A Quick Note: We initially overlooked adding onions to the ingredient list and instructions. This has now been corrected! My sincerest apologies to anyone who might have printed the recipe before this update. While it likely tasted wonderful without them, the onions truly elevate this dish to perfection!

Contents

Discover the Ultimate Weeknight Meal: Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

In the culinary world, everyone dreams of finding that “unicorn recipe”—a dish so effortlessly delicious, universally loved, and budget-friendly that it seems almost too good to be true. We spend countless hours sifting through cookbooks and online resources, hoping to stumble upon something beyond the usual burgers or hot dogs (not that there’s anything wrong with those, but variety is, after all, the spice of life!). We yearn for that magical meal that brings smiles to every face at the dinner table without requiring a Herculean effort in the kitchen. What if I told you that such a unicorn not only exists but is also incredibly simple to prepare in your slow cooker?

Imagine a dish that demands no more than a few minutes of active prep: a quick chop of an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, and a hint of fresh ginger. Then, a swift whisking of a few liquids, which you pour over succulent, boneless, skinless chicken thighs nestled in your slow cooker. The best part? There’s absolutely no need for pre-browning the chicken, saving you precious time and cleanup. And if that weren’t enough to pique your interest, consider this: it’s also incredibly light on your wallet, making it a perfect choice for smart meal planning.

Now, what if I were to cap all of that off by saying that just four hours later, with minimal intervention, you’d be rewarded with a dish that, even straight from the slow cooker, boasts deep, complex, and vibrant flavors? A meal so appealing and satisfying that every single member of my family, from the pickiest eaters to the most discerning adults, devoured it with gusto. Would you accuse me of exaggeration? Or would you, perhaps, begin to believe in the legend of this culinary unicorn?

Typically, a dish that requires so little effort rarely yields results that are merely palatable, let alone truly fabulous. But this, my friends, is unequivocally fabulous. It’s a symphony of flavors: perfectly sweet, delightfully tangy, subtly spicy, and rich with the aromatic notes of garlic and ginger, all enveloped in a luxuriously velvety sauce that clings to unbelievably tender chicken.

The Tale of a True Family Favorite

My journey to discovering this marvel began when I first stumbled upon it on my friend Amy’s wonderful blog. I knew immediately that I had to try it. True to Amy’s promise of success, the first time I made this slow cooker honey sesame chicken, we had absolutely no leftovers—and I had even doubled her original recipe! As a testament to the irresistible taste of this unicorn, I prepared it again less than a week later. My husband was away on yet another business trip, so I once more doubled the amount of meat. The result? Again, no leftovers. Let me repeat: NO LEFTOVERS. My five growing sons and I polished off a batch that was just as large as the one my adult husband had helped us consume earlier that week. It was a revelation!

This experience highlighted a few key points:

My boys, and I, clearly have healthy appetites. (My food budget sometimes weeps, but happy eaters are worth it!)
I will most definitely need to triple this recipe next time.
This recipe is a lifesaver.

Later that night, when I caught up with my husband over the phone and told him what we had for dinner, his immediate response was, “Oh man, I missed it? That stinks!” He had dined out at a restaurant that evening and was genuinely jealous of our homemade meal. For me, that’s a definitive win!

And there’s one more detail that truly seals this recipe’s legendary status: my notoriously picky eaters. You know, the gruesome-twosome anti-vegetable contingent I’ve mentioned before? They devoured this dish without a second thought. They didn’t even pause to notice the finely minced onions hidden within the delectable sauce. This recipe truly is a game-changer for parents struggling to find nutritious and appealing meals that everyone will love.

So, saddle up this culinary unicorn and prepare to believe! Your family’s new favorite meal is just a slow cooker away.

Slow-Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Rate Recipe

Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Sweet, tangy, spicy, garlicky, gingery: You’d never expect something so simple to make to taste this deep and complex. With a maximum of 10 minutes of hands-on time, you and your family will be absolutely thrilled by this dish! Adapted with big thanks from my dear friend, Amy of Very Culinary.

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup of water

Serve with:

Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds
Scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

Very lightly season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them evenly in the slow cooker.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, minced onion, ketchup, canola oil, toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined. This creates your rich and flavorful sauce.
Carefully pour the prepared sauce mixture over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, ensuring each piece is adequately coated. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on the LOW setting for 4 hours, or until the chicken is wonderfully tender and fully cooked through. The exact cooking time may vary slightly depending on your slow cooker and the thickness of the chicken thighs.
Once the chicken is cooked, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to a rimmed plate or serving bowl. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil to keep it warm while you prepare the sauce. Leave all the delicious pan juices in the slow cooker.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the 1/4 cup of water until it is completely dissolved and no lumps remain. This mixture will serve as your thickening agent.
Stir the cornstarch slurry into the pan juices in the slow cooker. Re-cover the slow cooker and turn the heat setting to HIGH. Allow the sauce to cook and thicken for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired consistency. It should become beautifully glossy and slightly reduced.
Carefully return the warmed chicken pieces back into the thickened sauce in the slow cooker, tossing gently to coat. Serve the flavorful honey sesame chicken immediately over hot cooked rice. Spoon a generous amount of the rich sauce over the chicken and rice, then garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions for a fresh finish. Enjoy this incredibly easy and deeply satisfying meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal
Carbohydrates: 20g
Protein: 23g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 107mg
Sodium: 690mg
Potassium: 338mg
Sugar: 18g
Vitamin A: 90IU
Vitamin C: 1.2mg
Calcium: 17mg
Iron: 1.3mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Share on Facebook