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corn starch

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30 Minutes or Less

One-Pan Hunan Chicken

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close-up overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet.

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!

overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet with sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top.

What is Hunan Chicken?

Hunan Chicken is a healthy, popular Chinese-American dish made with pieces of tender chicken stir fried with veggies and tossed in a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce. This dish originates from the Hunan province of China and is traditionally hot, spicy and loaded with chilies. In this Hunan Chicken recipe, you can control the spice level by adding as much chili paste as you like.

close-up image of hunan chicken in a skillet.

What You’ll Need To Make Hunan Chicken

Chicken Breasts – This dinner recipe starts with one to two pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breast. To prepare them, start by patting each chicken breast dry with a paper towel, then thinly slice them into bite-sized pieces. Once cut, season them well with salt and black pepper, before coating in corn starch, then stir-frying!

Corn Starch – Coating this hunan chicken in corn starch before cooking will help each piece cook up a whole lot crispier and delicious! However, if you don’t have corn starch, you can certainly use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch instead. And if you’d like to cut down on the amount of corn starch, you can leave it off the chicken pieces, and instead add just a tablespoon of starch to the sauce ingredients. You’ll need at least a tiny bit of starch in this recipe, to help thicken up the sauce.

Soy Sauce – Any kind of soy sauce you’d like will work! If gluten-free, be sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce. Tamari is the gluten-free equivalent to soy sauce. Or, for a healthier option, use 1/3 cup of coconut aminos instead.

Fish Sauce – Most hunan chicken recipes are made with oyster sauce, which is a thick, dark sauce made of soy sauce, oyster extract, and sugar (lots of sugar!). So to make this classic recipe just a bit healthier, I swapped out the oyster sauce for a tablespoons of honey, plus a teaspoon of fish sauce. The honey helps to sweeten things up, and the fish sauce gives this dish its signature briny flavor. I also figured, while neither oyster or fish sauce are super common in most kitchens, fish sauce would be a bit easier to get your hands on!

hunan chicken on a plate over rice.

Tips and Tricks

  • If you have a wok, use it! Wok’s cook quickly, and heat to a higher temperature, which is perfect for this stir-fry recipe. However, if you don’t own a wok (it’s ok, I don’t either), use either a large stainless steel or cast-iron pan instead.
  • Once done, if the sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like it to be, then add in some corn starch. But don’t simply add the corn starch in by itself. Instead, whisk 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until dissolved. Then, pour that corn starch slurry into your sauce and give it 2-3 more minutes to thicken.
  • Serve this hunan chicken however you’d like! I enjoyed mine over cauliflower rice for an extra healthy meal. Though it also tastes delicious over white rice, brown rice, or even quinoa!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Paleo: Turn this into a paleo chicken stir-fry by using tapioca starch instead of corn starch, and coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.

Make it Vegan: Make a hunan tofu by replacing the chicken breasts with a large block of extra-firm tofu, cut into 2-inch cubes! Also, leave out the fish sauce, and replace the honey with maple syrup.

close-up overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet.
5 from 4 votes

Hunan Chicken

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup corn starch, or tapioca starch
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced

For the hunan sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free
  • 1-2 tablespoons chili paste
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

Instructions

  • Season chicken with salt and pepper, then toss in a bowl with corn starch until evenly coated.
  • Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side or golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  • Add broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini to skillet – sauté for 5-6 minutes or until tender, but still crisp.
  • While veggies cook, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Add cooked chicken back into skillet along with the sauce, reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes or until sauce has thickened.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

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overhead image of healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls with rice and broccoli.

These healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls come together in under 20 minutes! Fresh ginger, garlic, tamari to make it gluten-free, and honey to naturally sweeten things up. Ditch the takeout this week, and make this healthier recipe instead!

close-up image of healthy teriyaki chicken

What You’ll Need to Make Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

Chicken Breast: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces cooks in just a matter of minutes! However, feel free to use any piece/cut of chicken you’d like. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, replace the chicken with salmon or tofu – the possibilities are endless!

Ginger: Fresh, grated ginger adds tons of delicious fresh flavor to our healthy teriyaki chicken. I usually purchase a bunch of fresh ginger (it’s pretty cheap!) and store it in my freezer until I need to use it. But if you can’t find fresh ginger, feel free to use just 1 teaspoon of dried ground ginger in its place.

Tamari: What is tamari? Tamari is simply gluten-free soy sauce. It tastes exactly the same as soy sauce, but is 100% gluten-free. It’s safe for people who suffer from celiac disease or a gluten intolerance! However, if you’re fine with gluten, go ahead and use soy sauce in this recipe instead.

Honey: A refined sugar-free sweetener to help balance this teriyaki sauce! You won’t notice the difference between this honey-sweetened sauce and the sauce you’d order at a restaurant.

healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls with sliced green onion on top.

Tips and Tricks

  • I served my healthy teriyaki chicken over white rice with a side of steamed broccoli, but feel free to serve yours with whatever you’d like! Brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice make a great base to these bowls. Also, any steamed veggie will pair perfectly with this meal!
  • The chicken cooks pretty quickly in this recipe, thanks to it being cut into such small pieces. Therefore, keep an eye on it and be careful not to overcook the chicken. It should only take a few minutes to cook through!

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Gluten-Free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce, which is 100% gluten-free.
  • Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace the chicken with pressed and cubed tofu, and the honey with maple syrup!
  • Make it Paleo: To make a paleo teriyaki chicken, simply replace the honey with maple syrup and use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce – it’s that easy! Also, serve over cauliflower rice or with extra steamed veggies, instead of white rice.
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
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Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

4 from 8 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

These healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls come together in under 20 minutes! Fresh ginger, garlic, tamari to make it gluten-free, and honey to naturally sweeten things up. Ditch the takeout this week, and make this healthier recipe instead!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 tablespoons avocado oil

  • pinch of salt

  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/4 cup tamari, or soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

  • 3 tablespoons water

  • For serving:

  • 2 cups cooked rice

  • 1 crown broccoli, steamed

  • sliced green onions

  • sesame seeds

Directions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add in the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Reduce heat to low, add in the ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the tamari or soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, and honey, mix together. 
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch has dissolved. Transfer corn starch and water to the sauce along with the cooked chicken. 
  • Stir until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Divide between four bowls with rice and broccoli, then top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Storage: Store the rice and vegetables in a separate container than the teriyaki chicken. Place them both in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

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30 Minutes or Less

20-Minute Mongolian Chicken

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mongolian chicken in a skillet

Quick, easy, and insanely delicious 20-minute mongolian chicken! Inspired by the flavors in your favorite dish from your local Chinese restaurant – comes together in less time than it’d take you to order takeout.

overhead image of mongolian chicken on a plate over cauliflower rice

What You’ll Need To Make Mongolian Chicken

Chicken Breast – Thinly slice two large, boneless and skinless chicken breasts against the grain. Once sliced, it’s ready to use in this recipe! And for extra crispy chicken pieces, we start by coating them in corn starch before cooking. However, if you don’t have any corn starch, you can use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch in its place. Or, you can skip this step altogether!

Scallions – Slice three whole scallions (white and green part) however large or small you’d like. I typically slice mine in 2-inch pieces, since I love biting into large pieces of sautéed scallions in my mongolian chicken.

Ginger – If using fresh, whole ginger, slice off a 1-inch knob of ginger and remove the skin. Then, run your piece of ginger along a microplane grater until its finely grated. Or, to save time, I recommend buying a jar of minced ginger, and using that in this recipe instead!

Soy Sauce – Soy sauce is the classic addition to this Chinese-inspired recipe. However, if gluten-free, use tamari in place of the soy sauce. Or, for a slightly healthier version, use reduced sodium soy sauce instead!

close-up image of mongolian chicken in a skillet

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Paleo: Turn this into an easy paleo dinner recipe by replacing the corn starch with tapioca starch, and using coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce. Then, serve your cooked chicken over cauliflower rice – yum.

Make it Gluten-Free: For gluten-free mongolian chicken, make sure the corn starch you use is entirely gluten-free, and replace the soy sauce with an equal amount of tamari. Tamari is the gluten-free equivalent to soy sauce, and tastes exactly the same!

overhead image of mongolian chicken in a skillet.

Interested In More Chicken Recipes? Try These!

20-Minute Mongolian Chicken

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Quick, easy, and insanely delicious 20-minute mongolian chicken! Inspired by the flavors in your favorite dish from your local Chinese restaurant – comes together in less time than it’d take you to order takeout.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, thinly sliced

  • salt, to taste

  • 1/4 cup corn starch, or arrowroot starch

  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil

  • 3 scallions, sliced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free

Directions

  • Season chicken breast with salt, then toss in corn starch to coat.
  • Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, once hot add in the chicken – cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  • Lower heat to medium and add in the garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  • Whisk the corn starch into the vegetable broth, then pour into the skillet along with the soy sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened.
  • Once thick, add chicken back into the skillet and toss in sauce, then serve.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

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pork stir fry in a pan with tongs and lime wedges on the side

This pork stir fry requires just one pan and 20 minutes to make! It’s loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables and finished off with a savory sauce.

pork stir fry in a pan with tongs and lime wedges on the side

I don’t know about you, but I could always use more one-pan, 20 minute meals in my life! This is literally one of my favorite recipes to throw together after a long day when I don’t feel like cooking but also don’t feel like ordering/waiting for takeout.

What You Need To Make Pork Stir Fry

Boneless Pork Chops – The key here is slicing the pork chops against the grain. By slicing against the grain, we cut through the meat fibers making the pork much more tender and easier to chew. However, feel free to slice the pork into whatever sizes you’d like. I prefer about 1/4-inch slices of pork in my stir fry, but even smaller/thinner slices would taste great too! Just remember – the smaller the pieces, the faster they’ll cook. So keep an eye on the meat and remove it from the pan as soon as it’s cooked through.

Rice Noodles – There are an extensive variety of rice noodles out there and almost all will work in this easy recipe. I used pad thai rice noodles since they were the easiest to find and I enjoy their heartier texture. Though I’ve also made this stir fry with vermicelli rice noodles and with buckwheat noodles and both versions were delicious!

Fresh Ginger – Just one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger goes a long way in the sauce for this pork stir fry. I know fresh ginger isn’t a staple in most peoples homes, but I promise it will take all your stir fry/Asian sauces to the next level! The next time you’re at the store, pick up a knob of fresh ginger in the produce section. Once home, store it in the freezer to make it last longer. Fresh ginger is also a great and tasty addition to most teas, broths, and the occasional dessert!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Make it a Chicken Stir Fry: Simply substitute one pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts for the pork in this recipe.

Make it Paleo: To make this a paleo pork stir fry, replace the rice noodles with zucchini noodles, sugar with coconut sugar, and the corn starch with arrowroot starch!

Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: You can easily remove the meat from this recipe and either increase the amount of mushrooms or fry up some tofu to up the protein of this stir fry. Also, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for the sauce.

Tips For Making Pork Stir Fry

  • Keep the skillet at medium-high heat when cooking the veggies. The goal here is to very quickly sauté the vegetables and doing so at higher heat will help them maintain their delightful crunch!
  • Stir together the sauce for this pork stir fry in a bowl until all of the corn starch has dissolved. If any corn starch clumps are left behind, you risk having a lumpy sauce!
  • Get creative and make this recipe your own! I love throwing in whatever veggies I have in my fridge that are on the verge of going bad. This easy pork stir fry is the best way to use up leftover and/or your favorite produce!
Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free)
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Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

This pork stir fry requires just one pan and 20 minutes to make! It’s loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables and finished off with a savory sauce.

Ingredients

  • For the stir fry:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil

  • 1 pound boneless pork chops, sliced into 1/4-inch thick strips against the grain

  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots

  • 1 cup snow peas

  • 3 green onions, chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

  • 8 ounces rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions

  • For the sauce:

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons corn starch

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, see Notes

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add in the pork chops and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes or until cooked through, then remove from skillet and set aside.
  • Add in the carrots, snow peas, red bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms – quickly sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl then add into the skillet along with the cooked pork.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened, then add in the cooked noodles and toss to coat in the sauce.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Sugar: You can use white sugar, coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup!

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Dairy-Free

Healthy Cheesecake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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overhead image of healthy cheesecake with fresh strawberries

This healthy cheesecake is light, tangy, and only tastes indulgent! It’s entirely vegan, gluten-free, and made with the healthiest ingredients. Enjoy a big slice of this healthy cheesecake with some fresh berries for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast – yup, it’s THAT healthy!

close up overhead image of healthy cheesecake with fresh strawberries of healthy cheese

I didn’t always love cheesecake. Most I tried were too dry, dense, and/or sweet. Therefore, in developing this cheesecake I made sure it was light, almost fluffy, and perfectly sweet! And it wouldn’t be a SDHB recipe if I didn’t make it healthier too. I took the best cheesecake recipes I could find, substituted a few simple ingredients, and voilà this better-for-you cheesecake recipe was born!

Ingredients such as vegan cream cheese, vegan yogurt, and a touch of maple syrup make for a more nutritient dense recipe. I wish I had recorded the look on my boyfriend’s face when I told him this cheesecake was SO healthy he could, in fact, eat it for breakfast! Once he processed the near too-good-to-be-true news, he excitedly inhaled a massive slice of this vegan and gluten-free treat.

What You Need To Make Healthy Cheesecake

Gluten-Free Graham Crackers – I used my own recipe for gluten-free graham crackers, though you can use your favorite store bought gluten-free graham crackers instead. To turn them into graham cracker crumbs you can either seal them in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or heavy object, or add them to a food processor and give them a few pulses. Once all crackers have been ground into crumbs and no large pieces remain, you’re ready to use them in this recipe!

Vegan Cream Cheese – I used and love the Kite Hill Plain Vegan Cream Cheese in this recipe! Though feel free to use your favorite vegan cream cheese instead. If not vegan, you can use regular cream cheese. However, be sure to avoid flavored cream cheeses, plain is necessary for this healthy cheesecake recipe.

Vegan Yogurt – Similar to the vegan cream cheese, make sure your vegan yogurt is plain and unsweetened. Any added flavors or sugar would completely throw off the balance of this recipe. I used plain coconut yogurt and had great results, though any non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt will work!

Corn Starch – Most cheesecakes contain eggs to help bind the filling once baked. However, this cheesecake recipe is both healthy and vegan with the use of corn starch instead. Corn starch is imperative in getting this cheesecake to firm up and set to its perfectly light and soft consistency. If you don’t have corn starch, you can use arrowroot starch instead.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Add Dairy: Use regular butter, cream cheese, and yogurt in this recipe if not vegan or dairy-free.
  • Make it Paleo: Use paleo graham crackers, coconut oil instead of vegan butter, and arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch to turn this into a healthy paleo cheesecake recipe!
Healthy Cheesecake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
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Healthy Cheesecake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Chilling Time

8

hours

This healthy cheesecake is light, tangy, and only tastes indulgent! It’s entirely vegan, gluten-free, and made with the healthiest ingredients. Enjoy a big slice of this healthy cheesecake with some fresh berries for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast – yup, it’s THAT healthy!

Ingredients

  • For the graham cracker crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, see Notes

  • 5 tablespoons vegan butter, melted

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

  • For the cheesecake filling:

  • 16 ounces plain vegan cream cheese

  • 2 cups plain unsweetened vegan yogurt

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

  • 3 tablespoons corn starch, see Notes

  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
  • Add all graham cracker crust ingredients to a large bowl and mix together.
  • Transfer crust to the springform pan, flatten into an even layer across the bottom, then bake for 7-8 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
  • Beat all cheesecake filling ingredients together in a large bowl then transfer to the pan and smooth over the crust.
  • Fill a pan with 1-inch of water and transfer it to the oven on the lower rack.
  • Place the cheesecake on the upper rack, above the water and bake for 30-35 minutes. Crack the oven door and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
  • Remove from the oven and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours before slicing and eating.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs: I made my vegan and gluten-free graham crackers, then turned them into crumbs by pulsing them in a food processor. However, you can use store bought gluten-free graham crackers instead if you’d like.
  • Corn Starch: Feel free to use arrowroot starch instead!

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