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This Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken is sure to be a hit around your dinner table! With the perfect balance of sweet and savory umami flavors, it’s an easy slow cooker dinner the whole family will love. Served over rice, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
With the back-to-school season on the horizon, I love turning to slow cooker meals! Simply add all of your ingredients in the morning, set it, and forget it. It’s my kind of meal when the after-school rush of activities and sports leaves you feeling too overwhelmed to even think about cooking.
This Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken takes all the flavors of your favorite stir-fry and transforms them into a simple slow cooker meal. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The tamari brings rich umami flavor, the ginger adds freshness, and the honey provides just the right amount of sweetness. Add those ingredients, along with a few others, to your slow cooker with the chicken, and you’ll have tender, flavorful chicken that’s ready just in time for dinner.
Once the cook time is complete, simply shred the chicken, thicken the sauce, and toss everything together so the chicken can soak up all of that delicious honey-sesame flavor. Serve it over rice with sliced green onions for an easy dinner everyone will love.
Ingredients:
- Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Low-Sodium Tamari
- Honey
- Ketchup
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Rice Vinegar
- Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Tapioca Flour
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Prepare White Rice, for serving
- Green Onions, for serving
Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step One: Make the Sauce
In the bottom of a slow cooker, combine the garlic, ginger, tamari, honey, ketchup, toasted sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Whisk until well combined.
Step Two: Add the Chicken and Cook
Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
When the cook time is complete, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and set aside. Reduce the heat on slow cooker to keep warm.
Step Three: Thicken the Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of water and the tapioca flour until well combined to make a slurry. Pour it into the slow cooker and stir until the sauce thickens slightly.
Step Four: Shred the Chicken
Next, using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and gently toss until it is well coated in the sauce.
Step Five: toss and rest
Add the sesame seeds and gently toss once more. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle and the sauce to absorb into the chicken.
Step six: Serve
To serve, spoon the chicken and sauce over prepared rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.
Recipe FAQ:
This would be great with a side of your favorite steamed or stir-fried vegetables!
Yes! This is a great meal prep option to have protein on hand for a few days. The chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through!
I can’t wait for y’all to give this a try! Comment below once you make it!
For More Slow Cooker Recipes:
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Shredded Beef Chipotle Burrito Bowls
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli Bowls
Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls
Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1- inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks
- 1/2 cup low-sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon tapioca or arrowroot flour
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Prepared white rice, for serving
- Thinly sliced green onions, for serving
Instructions
- In the bottom of a slow cooker, whisk together the garlic, ginger, tamari, honey, ketchup, toasted sesame oil, and rice vinegar until well combined.
- Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
- When the cook time is complete, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and set aside. Reduce the heat on slow cooker to keep warm.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of water and the tapioca flour until well combined to make a slurry. Pour it into the slow cooker and stir until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Next, using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and gently toss until it is well coated in the sauce.
- Add the sesame seeds and gently toss once more. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle and the sauce to absorb into the chicken.
- To serve, spoon the chicken and sauce over prepared rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
Rating 5/5 bc if I followed this to a T it would be really good. I doubled the recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts and put it in the crockpot for 10 hours on low (i thought longer bc more meat?) and it is SO dry. Good flavor just really overcooked the thighs I guess. I didn’t even know thighs COULD get dry so I think this is a user error. Would try again at a 6-8 hour time frame and check for done-ness
Ahh thank you for giving this one another go! Sorry that happened!
Smelled delicious all day cooking in my home. I would only cook for 8 next time. Also has a bit of a sour note – maybe from the vinegar? Would try again without it.
Hi! Could I use the instant pot instead of the crock pot? If so, how long would I need to cook it?
I have not tried this yet, but I would whisk together the sauce ingredients and add with the chicken to the pot, then cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. Remove and shred the chicken, then turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Whisk together the tapioca flour and water, stir it into the sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, toss with the sauce, and finish with the sesame seeds. Comment back once you try this!
I tried the Instant Pot instructions, and the chicken came out perfectly! Thank you!!
Amazing, thank you for letting us know!
Found this recipe yesterday and planned it for dinner tonight! The chicken was just delicious- so tender and yummy. I served it with steamed rice, Asian noodles, green beans. I had a bag of coleslaw cabbage which I sautéed with sesame oil, hot honey & tamari! Tofu for my vegetarian daughter and everyone had lots of choices! This will be on repeat! Thank you!
Any recommendations on how to cook without a slow cooker? We have a large Dutch oven. Thanks!!
I have not tried this, but I’d cook it covered at 325°F until the chicken is cooked through and tender (and reaches an internal temp of 165°F), then remove the chicken, thicken the sauce as directed in the recipe, and toss the chicken back in before serving. I’d start checking it around 45 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces!
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes! Boneless, skinless will work here. The cooking time should be the same, but you can always check that it’s reached 165°F.
My family doesn’t love shredded chicken, they are missing out? Do you think you could cube chicken first, then throw in? Would it change the cook time?
Yes, this should work! You can cube the chicken first if your family prefers that texture! I’d cut it into larger bite-sized pieces and start checking it a little earlier than the recipe’s cook time since smaller pieces will cook faster. Just cook until the chicken reaches 165°F, I’d check it after about 3 hourse then gauge from there.
can I cook this in the instant pot (30 minutes on high, natural release?)
I have not tried this yet, but I would whisk together the sauce ingredients and add with the chicken to the pot, then cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. Remove and shred the chicken, then turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Whisk together the tapioca flour and water, stir it into the sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, toss with the sauce, and finish with the sesame seeds.
Could this be prepared as a freezer meal?
Yes! This freezes well after cooking. Let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently until warmed through either on the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce as needed!
What would be the instructions to make it on the instant pot?
I have not tried this yet, but I would whisk together the sauce ingredients and add with the chicken to the pot, then cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. Remove and shred the chicken, then turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Whisk together the tapioca flour and water, stir it into the sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, toss with the sauce, and finish with the sesame seeds.