Crispy Gluten Free Honey Sesame Chicken makes the perfect weeknight dinner recipe!
Served with rice and veggies, a complete high protein meal is just 30 minutes away. It's much faster than you'd expect, and these succulent chicken bites are a welcome change of pace from chicken thighs or roast chicken!
Quick Look: Gluten Free Honey Sesame Chicken
⏲️Ready In: 30 Minutes
🍽Servings: 4
🥗Nutrition: 470 Calories / 47g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Chicken thighs, Honey, Tamari/Soy sauce, Rice vinegar, Sesame seeds
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Nut free, Dairy free
⭐Why You'll Love It: Fast and easy, this high protein weeknight dinner recipe can be whipped up in 30 minutes!
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High protein chicken bowls are something of a specialty on Chelsea Joy Eats lately - see favorites like Gluten Free Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls, Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki Bowls, and Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken!
All with similar steps, they each make quick high protein dinners with differing flavor profiles.
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Key Ingredients
Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the go-to for this recipe, but you can easily swap in boneless, skinless chicken breast like I used for Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls!
Arrowroot Flour: For a crispy coating, I like using arrowroot flour. You can use a gluten free flour blend if you'd like, but arrowroot is my top choice! You could substitute potato starch as well.
Honey: Use whatever honey you'd like, but note that clover honey will have a lighter, floral flavor.
Tamari/Soy Sauce: I typically use tamari for my recipes, and usually opt for the low sodium version! You can use coconut aminos as well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Gluten Free Honey Sesame Chicken
Step 1: Cut the chicken into 1 ½ - 2" pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Stir the arrowroot, salt, and pepper together in a bowl and toss with the chicken until each piece is coating.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, tamari, ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
Step 3: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook, undisturbed, for 5-6 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Step 4: Add the honey mixture to the skillet and scrape up any chicken bits left on the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until reduced and thickened.
Step 5: Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the sesame seeds and stir to coat. Turn off heat and serve immediately.
Top Tips from Chelsea
Don't overcrowd the pan. When cooking the chicken, you may have to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding. If all the chicken pieces are touching, they're too close together and won't get crispy!
For the best browned chicken, don't stir it too much. Only stir the chicken once or twice before removing from the skillet. Stir it too frequently, and the Maillard reaction won't have a chance to do its thing to brown and sear the meat.
The sauce thickens as it cools. The honey sesame sauce will thicken a bit once you take it off the heat.
Don't pile up the chicken. When you remove the chicken from the skillet, avoid piling it on top of each other on the plate or in a bowl. I've made this mistake - all the crispiness you worked so hard to get will disappear if the chicken sits in a clump!
Use chicken breast for a higher protein meal like Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls - you may need to cook the chicken a little longer to reach 165 degrees F, though.
Honey Sesame Chicken FAQs
We like serving gluten free honey sesame chicken with rice or cauliflower rice as well as a green vegetable like broccoli, bok choy, snap peas, or beans. You can either roast the vegetable(s) or give them a quick sauté in the same skillet you cooked the honey sesame chicken in.
Yes, go for it! The method should be the same (just like Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls), although chicken breast may take a little longer to cook.
Yes, the two make good substitutes for each other in this recipe. However, arrowroot may make crispier chicken pieces. Potato starch should also work well!
More high protein weeknight dinners
Did you try this gluten free Honey Sesame Chicken recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Honey Sesame Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
On the hunt for a simple gluten free high protein weeknight dinner with tons of flavor? Honey sesame chicken is where it's at, done in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ cup tamari/coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare chicken. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized, 2-inch chunks and add to a medium bowl. Add the arrowroot flour, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat each piece of chicken in the flour.
- Prepare sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, rice vinegar, tamari/coconut aminos, ginger, and garlic until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes before stirring. Continue to cook for 5-6 more minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned and crisped on all sides. Work in batches if necessary-they won't brown properly if you load up the skillet too tightly. Remove the chicken to a plate while you cook the sauce.
- Reduce sauce. Pour the honey mixture into the skillet. It should immediately start bubbling. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Add the chicken back to the skillet along with sesame seeds and stir to coat. Remove from heat.
- Assemble bowls. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with extra sesame seeds or sliced green onions, if desired.
Notes
- For the best browned chicken, don't stir it too much. Only stir the chicken once or twice before removing from the skillet. Stir it too frequently, and the Maillard reaction won't have a chance to do its thing to brown and sear the meat.
- The sauce thickens as it cools. The honey sesame sauce will thicken a bit once you take it off the heat.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. When cooking the chicken, you may have to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding. If all the chicken pieces are touching, they're too close together and won't get crispy!
- Don't pile up the chicken. When you remove the chicken from the skillet, avoid piling it on top of each other on the plate or in a bowl. I've made this mistake - all the crispiness you worked so hard to get will disappear if the chicken sits in a clump!
