Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken in an easy crock pot chicken dinner. The sesame chicken cooks in a sweet and savory sauce that's perfect with rice and veggies.
Chicken is a popular dinner choice because there are so many things that you can make with it! This Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken recipe is an easy chicken dinner recipe that's full of flavor.
This slow cooker sesame chicken has a shorter cooking time than a lot of slow cooker recipes. It's great for those times when you need to make dinner and walk away for a few hours.
I love faster crock pot recipes for times when I need to run errands. This is a recipe that I can start in the afternoon and then leave to go pickup/drop off kiddos from school and activities, and by the time we get home, dinner is ready, which is pretty fantastic.
What you'll need to make slow cooker sesame chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs also work well in this recipe.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Honey: Feel free to use more or less honey to taste.
- Soy sauce: I like to use reduced-sodium soy sauce to better control how salty the dish is.
- Ketchup
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha: The dish has no heat. The Sriracha just adds flavor. Feel free to use more for a spicier dish.
- Dried minced onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch
- Water
How to make crock pot sesame chicken
Step 1: Place chicken into slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Tip >> You can cut the chicken up before cooking. It will cook faster, so start checking for doneness sooner.
Step 2: Stir honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, Sriracha, onion, garlic, and ginger together in a bowl. Taste, and add additional honey as needed.
Step 3: Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Step 4: Cook on low until the chicken is tender about, 3-4 hours.
Step 5: Remove chicken from the sauce in the slow cooker to a cutting board.
Step 6: Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Add the sauce from the slow cooker and the cornstarch mixture to a saucepan. Mix well to combine.
Step 7: Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring regularly, and cook just until thickened.
Step 8: Cut chicken into small pieces, and return to the slow cooker.
Step 9: Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
What to serve with crock pot sesame chicken
This chicken and sauce are great served over rice. Pair it with sautéed vegetables like broccoli or sugar peas to round out the meal.
Recipe FAQs
You can cut it up before cooking. However, I've found that the chicken cooks faster if cut up before cooking, so plan to start checking the chicken for doneness sooner.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breast in this recipe.
Storage
Store any leftover sesame chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The chicken should keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More crock pot chicken recipes!
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Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- ½-3/4 cup honey depending on desired sweetness
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
Instructions
- Place chicken into slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Stir honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, Sriracha, onion, garlic, and ginger together in a bowl. Taste, and add additional honey as needed.
- Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cook on low until the chicken is tender about, 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken from the sauce in the slow cooker to a cutting board.
- Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl.
- Add the sauce from the slow cooker and the cornstarch mixture to a saucepan. Mix well to combine.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring regularly, and cook just until thickened.
- Cut chicken into small pieces, and return to the slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
Notes
- Honey: Feel free to use more or less honey to taste.
- Soy sauce: I like to use reduced-sodium soy sauce to better control how salty the dish is.
- Sriracha: The dish has no heat. The Sriracha just adds flavor. Feel free to use more for a spicier dish.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Jackie
Love this recipe. For a thicker sauce, I leave out corn starch until end. After chicken has cooked, I remove it from sauce and chop up. I take the sauce on its own and put into sauce pan and heat till bubbly. I mix 2 Tbs corn starch with 4 Tbs cold water and then add that to sauce. Thickens right up! Add chicken and enjoy!
Kate
Yay! I'm so glad that you liked it! Thanks for your notes about thickening the sauce, too.
Debra
Love this easy sesame chicken recipe. It was just like going out for Chinese without leaving home. The sauce was delicious!
Kate
Thank you! I'm so glad that you liked it! Thanks for commenting. =)
Pat
I am still unsure of the fact that recipes call for pounds, instead of 4 chicken breasts (just an example) What's up with that?
Kate
Chicken breasts can vary in weight - anywhere from about 4-12 ounces per breast. So, 4-4 ounce breasts would have a different cooking time than, say, 4-12 ounce chicken breasts. Hope that helps!
Caroline
Yum! And it's a recipe that works on a budget, too!
Kate
Absolutely! Thank you!
Ben Myhre
I don't know what my mom did with me, but I have always loved all sorts of food and don't think I ever really had a picky period. I think the only thing I really grew into was onions... and the only thing I will never grow into is liver anything.
This sesame chicken looks SPECTACULAR!
Kate
I've wondered whether it's a generational issue because I don't remember many picky eaters from when I was a kid. I'm right there with you on the liver though! That is one food that I've never been able to get a taste for. Thank you!!