole medjool dates, ,pitted
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste, ,Whole30 compliant with no added sugar
- 1 tsp chili hot sauce, ,optional (Whole30 compliant with no added sugar)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Sesame Chicken: Dice chicken to small bite-sizes (small cube shape) and season with salt, pepper, ginger, arrowroot powder, and olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
- Sesame Chicken Sauce: Pulse dates, garlic clove, and ginger in a small food processor a few times until finely chopped. Add the rest of ingredients under “sauce”. Toss/blend a few more times until the sauce is smooth and no fruit chunks.
- Pan-fry: Pre-heat a large stainless steel skillet (without oil) over low heat until it’s well heated (about 4-5 mins), add avocado oil and pan fry the chicken in separate batches (not to overcrowd the skillet). Don’t touch or move the chicken pieces until you see the bottom layer is in golden brown then cook the flip side until they are about 90-95% cooked through. Set aside with chicken juice in the skillet.
- Combine: Add a bit more cooking oil to the skillet, saute ‘aromatics’ with a sprinkle of salt until fragrant. Add 3-4 heaping tbsps of sesame chicken sauce*, quickly stir-fry the sauce with aromatics for 8-10 seconds then add the chicken back to the skillet. Coat the sauce over chicken pieces and stri-fry for a few additional minutes until they are cooked through. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve hot and immediately with steamed broccoli florets or any simple mixed green salad of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Complete Steps 1 and 2. Store the sauce in food glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If it becomes to thick, add 1 tbsp water/broth to thin the paste before using.
- Dice chicken to small bite sizes and add seasonings. Store in food glass container in the fridge if use the next day or store flat in large freezer friendly ziplock bags for later use. In Step 4, feel free to add more sauce if preferred.
Nutrition
More Paleo Whole30 Stir-Fry Recipes:
- Paleo sweet and sour chicken
- Paleo Kung Pao Chicken
- Paleo Cashew Chicken
- Paleo Hunan Beef Stir-Fry
- Stir-Fried Beef In Oyster Sauce
- Thai Basil Chicken Recipe
- Paleo Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry
- Paleo Mongolian Beef
- Chinese Pepper Steak
Also check out my Sesame Noodles recipe, Japanese roasted sesame dressing, Baked crispy sesame egg tofu, Baked or Air Fried Sesame Chicken, and Baby bok choy salad with toasted sesame dressing.
So delicious! This dish is a family favorite and in our dinner rotation. Thank you for making such delicious recipes!
Can you do this in the air fryer ?
Hello, it will need to be a slightly different recipe to make it work in air fryer.
Such an amazing and delicious recipe! I doubled the sauce so that I can make it again for parents. Definitely a keeper!
All of the flavors in this dish are wonderful! Served it over broccoli and cauliflower rice with peas and carrots and it all tasted delicious together!
Really easy to make and delicious. I make it at least once a week and it works in my next day meal prep as a cold dish too.
Homemade is always the best!
Delicious! Thank you for the make-ahead tips, I have a fitness class RIGHT before dinner 3x a week and am always looking for recipes that I can’ start before I go or can be half prepped and finished later. This was perfect!
Just started a soy and dairy free diet due to my baby’s intolerance and this recipe was perfect!! Next time will thin out the sauce a bit more. So so so yummy! Definitely a make again!
This is the best sesame chicken recipe I’ve EVER come across! Best of all, it’s paleo!
Thank you, Mandy!
Hi . If I want to use honey instead of the dates how much do I use for 6 person serving for sesame chicken
I’m not sure since I will be likely going by my tastebuds to see how sweet I want the sauce to be. I’d start with 1 tbsp and gradually add more to your preference. 🙂
This was so, so good! I have used arrowroot powder before and the results were slightly gummy- not with this! The sauce was sweet and savory and scratched my takeout craving, but I won’t be tired and overly sugared! I will make this post whole-30 for sure!
This recipe is delicious! The sauce really makes the dish! It was easy to prepare for a quick dinner. My family enjoyed it so much we didn’t have any leftovers!
Thank you, Christina! So happy to hear!
We loved the recipe!!!
thank you so much!
This was amazing and easy! Even better than the “real” thing. Will definitely be making again and again.
Thank you!
This is absolutely one of our favorite recipes. We make it once per week and it’s been on our meal rotation. So much better than takeout!
Thanks so much!
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made!! I have 4 years worth of recipes I’ve tried documented in an app, and only about 20 recipes got the 5 star rating – this is one of them.
Thank you so much. So appreciate it!
This recipe is awesome! Delicious!
Thank you, Kris!
This is our family’s favorite Chinese takeout dish made gluten-free and healthy. My kids LOVE this dish and asked for it all the time. It’s on our meal rotation. Thank you for creating this wonderful recipe!
Thank you, Heather!
How much honey should be used for the sauce if we choose not to use dates?
Hi Diane, I would start with 1 tbsp honey and if it’s not sweet enough to your preference add a bit more. Hope this helps. Thank you!
So amazing!! My husband and I loved it! Will definitely make again and try more of all of your delicious recipes! We love Asian cuisine and love healthy cooking! Thank you! ❤️🙌🏻😘
Rice wine vinegar is not allowed on Whole30. What would you recommend using instead? I can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
Hi Joan, Rice vinegar is Whole30. This is a common question for Whole30 newbies. Please refer to the following URL article to read the official Whole30 guidelines about all things vinegar. Here’s the quote from the official website “Vinegar. Nearly all forms of vinegar, including white, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and rice, are allowed during your Whole30 program. (The only exception is malt vinegar, which generally contains gluten.) ”
Now the source of your rice vinegar is important. A good bottle of rice vinegar, especially made in Japan, is made with no added sugar. Please also check out my Shop Page if you find it difficult to shop for ingredients. Thank you!
https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/