Skinny Sesame Chicken

Why order takeout loaded in unnecessary oils, fried batter, and who knows what else when you can make something equally as delicious at home that is half or less of the fat and calories? I am a huge fan of sesame chicken and order it literally every time I go to a Chinese restaurant - and I will continue to. But when I am craving it in the middle of the week and don't want to wreck my diet, this recipe is perfect and just as satisfying!

Since we all go to different Chinese takeout restaurants, I'm going to be comparing my Skinny Sesame Chicken with Panda Express' Honey Sesame Chicken (scroll past the recipe to view nutrition facts!).

 

Ingredients:

Makes four 4oz servings of Skinny Sesame Chicken at 290 calories per serving:

For the Chicken:

• 1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 large Egg
• 1 Tbs Olive Oil 
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray 

For the Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Lower Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs Cornstarch
• 2 tsp Honey
• 3 Tbs Sesame Seeds 
• 1 clove Garlic (or minced)
• 1 Tbs ground Ginger
• 1 pinch each Salt and Pepper
• 3 Tbs (more, if desired) Sugar Substitute

 

Directions:

1.  Tenderize the chicken breasts using a meat tenderizer or other tool - this makes the chicken so much more tender and it takes much better to the sauce

2.  Dry chicken with a paper towel - this is necessary so that the egg wash sticks to the chicken

3.  Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces (about one and a half inch)

4.  In a medium sized bowl, pour the whisked egg over the cut chicken. Toss chicken to ensure all is coated evenly.

5.  Bring a large frying pan or wok to medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray before adding 1 Tbs of olive oil. You may use more oil if desired, however I was able to "fry" the chicken in only a tablespoon of olive oil and periodically re-spraying the pan with cooking spray.

6.  Place the egg-coated chicken in the pan in a single layer and let simmer until the first side is completely cooked, then flip. This keeps the egg batter in tact while "frying".

7.  While the chicken cooks, mix together the ingredients for the sauce as listed above. It will seem thin, but when added to heat it will thicken.

8.  When the chicken is fully cooked, set heat to medium-low and pour the sauce over the chicken. The sauce will thicken (for thicker sauce, heat longer before serving - I like mine really thick!)

9.  Serve over a bed of steamed brown rice, with broccoli, or alone! (Or any other side dish, of course!)

 Y'all, this is seriously so good. No tricks. Tristan (the hubby) loves it and claims the leftovers for his work lunch the next day. It's perfect for a family dinner, date night, or even meal prepping! I plan on taking some in my work lunches with brown rice or broccoli!

And the best part (besides the taste of course) is how low in everything it is! Check out these nutrition facts:

 

 

Nutrition Facts:

For my Skinny Sesame Chicken (4oz chicken plus sauce):

• 290 Calories
• 26g Protein
• 15g Fat (only 2g Saturated Fat)
• 15g Carbohydrates
• 4g Sugar

So let's compare that with Panda Express's similar dish...Panda's sesame chicken clocks in at 400 calories, 15g Protein, 22g Fat (4g Saturated Fat), 40g Carbohydrates, and 19g Sugar....WOW. I literally beat every category, right? This recipe turns a complete cheat meal into a very doable dinner on a diet!

Forget takeout (mostly) and try this instead. I promise you'll be impressed!

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