Gluten, Dairy, Egg, and Soy Free Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken

To say our household likes rice would be a huge understatement. During a family reunion, my cousin's foreign exchange student from China needed a room to stay in and there was an extra bed for her in our cabin. She was in shock over how much rice I was making for dinner one night. She informed me that her and her parents only make 1 cup of rice for a meal. David and I make double that for only two people! There are a few Chinese restaurants that offer gluten free menus now so that's great! The bigger kicker for me is my egg allergy though, which makes eating Chinese in a restaurant difficult. Now with Lola's soy allergy...well...I give up! Even before Lola's soy allergy we were making a lot of Chinese food at home to fit our allergy needs. Now it's a must! Giving up soy for Lola really wasn't that sad for me. The biggest things I miss though are soy sauce (just because we previously used it in our meals 1-2 times per week) and dairy free sour cream. A friend of mine, who is on a Paleo diet though told me about using coconut aminos as a soy sauce replacement. It has taken a little getting used to and some recipe modifications to really make coconut aminos work but tonight I nailed it with this sesame chicken! I even asked David what he thought and he said "It's different than how you normally make it?" And that's coming from the rice and soy sauce king! As I secretly scream "Wooo hooo!" inside.

Sesame Chicken
Yield 4 servings

-1 pound chicken, diced
-1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
-1/4 cup coconut aminos
-2 tablespoons gluten free, soy free beef broth or vegetarian "beef" broth if your diet requires it
-2 tablespoons ketchup
-2 teaspoons Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce, optional (Previously contained soy so check your label!)
-2 teaspoons sesame oil
-4 teaspoons canola oil
-2 teaspoons fish sauce or coconut aminos
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 2 teaspoons beef broth
-sesame seeds (optional)

Directions: In a bowl mix all ingredients except corn starch mixture, chicken, and sesame seeds, set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together corn starch and beef broth. Place a small amount of canola oil in the skillet and cook chicken until about half done. Then add the honey/coconut aminos mixture to the chicken and cook until chicken is fully cooked. Now remove the chicken from the pan. Whisk in the corn starch mixture to the sauce remaining in the pan until fully blended. Immediately add the chicken back into the sauce and cook until thickened. Serve on top of white rice and stir fry vegetables. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Disclaimer: It is always important to read labels because brands frequently change their ingredients. These ingredients and brands work for my family but some may be processed in the same facility as wheat, soy, dairy and/or eggs and therefore depending on your severity may or may not work for your family.