Gluten Free Sesame Chicken

Shortly after going gluten-free, I realized that my previous diet as a vegetarian wasn't going to work. Nearly all faux meats contain gluten, and nearly everything else I ate was gluten (bread, pasta, etc.) The transition to gluten free was already going to be tough enough, so I made the decision to eat meat again after 7 years of abstaining. I was instantly excited about eating the things I secretly missed again, until I realized.. They all contained gluten. One of those things was sesame chicken.

I was always a pretty good cook so I decided I would recreate it myself, gluten free. I started with an originally gluten free recipe and that didn't taste like what I remembered. So I moved on to well respected recipes that weren't intended to be gluten free. That was when I found something closer but not quite. So I adapted the recipe to make it my own.

The major downfall of this recipe is the absurd amount of ingredients it requires, albeit in small amounts. But in my tinkering with the recipe I've found it necessary.

You start by tossing some cubed chicken with a strange marinade of baking soda & powder, cornstarch, flour, tamari, sesame oil, olive oil and water. The ingredients cause a fizzing reaction and end up as a very thick marinade that looks like this..

You mix these in a gallon bag and refrigerate for about a half hour. Then bake them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a oven preheated to 375* for 40 minutes. They come out with a really neat coating.

About half way through the baking process, start some rice on the stove. I prefer short grain white rice. While that's cooking you can make the sauce. It starts out very thin and kind of transparent.

Then you add a cornstarch slurry. I adapted the slurry to be to my liking, but you can adjust it as you please. I feel much more cornstarch makes the sauce too gelatinous. 

You allow that to cook until it becomes thick and less cloudy from the cornstarch slurry. Then mix the chicken in the sauce and serve on top of rice. Store any leftover rice and chicken/sauce mixture separately. I cook 1 cup (dry) of white rice for this recipe. Enjoy! :)

Gluten Free Sesame Chicken

Prep time: 50 minutes                    Cook time: 40 minutes                    Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs GF all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbs GF low-sodium tamari
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 dash sesame oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast - cubed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 2 tbs brown rice vinegar
• 2 tbs GF low-sodium tamari
• 2 tbs sesame oil
• 1 dash ground cayenne pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375* F. (Thaw and) cube chicken into 1/2" pieces. 
2. Mix flour, 2 tbs cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in 2 tbs tamari, 2 tbs water, olive oil, and a dash of sesame oil. Stir until smooth. Toss with chicken in a gallon bag to coat well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
3. Bake in the oven on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegars, 2 tbs tamari, sesame oil, ground cayenne pepper, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Create a cornstarch slurry with 1/8 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens and becomes clearer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm.
5. To serve, mix sauce with chicken and serve over short grain white rice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish.