Sweet, salty and umami collide in this easy crockpot honey sesame chicken recipe. Serve it over rice for a flavorful weeknight meal.
Slow cooker recipes are such a lifesaver for busy families. There is nothing better than chucking some ingredients into the crock in the morning and coming home to a tasty meal.
This recipe cooks whole chicken breasts in all of the things you would expect in sesame chicken. The honey, vinegar and touch of ketchup cook into a thick and well balanced sauce.
Serving your sesame chicken
After the chicken is nice and tender, it easily breaks apart with a couple of forks. I like to keep the chunks bite sized, but you can shred it as much as you would like.
Sprinkle on some sesame seeds if you have them and give it all a quick stir. That thick sauce will coat everything in goodness.
Serve it over some rice with a nice veggie on the side and dinner is ready to go. We especially like some steamed broccoli or sauteed zucchini on the side.
Roasted green beans would be a great option as well. Any of your favorite veggies would round out the plate nicely.
Original Recipe from 2016
I have been wanting to make a slow cooker version of honey chicken for a while now. The problem is every recipe I saw involved browning bites of chicken and then putting them in the slow cooker for 3 hours.
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That may work in some situations, but when your work day is 8 hours long a 3 hour cook time isn’t exactly convenient.
The problem is, cooking chicken in the slow cooker for too long leaves you with mealy meat. It goes from fall apart tender to falling apart so much it is disintegrating and nobody wants their chicken to be mush.
So, I made a few adaptations that make getting this ready in the morning super easy. You get to throw in whole frozen chicken breasts!
All you do when you get home is shred it and stir in some sesame seeds. It’ll be done before you can make the rice to serve it with… even if you use instant!
My husband instantly fell in love. He said I can make it whenever I want.
Sweet of him to give me permission, isn’t it? 😉 Of course I am glad he likes it, and it is so darn easy to make I will be happy to make it every time he requests it.
More Great Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
If rich creamy alfredo is a favorite at your house, you are going to love slow cooker chicken alfredo with pasta and broccoli. The prep work is almost non-existent and dinner cooks while you go about your life.
Andi’s slow cooker chicken and rice is another great easy meal that requires almost no prep work. All you have to do is add a vegetable and dinner is ready.
Creamy buffalo chicken chili is super simple to make with the help of your slow cooker. It has just the right amount of buffalo chicken spice making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or a game day tailgating staple.
Honey Sesame Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Equipment
- OXO 9-Inch Locking Tongs
Ingredients
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts frozen
- 3 Tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup cold water
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 5 Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider or rice vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- Rice for serving and optional green onions
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in your slow cooker.4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- In a small bowl, stir together corn starch and cold water. Add all of the remaining ingredients, besides the sesame seeds and stir to combine. Pour over chicken.3 Tablespoons corn starch, ½ cup cold water, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 5 Tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 Tablespoons ketchup, 1 Tablespoon apple cider or rice vinegar
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Using two forks, lightly shred the chicken. Then stir in the sesame seeds.3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- Serve over rice with green onions if desired.
Video
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I was just recently searching for a slow cooker chicken recipe, couldn't find one and here you are!
=) Sometimes things are just meant to be! I hope you love it!
I cannot wait to try this recipe! Sesame is easily one of my favorite asian flavors, and I love that you make this in the slow cooker! Looks delicious!
Have a great weekend Carlee! 🙂
I love how just a couple of drops of sesame oil really deepens the flavor of a dish, and of course all of the seeds are fun too. Thanks, Jessica. I hope you have a great one as well!
I always had the same problem with slow cooker recipes. Great if your at home and maybe want to run a few errands, but when you work the timing is a big problem.
This looks delish!
Thanks for sharing this with us at Throwback Thursday this week!
Mollie
The short cook ones do have their purpose, but it really just doesn't work for work days. Starting with frozen meat makes it work so much better for busy mornings and has the added bonus of longer cooking time! Thanks Mollie!
Oh my, this looks terrific and I love the idea of using frozen chicken. Kudos for a great recipe.
The Old Fat Guy
Thank you! I kind of feel like if I have to do all of that prep work to put it in the slow cooker, I might as well just cook it on the stove!
Yum! Carlee, this looks so delicious! I'm saving this recipe to add to my slow cooker collection. Thanks for visiting Inspiration Thursday!
Thanks, Lela!
Hi Carlee, any recipe that is tasty and works in a slow cooker is perfect, and I do agree about over slow cooked meat. I can actually find all of the ingredients here too, which is a bonus (so often I want to follow a recipe only to find there is a main, non substitutable food item in it).
If you've been given permission to make it whenever you like, it has to be good!
xx
Thanks, Debbie! It is helpful to be able to find everything you need to make it. I live in a smaller town, and we have access to most everything but there are some ingredients for ethnic recipes that we just can't get here. It's disappointing to not be able to try things!
So making this tomorrow!
Yay! You'll have to let me know what you think!
Yep, I think my Jay will fall in love with this too!! There is nothing better than a shredded chicken recipe from the crockpot and an Asian one…oh extra YUM!!
Aren't they the best! I hope you guys enjoy it!
I love a slow cooker recipe that just requires adding all of the ingredients and turning it on 🙂 And the flavors in this honey sesame chicken sound amazing – can't wait to try it!
I hate when there is a ton of prep steps for a slow cooker meal. Easy and delicious is my favorite kind of recipe. I hope you love it!
Oh YUM! This is getting made asap.
It's so easy and really good!