(updated January 31, 2023) // by Phoebe Lapine // 88 comments
4.60 from 10 votes
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According to the Chinese calendar, we’ve officially moved out of the year of the Fire Rooster and into the year of the Dog. I for one could not be more excited to leave any fiery animal behind in favor of something more grounding.
To celebrate, I thought I’d revamp a classic dish from my old Grand Szechuan days of freely eating gluten-laden Chinese food: sesame chicken and broccoli.
Sesame chicken is one of the more egregiously unhealthy options on the Chinese menu. And it’s more addictive than crack. The combination of deep fried chicken coated with a sauce that is 75 percent sugar, basically gives your saliva glands a pleasure-induced panic attack. A.k.a. the chicken melts in your mouth.
I try not to mess with my hedonist dreams, but at the same time do things a little healthier around here. After a little investigating, I found these two healthy sesame chicken recipe variations via Iowa Girl Eats and Simply Scratch. I loved that the chicken was coated in cornstarch instead of flour and pan-fried. I cut down on the honey even more and the dish that resulted was a hybrid of chicken and broccoli and sesame chicken.
If you’re going the Paleo route, you can easily sub tapioca starch for the corn and coconut aminos for the tamari. for a low FODMAP version, simply swap honey for maple syrup and green beans for the broccoli.
One health hack that I always do is make sure the ratio of vegetables to protein is always 1:1. When I used to order chicken and broccoli from my local greasy spoon Chinese spot, I’d always end up with half a leftover container full of just chicken. I hate it when vegetables are just an accent. Plus, there’s something about the way broccoli florets absorb sauce that’s just as intoxicating as munching on a piece of fried chicken. So why not embrace it?
I was lucky enough to partner with the talented and lovely Kristin Kremers to create a how-to video of this Feed Me Phoebe favorite! Make sure to watch below.
Other delicious gluten-free chicken ideas:
- Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
- Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
- Crispy Gluten-Free Fried Chicken
- Kalamata Olive Chicken
- Gluten-Free Butter Chicken
- Gluten-Free Chicken Parmesan
- Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs
- Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
- Sheet Pan Gluten-Free Chicken with Ginger
And speaking of favorites…are there any other takeout delicacies you’d like to see a healthy and/or gluten-free version of on this site? Let me know in the comments!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
p.s. If you’re looking to save time in your low FODMAP kitchen, check out some of these fabulous store bought sauces, spice mixes and condiments.
Gluten-Free Sesame Chicken with Broccoli
4.60 from 10 votes
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This healthy sesame chicken recipe with broccoli is a lighter version of the Chinese take-out classic with tamari, honey, and a gentle pan-fry. It's a quick easy stir-fry that's perfect for a weeknight gluten-free chicken dinner.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 20 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine
Ingredients
- 3 cups small broccoli florets and thinly sliced stems (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (black or regular)
Instructions
In a large wok or lidded skillet, cover the broccoli with 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, reduce to medium, then cover and cook until vibrant and tender, 1-2 minutes. Drain in a colander. Rinse and dry the skillet.
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg white, cornstarch, and salt in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the chicken and toss to combine.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in the cleaned skillet over high heat. When hot, add the chicken in an even layer. Cook until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes, then stir fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining vegetable or coconut oil and stir fry the peppers and white scallions until lightly charred, 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the tamari, sesame oil, honey, and sesame seeds. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and green scallions. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
Notes
If you find that the chicken sticks to the skillet, you can added an additional 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock with the sauce to help deglaze the pan. Usually, the peppers are enough to release those brown bits.
To make this gluten-free sesame chicken low FODMAP, you can omit the garlic and white scallions, and use maple syrup.
Nutrition
Serving: 4g
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!
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Comments
Meredith Schoenberger says LOVE THIS Phoebe!!!
Maybe some absolutely god-awful for you fair food……..gluten-free corn dogs? Is that taking it too far 🙂xo
MReply
- Phoebe Lapine says
great idea!! xoxox
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- Leah Davis says
I will be making this! Yikes! I had no idea there was so much sugar in the original version. You are consistently coming up with amazing recipes ~ I’m trying to think if there is anything that I’d love to see a healthier or gluten free version of. Maybe chicken piccata or chicken marsala? I love italian food but I always feel like the dishes have A TON of butter in them when you go to restaurants and I haven’t tried to make them at home because I’m not sure how to make them taste good!
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- Frankie says
I second Leah’s coment. Let’s have veal piccata but with olive oil or something, and coated with white rice flour? Or potato gratin done healthier? I remember you did a fantastic version of tuna-noodle casserole.
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- Christa says
Silly question… Did you boil the red pepper with the broccoli or cook it in the pan with the onions? Am I just missing where it’s mentioned in the directions?
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
no silly at all! i’m the dummy who wrote onion instead of pepper in the directions. you saute with the scallions 🙂 enjoy!
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- Stephanie says
We made this for dinner last night and it was excellent! My husband, who is usually skeptical of ‘healthified’ meals couldn’t get enough. I think next time you could even cut back on a bit of the honey, it seemed plenty sweet.
Thanks for the yummy dinner!Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
I’m so glad!! I used less honey than most of the recipes I read, but totally great if you want to use even less than that! Hooray for your husband loving health food. Next time, just don’t tell him 🙂
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- Amy says
Hi! I made this for dinner last night..and it was great! I also added sliced mushrooms. My husband said it was a “keeper” 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
That’s so wonderful to hear Amy! I’m glad your husband was a fan. Hope you didn’t tell him it was healthy 🙂 xoxox
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- Shari - Simply Shari's Gluten Free says
Oh wow! I’m making this tonight!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
hope you enjoy!
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- Mary says
found your recipie on Pinterest….OMG it was so easy (I’m a terrible cook and married to a chef)!! He LOVED IT! We both did. it wasn’t too heavy, and was perfect portion for no leftovers! thank you for sharing!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
That warms my heart to hear Mary! Hope you’ll come back for more recipes! xo
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- Christine says
Excellent, my entire family loves this recipe. My son (7) ask me to make it again yesterday. I don’t add the honey at all and it taste great.
Thank you for healthy option recipes that are easy and yummy.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
That’s so amazing to hear Christine!! Good for you for omitting the sweetness altogether. We should all get in the habit of that 🙂
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- Jennifer Dent says
This was delicious and pretty easy to make! I used chicken thighs instead of breast and regular yellow onions because I didn’t have any scallions. Tasty none the less! I served it with black rice. Definitely making this again.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
ooo love the idea of black rice!! So glad you enjoyed!
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- Karrie T says
Just made this and it is very good! Used whole wheat flour instead of cornstarch and soy sauce instead of tamari and 2 tbs of honey! Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
awesome! thanks for sharing your tweaks! So thrilled you liked it!
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- Ryan says
Loved this recipe! MY wife will love it too. I cannot wait to peruse your site for more great recipes!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Thanks Ryan! Thrilled you stopped by. Keep reporting back – I love hearing how things turn out! xo
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- Jennine says
Phoebe, this was AMAZING! My husband was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease a few years ago, and has mostly come to terms with it (his increased energy levels and feeling better counts for a lot!). Still, he has been CRAVING sesame chicken — it was one of his absolute favorites pre-GF. Thank you for this delicious recipe! It totally hit his craving, and will become a regular part of our dinner repertoire. =)
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Jennine – this comment made my morning! I’m so happy I could help your husband kick his Chinese takeout cravings. Thanks so much for trying it out and reporting back. I hope you’ll give some of the other GF dishes a whirl! xo
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- Amanda says
Well, I am making this tonight but I have now thawed chicken just steak (thinly sliced so I am going TRY to substitute steak strips cubed for the chicken… I surely hope it works out??? This looks tasty so we shall see…
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- Phoebe Lapine says
I’m sorry for the belated response! I hope it worked out. I assume it did. I would just brown the steak and then stir it back in at the last minute as to not overcook. Let me know how it went!
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- Heather Hartman says
Made for my family and they LOVED it!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Fabulous!! Thanks for reporting back!
- Jasmin says
Was there a calorie count for this?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
I don’t do calorie counts, sorry!
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- Meagan says
This looks great! I am thinking about making it tonight. I am not GF so I was considering switching out the honey with Hoisin Sauce and I’ll definitely be using Soy Sauce instead of Tamari. Thoughts? Thanks for the recipe!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
awesome! sure you can add hoisin sauce. not sure how that will affect the overall flavor profile, but there’s definitely plenty of sugar in there to compensate for the honey. let me know how it turns out!!
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- shelley says
What is tamari?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
gluten-free soy sauce alternative. you can easily use soy sauce!
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- joanna says
Can you use arrowroot instead of cornstarch? How much would you use? Same as cornstarch? Thanks! !! Excited to try this.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Hmm. I’ve actually never worked with arrowroot starch before! I know that makes me a naughty gluten-free girl. But I don’t see why not – worth a try? Let me know how it goes!
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- Rick Raponi says
If you had told me this was made in a restaurant ….I would have believed you.
If you told me I had made it …….I would not have believed you.
Delicious. I am not the fastest cook so it took me a little longer , but not much. I definitely will make this again.
Used mushroom soy as the only change since I fo not have Tamari (gluten free soy)Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
I’m so glad you found it quick and satisfying Rick!! I love reports like this. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I hope you’ll try more of my recipes!
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- Melissa says
It looks delicious; I can’t wait to try it! However, I’m a bit confused over the directions. Step 3 says “Heat the oil”, I assume you are referring to the vegetable or coconut oil? Then step 4, states, “Add the remaining oil”, so should I only use half a tablespoon at first, and then add a second half tablespoon for step 4?
Also, can you recommend how many cups of rice to make?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Melissa!! I can’t believe so many people have made this and not pointed out the error! Thank you for the amazing feedback. I’ve corrected the instructions. If you’re using a nonstick pan and want to watch your oil in take, you can probably get away with just using a teaspoon in each step. If I were making this tonight (which I might now!) I would probably use a whole tablespoon for each 🙂
1 cup of dried rice renders about 4 servings.
I hope this helps!
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- Sammy says
I’m in Western Australia. I made this last night for dinner. We all loved it, even my son who hates broccoli, ate it ….. so happy. Definitely keeping this recipe on file.
Thanks.Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
how wonderful!! so glad it found its way into your kitchen across the world!
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- Janice Spencer says
As I hit the subscribe button think there was an Australian behind my email address. It doesn’t have an Australian at the end. Couldn’t figure out a way to go back and check. I like to try healthier recipes, have several in family who are gluten free for valid medical reasons. Looking forward to having recipes like these for easier mealtimes. I’m also sugar free so makes cooking for all a challenge at times. The sees me chicken is first on the try list.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Thanks Janice! I made sure you’re subscribed. I hope that the recipes are helpful for feeding your family. I am also on the low sugar train, so you’ll find that my more recent recipes are mostly sugar-free. Enjoy!
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- Tracey says
Just tried this and it was delicious. I also added shrimp to the recipe (although it would have been just as delicious with just chicken). Next time I will double the recipe as my family gobbled it up and wanted more.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Those gobblers!! I’m so glad it was a hit! xoxo
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- Christine says
My husband is always asking for stir fry dishes and I’m not a fan so I’m always hesitant to make them. But this was a winner! I loved it, husband loved it, even the kids loved it, broccoli and all!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
yay! so glad hub and kiddos were happy campers!
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- Cindi says
Just made this, it was absolutely amazing! Doing Whole 30 so I used potato starch instead of corn starch, no honey and added mushrooms and cauliflower fried rice. My husband who is really not doing Whole 30 said it was “primo”! Thank you for sharing!Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
PRIMO!!! amazing! hope you are enjoying Whole30 🙂
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- Sadie says
MAde this last night and it was soooo good!! I added some sliced mushrooms and a few cashews and it was soo delicious! Definitely adding to the rotation! Yum!!Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
yay! I’m so glad you liked it Sadie!!
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- Meredith says
Phoebe, how about a takeout Kung Pao chicken, or shrimp version? Love your book, love your blog, thank you!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
consider the request logged!! i’m so glad, and thank you for the compliments 🙂
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- patricia anastasi says
Hi Phoebe, Did you serve yours on quinoa? I was thinking of making quinoa with chickpeas to serve the chicken on.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
a fabulous option! I use brown rice or quinoa most of the time.
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- Samantha says
Thank you so much! This was liked by the whole family.Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
great!!
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- maria says
I would love to know how much carbs are in this and protein in each serving??
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- Sandy says
Hi,
The recipe looks great but I have a family with an egg allergy. Is there a substitute for the egg or can I omit that step?Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
you can try to omit and just coat in the cornstarch. Or you can use a “flax egg” – mix flax meal with a few tablespoons water. also healthy!
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- Marion says
I made this last night and substituted tofu for the chicken. It was delicious and my husband asked me to make it again!Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
awesome!
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- Barbara says
I’ve been making this for at least a year and it’s just delicious. Any idea what the Weight Watchers points would be for this?Reply
- Leigh says
Does taste healthy, but not real flavorful, so I added more flavors. Prep time takes longer than 10 minutes and chicken tends to stick to the pan easily, so add more oil or water/broth. But would cook again — for me and my husbandReply
- Kelly gilmore says
Hi! Can you post the calories for this recipe?Reply
- Radwa says
This looks amazing and easy to make; I can’t wait to try it.
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- Pamela Goldstein says
Not a fan of coconut oil, what can I replace this with? More sesame oil?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
any oil works
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