Low Carb & Keto Sesame Chicken Recipe [VIDEO]

Take-out, at home!
After this crazy December full of parties, relaxation and not-so-healthy eating, we found ourselves craving Chinese food more than anything. Not surprising, since Chinese takeout is so readily available and we’ve been indulging so often (fully aware their sauces are often flour-thickened and sweetened. No shame.)
As always, we tried our hand at replicating the dish with something a little more low-carb friendly, we were pleasantly surprised with the turnout and how many of the Chinese food inspired dishes we tried were even better than the take out we usually get. We knew we could whip up some low carb Chinese food but who knew it would be this good!
Before we got started, we knew we had to get a key ingredient – toasted sesame seed oil. Toasted sesame oil is used in many Chinese food recipes and it really adds an incredible amount of flavor with only just a tiny drop of oil. We finally got a small bottle of it and tested it out on our yummy Cashew Beef Thai Stir Fry recipe. It gave the dish the distinct flavor we were looking for so we decided to take it out for another spin in this low carb sesame chicken recipe. More sesame taste sounded like a great idea!
We used toasted sesame seed oil to flavor both the sauce and fry the chicken. This maximized the toasted sesame flavor without adding additional carbs. That means the low carb sesame chicken would not be low in flavor! After all, too many real sesame seeds and you start to increase the carb count- toasted sesame oil for the win!
To make the sauce thick, we added arrowroot powder, a paleo-friendly thickener we bought on Amazon, instead of xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is great but doesn’t add enough volume to certain recipes since you only need so much (usually, ½ teaspoon is plenty!). Arrowroot powder is not inherently low carb, but it is minimally processed and you really don’t need much to thicken things up. I definitely recommend having some on hand in your kitchen as a perfect alternative thickener for any sauce you may want to make.
In this sesame chicken recipe, we used a tablespoon of arrowroot powder combined with a beaten egg to mimic that soft battered texture of Chinese sesame chicken. This texture was also important since the sesame sauce wouldn’t stick to a naked chicken thigh so easily. That battered style of chicken is essential! And, it is one of the things I crave when I start thinking about ordering take-out Chinese food.

The simple changes we made to a traditional sesame chicken recipe really worked out well and satisfied the desire to have Chinese food while sticking to a low carb diet. Take a look at our recipe and give it a try! No need to buy Chinese food ever again, especially when you can make it in a more diet-friendly way!
Looking for more take-out-inspired recipes? Try this keto beef and broccoli from Keto Cooking Wins. Just like our sesame chicken, this recipe will satisfy your Chinese food craving without breaking your low carb diet!
How to make sesame chicken!

Low Carb Sesame Chicken

Macros per serving:
• 520 Calories
• 36g of Fat
• 45g of Protein
• 4g of Net Carbs

CourseDinner

CuisineAsian, Chinese

Servings2 servings

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Ingredients

Coating & Chicken

1

egg

1tbsp

arrowroot powder(or corn starch)

1lb

chicken thighs(cut into bite sized pieces)

1tbsp

toasted sesame seed oil

salt

pepper

Sesame Sauce

2tbsp

soy sauce

1tbsp

toasted sesame seed oil

2tbsp

So Nourished GOLD

1tbsp

vinegar

ginger(1 cm cube)

1clove

garlic

2tbsp

sesame seeds

1/4tsp

xanthan gum

Instructions

To make your batter, combine a large egg with a tablespoon of arrowroot powder.

Whisk very well and place your bite sized chicken thigh pieces in. Make sure to coat them all over.

Heat up a tablespoon of toasted sesame seed oil in a large pan and add the chicken thighs. Leave a bit of room in between each one. Work in two batches if necessary; you want them to fry, not steam. Make sure you're gentle when moving and flipping the chicken. If you're too rough, the breading will come off and the sesame sauce won't stick well.

While the chicken thighs are cooking (about 10 minutes), make your sesame sauce by combing all the sauce ingredients and whisking very well.

When all the chicken is cooked through, add your sesame sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Let this cook for an additional 5 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened and warmed up, take the chicken and add it to a bed of cooked broccoli and serve with a sprinkle of more sesame seeds and green onion. Enjoy!

Loved this recipe? Let us know! Something didn’t quite turn out right? Ask us in the comments below or contact us– we respond to comments every day and would love to hear from you and help you out! And check out all our keto recipes to learn to make more delicious and healthy meals!