SESAME CHICKEN WITH QUINOA

You will love this lighter Sesame Chicken with Quinoa recipe — just a simple saute served over flavorful quinoa.

I have learned this year that any sort of conferences or events that food bloggers attend are a pretty much guaranteed 24/7 gourmet food fest.  I’m totally not exaggerating.  I’m now about three days into my time in Chicago and already — I’m stuffed!!!  And there are still four full days to go!  :)
At least I can find a little comfort in the fact that I planned ahead this time and head a pretty healthy week of meals before I left Kansas City.  And this Sesame Chicken with Quinoawas definitely one of the highlights!  (And yes, that’s the quinioa from my How To Cook Quinoa post.  If you’re new to cooking this grain, be sure to check out the step-by-step tutorial for how to whip up a quick and easy batch!)


I know that people tend to go bonkers over a good sesame chicken dish.  I definitely love that sweet and sesame-y sauce.  But I have to be honest — the heavy deep-fried batter has never really been my thing.
So for a “lighter” sesame chicken, I decided to simply saute some chicken breasts and then serve them with a healthier sauce that has been sweetened with honey.  And then instead of brown or white rice, I served it over some yummy quinoa.
And people!!!  The result was so good!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I have to say that I think I loved this one even more than the original.  It was full of flavor, simple to make, not overly sweet, and definitely not deep-fried.  I would probably typically throw in a few more veggies into the saute, but for a classic sesame chicken recipe, I just served this with some fresh green onions from my CSA.
Definitely a dish I can feel much better about enjoying…and even having seconds.  ;)
Hope you all enjoy it!


YIELD: 2-4 SERVINGS

SESAME CHICKEN WITH QUINOA

Traditional sesame chicken goes lighter with this simple saute, and is served over flavorful quinoa.

PREP:  5 MINS COOK:  10 MINS TOTAL:  15 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

QUINOA INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

TO MAKE THE LIGHTER SESAME CHICKEN:

Season chicken breasts generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch until combined. When the chicken is cooked through, add the green onions and soy sauce mixture to the pan and stir immediately to coat the chicken. The sauce will thicken quickly. Stir in sesame oil, then remove from heat and serve over cooked quinoa (instructions below), sprinkled with sesame seeds.