Crock Pot Sesame Chicken (Printable version)

Tender chicken slow-cooked in rich sesame sauce with honey, soy, garlic, and ginger. An effortless weeknight meal.

# What you need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

→ Sauce

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

→ Thickening & Garnish

10 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
11 - 2 tablespoons water
12 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
13 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

# How to make it:

01 - Arrange chicken thighs in the bottom of the crock pot.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour sauce evenly over the chicken.
03 - Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked through.
04 - Remove chicken and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces.
05 - In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into the sauce in the crock pot.
06 - Return chicken to the crock pot, stir well, and cook on high for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is thickened.
07 - Serve chicken over steamed rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The sauce develops this incredible depth that tastes like it simmered all day even though your hands-on time is practically nothing
  • It's one of those rare recipes that somehow tastes even better as leftovers making tomorrow's lunch something to actually look forward to
02 -
  • The sauce will taste quite salty before cooking but the cornstarch and long cooking time mellow it out beautifully
  • Letting the cornstarch mixture come to room temperature before adding it prevents those annoying lumpy bits in your sauce
03 -
  • Pat the chicken dry before adding it to the slow cooker for better browning and sauce adherence
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes before garnishing for next-level flavor

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