This Honey Sesame Chicken is an easy, flavor-packed dish that makes a perfect takeout-style meal at home. The sauce combines chicken broth, honey, ginger, and fish sauce for a balanced sweet-and-savory glaze that clings to juicy chicken meatballs. It’s naturally Paleo-friendly and comes together quickly—great for weeknights or when you want a comforting, restaurant-style dish without the junk.
I recently cooked from a wonderful cookbook called Paleo Takeout: Restaurant Favorites Without the Junk, which reinvents popular takeout dishes to be gluten- and grain-free. The author researched authentic techniques and consulted with restaurants, so the recipes feel familiar yet cleaner. That background shows in this Honey Sesame Chicken: it captures the classic flavors you want from takeout while using real ingredients.
The cookbook is organized by cuisine—Chinese, Japanese and Korean favorites, Southeast Asian dishes, American classics—and includes a chapter dedicated to sauces, condiments, and sides. Each recipe features clear instructions and helpful tips for variations. If you’re building a Paleo-friendly recipe collection or simply want better versions of your favorite takeout meals, this book is a practical resource.
I’ll admit I was picky growing up, and takeout for me used to be limited. This book covers both familiar Americanized dishes and more authentic plates worth trying. Each recipe includes a short caption explaining the dish so the names don’t feel intimidating—helpful for trying something new like gyudon (a garlic-ginger-honey beef and rice bowl) or bakso (a broth with beef meatballs and vegetables).
For this post I chose the Honey Sesame Chicken because it sounded simple and flavorful. The meatballs are quick to form and cook, and they have a different texture than a traditional American meatball—more spongey and very juicy. A small cookie scoop makes portioning consistent, and a hot skillet gives them a nice golden brown crust.
The honey sesame sauce is straightforward: broth, honey, Chinese cooking wine, tamari (or coconut aminos), and a touch of white pepper. A simple arrowroot slurry thickens the sauce to a glossy consistency that coats the meatballs. Toasted sesame seeds finish the dish, adding a nutty crunch.
This recipe is adaptable: you can make it with egg-battered chicken breast pieces instead of meatballs if you prefer. Overall, it’s a satisfying meal that delivers takeout-style flavor without processed ingredients. Below is the full recipe as adapted.
Honey Sesame Chicken (Paleo)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or coconut aminos)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- Dash of black pepper
Chicken Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or coconut aminos)
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, divided
Slurry
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, honey, Chinese cooking wine, tamari, sea salt, white pepper, and a dash of black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer gently while you prepare the chicken.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, tapioca starch, fish sauce, tamari, coconut palm sugar, white pepper, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Mix with your hands until evenly combined, then pulse briefly in a food processor until the mixture forms a tacky paste.
- With wet hands, form the mixture into approximately 40 small meatballs. A small cookie scoop works well for uniform portions.
- Pan-fry the meatballs in batches over medium heat until cooked through and nicely browned, or grill them over direct medium-high heat. If pan-frying, keep cooked meatballs warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven while you finish the rest.
- Create the slurry by stirring the arrowroot starch into the cold water until smooth. Stir half of the slurry into the simmering sauce, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add more slurry as needed for the desired thickness. Taste and adjust salt if necessary, then stir in half of the sesame seeds.
- Toss the cooked meatballs in the sauce until evenly coated, transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds over the top. Serve hot.
Notes
This recipe can also be prepared with egg-battered chicken breast pieces if you prefer a different texture.
Nutrition Information
