Go Back
Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken: Quick Weeknight Dinner

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

Tender slow-cooked chicken in a sweet and savory honey sesame glaze, finished with a glossy thickened sauce and served over rice.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
  • 120 ml honey
  • 100 ml low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
  • 60 g tomato ketchup
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
  • 3 spring onions sliced, for garnish
  • Cooked jasmine rice or steamed rice to serve

Method
 

  1. Prepare the chicken. Start by trimming any excess fat from your chicken thighs or breasts. You don't need to cut them into small pieces; leaving them whole means they'll stay juicier. Place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. You'll see the raw, pale pink flesh nestled together.
  2. Whisk the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, minced garlic, and grated ginger. The mixture will be a rich, deep amber colour and smell intensely sweet and savoury. Pour this glorious sauce evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker, making sure every piece gets a good coating.
  3. Slow cook the chicken. Put the lid on your slow cooker and set it to low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours. As it cooks, your kitchen will fill with a wonderful, sweet and aromatic scent. The chicken will become incredibly tender and will easily pull apart with a fork when it's ready. You'll notice the sauce has thinned out and become more liquid.
  4. Shred the chicken. Using two forks, carefully shred the chicken right there in the slow cooker. You'll feel how soft and yielding the meat is. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce.
  5. Thicken the sauce. In a small cup, mix the cornflour with the cold water until it forms a smooth, milky-white slurry. Pour this into the slow cooker and stir everything together. The sauce will look cloudy at first. Put the lid back on and cook on high for another 15-20 minutes.
  6. Finish the dish. After the time is up, give it a final stir. You'll notice the sauce has transformed into a glossy, thick, sticky glaze that clings beautifully to every piece of shredded chicken. The sound of it stirring is a thick, satisfying gloop. Finally, stir in the sesame oil and rice vinegar. The vinegar adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness perfectly.
  7. Serve and garnish. Serve immediately over a bed of fluffy steamed rice. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions. The contrast of the white rice, the dark, glossy chicken, and the bright green and white garnish is absolutely stunning.

Notes

For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce. Cooking times assume low setting for 4 hours plus 20 minutes to thicken (or high for 2 hours plus 15 minutes).