Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken [Video]
Asian food recipes Chicken Lunch Box Recipes Slow Cooker
Cook time: 7 hours
Last updated on June 18th, 2021 at 09:52 pm
Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken is so easy to prepare with this make-ahead recipe! Experience this Chinese-inspired dish right in the comfort of your home!
Check this recipe out and prepare it from scratch right in your kitchen. If you like this dish, then, you may also want to check out my recipes for Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, and Sticky Orange Beef!
Crockpot Sesame Chicken
Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken is a popular Chinese takeout dish that is always in demand for its rich flavors! And those flavors are amplified with using the crockpot.
Cooking the protein for hours extracts the flavors well which makes this dish tasty. The meat becomes tender and juicy and the sauce becomes sticky which makes it even more appetizing.
But this is not your usual recipe. This teaches you how to make this sumptuous dish in advance. This is a good freezer meal for when you want to have a ready-to-cook dish.
This comes in handy whenever you are too busy to prepare a meal. Making anything in the crockpot is hassle-free as you will only have to put everything in and let it do the work.
Leave it for several hours. Later, you will have a savory dish to enjoy! This dish is so convenient to make even for making lunchboxes as they are perfectly easy to assemble with rice and other sides!
How to Make Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken?
- Coat the meat: Get a freezer bag and put the white meat in. Put the cornstarch in and toss to coat the meat.
- Make the sauce: Prepare the sauce in a separate container by mixing the ingredients.
- Freeze: Add the sauce in the bag and freeze.
- Cook: Once ready to cook, start thawing. Lightly grease the crockpot by spraying with cooking spray. Then, put everything in. Set it to LOW for 2 to 3 hours.
- Serve: Once ready, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions then serve.
Can you make Sesame Chicken in the Instant Pot?
Yes! You can follow this Instant Pot recipe. Using the Instant Pot, you can skip thawing, but you may have to lengthen the time.
How to serve Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken?
This dish pairs well with veggies, grains, and noodles dishes like the following:
- White Rice
- Brown Rice
- Egg Fried Rice
- Quinoa
- Chow Mein
- Vegetables like broccoli and potatoes
What does sesame chicken taste like?
It tastes sweet and savory at the same time. The sweetness comes from the honey.
It is perfectly balanced by the saltiness and umami flavors of the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in true Chinese fashion. The aromatics such as the garlic and ginger also add a depth of flavor.
Is sesame chicken and orange chicken the same?
They are highly similar recipes, but the flavorings are not the same. Both use rice vinegar, soy sauce, and aromatics. And both recipes also employ coating the meat with cornstarch.
In this recipe, there is no use of the citrus which is essentially the unique element with the Orange Chicken.
Can I use chicken thighs instead?
Yes! Thighs are juicier and tastier because of the higher fat content compared to that of the breasts. For details, you can refer to this recipe using thighs instead of breasts.
More delicious Asian recipes:
- Teriyaki Salmon with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Instant Pot Tonkotsu Ramen with Chashu Pork
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Coconut Curry Chicken
How to store leftovers?
Put the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Or, freeze them in freezer bags for up to 4 months. Simply thaw and reheat when ready to serve.
Recipe Tips:
- Instead of using the crockpot, you can directly cook the thawed meat in a skillet on the stovetop or grill it!
- Want to add heat? Add in some Sriracha and red pepper flakes for more flavor.
- You can use arrowroot powder as a substitute for cornstarch.
Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- cooking spray
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Garnish:
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag.
- Add the cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- In a large measuring cup, combine all the sauce ingredients. Add the sauce to the ziplock bag with the chicken. Toss to combine. Freeze for later or place in the fridge to marinate if using within one day.
- When ready to cook, thaw the bag (if frozen) with the Honey Sesame Chicken.
- Coat a slow cooker with cooking spray and add the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve with rice.
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