Crock Pot Sesame Chicken (Printable)

Tender slow-cooked chicken in savory-sweet sesame sauce, perfect for easy Asian-style dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

→ Sauce

02 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/3 cup honey
04 - 1/4 cup ketchup
05 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
06 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

→ Thickener

10 - 2 tbsp cornstarch
11 - 2 tbsp water

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tbsp sesame seeds
13 - 2 green onions, sliced

# Steps:

01 - Arrange chicken thighs or breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, ensuring even distribution for consistent cooking.
02 - Whisk together soy sauce, honey, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl until fully incorporated.
03 - Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken, turning pieces to coat completely. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours until chicken reaches 165°F and is tender.
04 - Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board. Shred using two forks or cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside while preparing the sauce.
05 - Whisk cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir the slurry into the hot sauce in the slow cooker and mix well to prevent lumps.
06 - Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stirring to coat with the thickened sauce. Cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes until sauce reaches desired consistency.
07 - Plate the sesame chicken hot, generously topping with toasted sesame seeds and fresh green onion slices. Serve over steamed jasmine rice or with stir-fried vegetables.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce creates that perfect sticky coating that usually takes restaurant chefs hours to master
  • You can prep everything in under 15 minutes and forget about it until dinner time
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, making it ideal for meal prep
02 -
  • The sauce will taste quite salty at first but mellows perfectly as it cooks with the chicken
  • Do not add the cornstarch mixture until after the chicken is fully cooked or it will not thicken properly
  • The sauce continues to thicken as it cools slightly so do not panic if it looks a bit thin immediately after thickening
03 -
  • Pat the chicken dry before adding it to help the sauce stick better
  • Double the sauce recipe if you love extra sauce over your rice
  • Toasted sesame seeds make such a difference so take the two minutes to toast them in a dry pan

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