Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
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This slow cooker honey sesame chicken is the best dump-and-go crockpot dinner with juicy, tender shredded chicken. Sweet, savory, and so easy!
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This crockpot honey sesame chicken has saved me so many times. Even with the busiest of days, nights, and lazy weekends, this slow cooker recipe is always coming to the rescue, and has never failed me.
Why you’ll love this slow cooker honey sesame chicken
- Set and forget. This is one of those great slow cooker recipes that you can simply dump-and-go – there’s no searing, no cooking beforehand, no nothing. And you can come home from a long day to the coziest (and easiest), sauciest sesame chicken. The hardest part is shredding the chicken!
- Short ingredient list. Chicken, onion, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper – most are pantry staples. And I have definitely been guilty of skipping the onions and garnishes half the time (it still turns out oh-so-perfect).
- Flexible recipe. Use breasts or thighs and add in as little or as many vegetables as desired (perfect for those picky eaters). Serve over rice or your favorite grains with all the juices to sop up all the saucy goodness.
- Leftovers taste even better. Also, the leftovers make for great lettuce wraps, and the leftover chicken and juices can be frozen as needed for quick meal prep for the busy weeks ahead!
What is slow cooker honey sesame chicken?
This is an easy dump-and-go slow cooker dinner made by cooking chicken thighs or breasts low and slow in a sweet and savory sauce of soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, and ginger. This is typically served over warm white rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
How to make slow cooker honey sesame chicken
- Prep the sauce. Combine the onion, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.
- Season. Season the chicken thighs (or breasts) with salt and pepper.
- Combine. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-qt slow cooker, pouring the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken and gently tossing to combine.
- Cook on low heat. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through (165°F).
- Shred and return. Remove the chicken and shred using two forks, then return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and keep warm for 30 minutes to reabsorb the flavorful juices.
- Serve. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve warm over steamed rice (or your favorite grains).
what to serve with slow cooker honey sesame chicken
Tools For This Recipe
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
You can serve this with white rice or my favorite no-fuss sheet pan fried rice!
Absolutely! Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, or snow peas can be added during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The leftovers make for great lettuce wraps.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags (up to 3 months), thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop until warmed through.
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine onion, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger and red pepper.
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken thighs into a 6-qt slow cooker. Add soy sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken thighs from the slow cooker and shred the chicken before returning to the pot with the juices. Cover and keep warm for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Use dark or white meat. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs can be used interchangeably here but thighs are much fattier (and thus more flavorful).
- Add vegetables. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers or snow peas can be added during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for a more heartier meal.
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all excellent options.
- Freeze as needed. Once cooled completely, the leftovers can be stored in individual freezer bags, freezing up to 3 months.
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How would you adjust this for chicken breasts?
You can follow the recipe as is for chicken breasts, although it is best to use chicken thighs to obtain the best results possible.
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I have everything except ketchup (I know. Weird.) How essential is it to the recipe?
As it requires 1/4 cup ketchup, I do not recommend omitting it. It is best to use all of the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Can I prep the chicken and sauce in a bag the morning of and then have my nanny throw it in the crock pot at the 4 hour mark so it’s ready for dinner? Does that effect anything?!
I’ve never tried it myself but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You can also just keep them separate (chicken and sauce in different bags) and ask your nanny to combine them in the slow cooker when it’s time.
I only have skin on,bone-in thighs. I’ve never cooked with thighs. Will they be ok to use? Would it change cooking time or anything else? Thanks for great website.Cant wait to try many of these recipes
That should be fine, but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed to ensure they are completely cooked through.
Just love this recipe, doing it again for tonight….xxxx
I made this last week and doubled the recipe. The time was just about the same. I also added in peppers. The peppers made the sauce a little watery. It was great over rice. I am thinking the next time I will add the peppers later in the cooking where they create water. I also had pineapple as a side and it was great. Thanks for the recipe. It is a definate keeper.
I have made this once and it came out great. Everyone loved it. I like the idea of adding peppers and pineapple. Has anyone tried doubling the recipe? I am going to try it this week. Just curious how much longer to cook?
Delicious! Love easy crockpot recipes in the summer. I halved the sauce without the oil and added a little chicken broth, and it was loved by my whole family. Thanks for another great recipe!
My family loves this recipe! I usually skip the shredding and slice the thighs when serving (my picky boys eat the chicken as “nuggets” that way. Also we love both rice & steamed veggies (especially broccoli) under this sauce. It’s really yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Oh and we make this gluten free using a gluten free soy sauce to accommodate those who need it.
I tried this recipe and it turned out great. 5 Star. Tasted great also.
How do I change number of yields on slow cooker honey sesame chicken from 6 to 12?
You can simply double the recipe but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
Have u ever cubed the chicken ahead of time? I was thinking maybe it would get better sauce coverage? Or do u think that will just dry it out? I am thinking about putting it all together tonight for someone to turn on tomorrow while I am at work
I do not recommend cubing the chicken prior to adding to the slow cooker. It will result in a very undesirable, dry texture.
Cubing the chicken will be undesirable? Which did you recommend?
Cubing the chicken prior to adding to the slow cooker is not recommended. It is best to leave the chicken thighs as a whole.
Would it be ok to use chicken breasts?
Yes, absolutely.
I’m going to make this based on the fact that the intro of this post was about the Boy Dance Party.
I love your reasoning for this 🙂
Can you please tell me wat a slow cooker is are u talking about pressure cooker. ….pls specify the slow cooker……I am from pakistani
Reem, a slow cooker, also known as a Crock-Pot, is a countertop electrical cooking appliance that is used for simmering, which requires maintaining a relatively low temperature, allowing unattended cooking for many hours of pot roast, stews, soups, “boiled” dinners and other suitable dishes, including dips, desserts and beverages.
This looks awesome! To make it even simpler, shred the chicken in a stand mixer. A minute like that, rather than all that effort doing it by hand, and you’re set. 🙂
After the success that was the sweet and sour chicken, I gave this recipe a try– more success! Picky boyfriend went back for seconds! Also my house smelled AMAZING all day.
Success! My husband and I loved this dish.
Found you by chance googling for a crockpot honey chicken recipe. Yours hands down looks the best AND I actually have all the ingredients. I can’t wait to try it.
I made this recipe as part if a freezer meal party with friends. We combined all of the ingredients (except the sesame seeds and green onions) and froze in gallon-sized freezer bags. I thawed mine last night and cooked it in my crockpot today. SO DELICIOUS. I will never cook chicken breasts in my crockpot again! The thighs were so tender and juicy! Awesome recipe!!!
Kelly, any chance you can let me know how long you cooked these for in the slow cooker and if it was on high or low? One of my friends is about to adopt so I’m trying to make her some freezer meals and I want to add this to what I will be giving her.
Nevermind. Just saw you thawed it the night before. I will recommend they do that 🙂