Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken is a Crock Pot recipe that’s easy to make, cheaper than takeout and tastes better too! It’s a family-friendly recipe that will become a favorite.
For some reason, when I think about using my Crock Pot, I think about it in the cold months filled with soups, stews and pot roast. But I’ve come to realize that using a slow cooker in the summer makes a lot of sense!
First of all, I don’t have to turn my oven on and heat up the house. On a day like today, when the high was 90 degrees and the humidity was 75, the air conditioner is working hard enough. I could always go fire up the grill, but I really am enjoying the cool air inside the house.
Another great reason is that summer is such a busy time. I spend my days running errands, bringing my kids here and there, meeting friends at the park and trying to prepare blog posts in between.
So, I love it when I remember to put dinner in the Crock Pot and voila…it is ready when we want to eat! Last week, I made honey sesame chicken in my slow cooker and loved it.
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken Recipe Tips:
1. Choose chicken thighs over chicken breasts for this recipe. I’ve tried it with both but the chicken thighs are dark meat and have more fat. This will help keep the chicken moist if that has been an issue for you.
2. Get to know your slow cooker. Every brand and every price point varies significantly. Check the chicken after two hours to see if it is done.
3. If the sauce isn’t thick enough, continue adding water and cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio (for example, dissolving 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water) until it is as thick as you want it.
4. If your sauce is too thick, thin it out with a tablespoon of hot water at a time until it is as thin as you want.
Steps For Making Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken:
Step One:
Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes and place in a slow cooker.
Make cleanup easier by using a slow cooker liner.
Step Two:
Mix together honey, low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, onion, barbecue sauce and crushed red peppers in a small bowl. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
Step Three:
Cook on low for 2 to 4 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Step Four:
Remove the chicken from the crockpot while reserving the sauce. Pour the sauce into a saucepan. Mix together cold water and cornstarch and stir into the sauce.
Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. This only takes a couple of minutes.
Turn the heat down to low, add chicken to sauce and break any large pieces into smaller chunks. Stir to coat while simmering.
Step Five:
Remove from heat and sauce will thicken more as it cools. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon minced onion
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onions
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes and put into a crockpot.
- Mix together honey, low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, garlic, onion, barbecue sauce and crushed red peppers in a small bowl. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Cook on low for 2 to 4 hours, depending on your slow cooker, or until cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot while reserving the sauce. Pour the sauce into a saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the cold water and cornstarch and stir into the sauce. Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. This only takes a couple of minutes. Turn the heat down to low, add chicken to sauce and break any large pieces into smaller chunks. Stir to coat while simmering.
- Remove from heat and sauce will thicken more as it cools. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Nutrition
Here are a few more slow cooker recipes you’ll want to try:
Terry says
Love this recipe. It’s even better served over black rice
Terry says
Love this recipe. It’s even better served over black rice
Amanda says
Now this looks like a winner! It’s actually making my mouth water just looking at your pics. I must try this asap!
LynAnne says
Tried this recipe using pork chunks as a family member has allergies to chicken. The meat was an absolute fail (tough, grainy and tasteless). The sauce, was ok over rice. I’m wondering if the meat had been floured and quick fried first if it wouldn’t have been better. Any thoughts?
Tonia says
I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out using pork. I don’t have a lot of experience cooking with pork although I would love to learn to make tender, moist pork!
Shannon says
I am deathly allergic to chicken and turkey too!!!
I would cut the cooking time down to 2 hours and I bet that would make it better. Pork takes less time to cook.
gabby says
I made this using my Ninja 4 in 1, and it was amazing! We only had to cook it for about 2 hours, though I left it in for about 2.5 while the rice was cooking. It wasn’t dry at all and the flavor was amazing. The sauce didn’t thicken as much as I thought, but I’ve always been a sauce person. So, having the extra was perfect for me! Thanks for this recipe! 5/5
Summeya says
Hi. I loved the look of this recipe but unfortunately when I made it mine was very light in colour not a lovely brown like yours . Do you think it’s the honey or soy sauce I’m using?
Tonia says
I’m not sure. It could be any of the ingredients including the barbecue sauce. Cooking the sauce in the saucepan helped to thicken and further cook the sauce.
Laura Eakins says
So was mine, I added a little Kitchen Bouquet and it did the trick.
Angie P. says
Followed the recipe to the T. Mine turned out very dry and soupy with very little flavor. 🙁
joanna says
Can you use arrowroot powder to thicken instead of cornstarch?? Thoughts on how much to add? Same as cornstarch? Thanks!
Tonia says
Hi Joanna,
I’ve never used arrowroot powder so I’m not sure. Maybe another reader has some tips!
~Tonia
Allison says
This is probably a stupid question, but I’m assuming you’re supposed to throw the chicken into the crockpot raw?
Tonia says
Not at all! I’m so glad you asked. Yes, you put it into the crockpot raw.
Carol jacoby says
This was wonderful! Will go in the keep file.
Teri says
It was very dry and bitter. Don’t know what happen but it was horrible.
esph says
yup i tried it last night and the chicken was really dry and the sauce was pretty pungent. my thoughts for next time: use dark meat and definitely low-sodium (i used regular soy sauce, oops).
Tammy says
Made this tonight and it was a huge it. My chicken breast were butterfly cut so it cooked in 3 hours on low. I added broccoli and it was a perfect meal on this cold night!
Naomi says
Thanks for this recipe! We had a dinner party at the weekend and I made this, and everyone loved it. My sauce didn’t thicken at all and was really runny but the flavours were amazing.
Lindestorme McMahon says
The sauce will thicken as u cook it so maybe cook it longer with the cornstarch in it on the stove and that may fix the sauce problem.
Leila says
Really good meal! Not as thick as take-out sesame chicken, but still delicious. I added raw broccoli into my slow cooker about 20 minutes before serving to add some extra nutrients and flavors.
Tonia says
I will have to try adding broccoli next time! Sounds like a great addition. Thanks Leila!
Ericka says
I made this tonight and I didn’t something wrong. The sauce was way to thick and sugary. I was so disappointed
Carol says
Can you use regular soy sauce or does it work better with low sodium? What alterations to the recipe do you suggest if I use regular soy sauce?
Tonia says
Hi Carol,
I’ve never tried it with regular soy sauce, but I think it would work the same. I would suggest using 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup to keep the sodium content lower. Best of luck!
~Tonia
mandy says
I only have 4 sets on my crockpot 4 or 6 on HIGH and 8-10 on low. Unfortunately, I didn’t take this into consideration when preparing this dish. I set it on 4 hours and will check on it in about 2. This is literally the first dish I’m trying out with my new crockpot. Is the time still the same for the settings I named or will checking on it in 2 hours be okay? I don’t want to dry out the chicken.
Tonia says
Hi Mandy,
I’m sorry but I’ve never worked with those settings. Yes, it will probably be done cooking after 2 hours on high. If not, you can always put it back in the crockpot or finish cooking it in a skillet.
~Tonia
Alexandra says
Hi! I’m making the Honey Sesame Chicken for dinner tonight but I wanted to check, do i have to thicken it with the water and cornstarch since I am serving it over rice?
Tonia says
You don’t have to thicken it but I did. Another reader said she didn’t have time to thicken the sauce and was still good!
Amber says
I made this for supper and it was a a big hit with everyone. I noticed a few people from the comments above had mentioned that the chicken was over cooked and dry, I put mine in the crockpot at 1230 a and remembered to plug it in at 1 (cause I’m just that awesome!), due to some last minute craziness, it ended up cooking for about 5.5hrs. It was super yummy and not at all dried out. I used my big trusty crockpot that seems to be fairly bang on for temps. Also, due to the last minute craziness and the fact that we all eat at way different times, I didn’t thicken it with the cornstarch. Yes it was runny, but served over rice, it was still good. Thanks for another great recipe to add to my list!
Kristin says
Wholly guacamole this was a HUGE hit. I can’t thank you enough for the Honey Chicken clue in! I haven’t seen my family inhale dinner like that in a long time. Usually one or two of them will be happy but to have all four of us fighting for the last bite was great! Thank you a million times.
Oh the power of the meal plan!!!! This is going into my rotation!
Tonia says
Yayyyy!! Thanks so much Kristin. That is what I love to hear!
Yve says
My family just finished eating your delicious honey sesame chicken. Thanks for a great recipe!
Tonia says
You are very welcome! Thanks so much for stopping back to let me know!
Natasha says
Hi Tonia! I tried this but had some trouble making the coating thick at the end. Any suggestions? More cornstarch? thanks!
Tonia says
Hi Natasha,
My sauce at the end wasn’t really that thick, but it is hard to tell in pictures! If you want to thicken it, yes, cornstarch and heat should do it. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water before adding it to the hot sauce or it will clump together.
~Tonia