This Keto Sesame Chicken is a delicious and guilt-free version of a Chinese takeout favorite! Crispy seasoned chicken in a sweet sesame soy glaze…and only 4g net carbs per serving!
Keto Sesame Chicken
I don’t miss much on the keto diet, but every now and then I get a craving for Chinese takeout! Not gonna lie, I love the sweet and savory coating on Sesame Chicken.
If you do too, then you’ve got to try this low carb sesame chicken recipe! It’s super close to the original, but totally guilt free! We’ve as closely re-created that crispy coating and sweet glaze as you possibly can…while getting rid of the carbs! In fact, this dish has about 4g net carbs per serving!
Surprisingly, you don’t need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to get dinner on the table with this one! It only takes 20-25 minutes to prepare, so it’s even faster than waiting for delivery! Win-win!
Perfect Pairing: Make it a meal! Try our Keto Sesame Chicken served over our easy cauliflower rice or keto fried rice!
Why I Love This Recipe:
- High protein
- Satisfies takeout cravings
- Ready in about 20 minutes!
Ingredients
For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used. Read our disclosure policy here.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- Xanthan gum
- Olive oil & Sesame oil — for cooking
- Broccoli (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional garnish)
- Green Onion (optional garnish)
Sauce Ingredients
- Minced garlic
- Coconut aminos*
- Keto-friendly brown sugar substitute — We love Lakanto brand monk fruit sweeteners for their clean taste — if you shop through my link and use code “SOCCERMOM” you can save 15% every time you purchase!
- Mirin
- Ginger paste
- Sesame oil
*Coconut aminos are a magical thing – similar in taste to soy sauce, but with no sugar, about 70% less sodium, and it’s gluten free!
The above is a quick glance at the ingredients and tools needed to make Low Carb Sesame Chicken and Broccoli. Full ingredient amounts are available in the printable recipe at the bottom of the post.
Kitchen Tools Used
KETO FAQ – Learn More
- How many carbs can you eat on keto?
- Keto-friendly Food List
- What is the Keto flu and how to avoid it?
- What is a Targeted Keto Diet?
Directions
Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place these chicken pieces in a large zip-top plastic bag with 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Close the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
Combine a Tablespoon olive oil with a teaspoon sesame oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook for 4 minutes on one side (until crispy), flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. You want the outside of the chicken to be golden brown and crispy and the inside to be cooked through and tender.
While chicken is cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Wait until the chicken is almost done, then pour the sauce into the pan. Stir to coat.
Remove from heat and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
Prep Tips:
- You can use any type of sauté pan you like, however, we find that a Cast iron skillet gets that perfect sear on the chicken.
- You may need to cook the chicken in two different batches. Do not overcrowd the skillet, or the chicken will not get a good sear…and a crispy coating is crucial for this recipe!
- If you’d like to make broccoli to accompany your sesame chicken, add to the skillet before you toss in the sauce. If you like tender broccoli, steam it first.
Related: For another guilt-free take-out favorite, try our Instant Pot Keto Beef and Broccoli!
More Keto-Friendly Dinner Inspiration: Click here to see all of our favorite keto meal ideas!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t my chicken crispy?
Sesame chicken is known for its crispy coating, which is achieved by battering and frying. Since we are not battering or deep frying, the texture won’t be exactly the same, but the chicken should still crisp up on the outside.
First, make sure that the chicken pieces are coated in xanthan gum. Pieces that don’t get any coating won’t turn out as crispy. If you increase the amount of chicken used, you’ll need to add a bit more xanthan gum to compensate.
As mentioned in the prep tips above, you also want to make sure that the chicken is spaced out in the pan. This allows it took cook evenly and for you to make sure that all the pieces get flipped and seared on all sides.
Can I use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos?
Yes, you can use soy sauce in place of the coconut aminos in the sauce. We love coconut aminos because they are significantly lower in sodium than soy sauce and they are gluten free. However, using soy sauce won’t affect the carb count and is fine for this dish.
Free Printable Copy of Our Low Carb Sesame Chicken Recipe
If you like this recipe, rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Keto Sesame Chicken
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs Boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ tbsp Xanthan gum
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Sauce Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar substitute We use Lakanto monkfruit
- 1 tsp Mirin
- 2 tsp Ginger paste
- 2 tsp Minced garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, and coat in salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken pieces into a Ziploc bag, and sprinkle in ½ tbsp of Xanthan gum. Close the bag and shake to coat all the chicken pieces evenly.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken pieces to the heated skillet.
- Let the chicken sit for 3-4 minutes on one side, and then flip to the other side and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through and seared well. The xanthan gum should allow the chicken to get a bit crispy and crunchy on the outside.
- While the chicken is cooking, add the coconut aminos, brown sugar substitute, rice cooking wine, ginger paste, minced garlic and 1 tsp of sesame oil to a small bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the mixture in the skillet, and cook for another minute or two, stirring to combine.
- Serve with sesame seeds and/or fresh chopped green onions for garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this crispy sesame chicken recipe on Pinterest:
I see soy sauce listed in directions but do see it listed in ingredients.
We generally use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, so that’s what was listed in the ingredients. I must have mis-typed in the recipe steps, thank you for pointing that out! You can use soy sauce if that is what you have on hand, but it does have wheat ingredients and will change the nutrition info slightly.