Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Guys, I have a huge confession to make. Here goes. I have fallen in love with my slow-cooker. I just can’t hide my love for it anymore. I love it so much that I’ve even named him Bert. Bert has become so important in my cooking life, especially since I just started a full-time job.

Throughout the week, I’m usually up by 4:45 AM and I don’t come home until 7 PM. Once I get home and walk through the door, I am exhausted out of mind. I’m cranky, annoyed, and I just want to lie in bed and do nothing. That being said, I have absolutely no intention to cook whatsoever. That’s why I’ve gotten into the routine of batch cooking throughout the weekend. Using a slow cooker definitely helps this process because you simply dump all your ingredients into the bowl and let the slow cooker do all the work while you cook up a storm of other things in the meantime.

Now this particular slow cooker recipe is absolutely flawless. I actually kept the recipe exactly as is and if I were to make this again, I wouldn’t change a single thing. The chicken thighs turned out to be so incredibly tender and flavorful - so flavorful you’d think it was marinated overnight. There was also a ton of sauce leftover but since the chicken was so juicy with tons of flavor, you don’t even need it!

So the next time you’re craving Chinese take-out, save some money and try out this slow cooker dish. It’s easy, simple, and 100x better than any Chinese take-out place. Plus, the leftovers taste AH-MAZING at work the next day.

One year ago: Oven-Baked Wet BBQ Ribs

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken (adapted from Family Foodie):

Yields 6 servings

• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• Brown rice, for serving
• Sesame seeds, for garnish
• 1 green onion, sliced, for garnish

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the chicken thighs into a slow cooker.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola and sesame oils, ginger, garlic and red pepper.

Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken thighs.

Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker and transfer to a plate, covering with foil and leaving the pan juices in the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup water and cornstarch. Add to the slow cooker and cook for an additional 20 minutes on high heat.

Serve chicken thighs immediately with brown rice drizzled with pan juices and garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.

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