Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken
Tender chicken thighs cook in a sweet and savory sesame sauce with frozen or fresh broccoli, served over rice for an easy slow cooker dinner.
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
For the chicken:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or a 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
To finish:
- 1 lb frozen or blanched broccoli
- 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold soy sauce and 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
For serving:
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and place them in the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger, tomato paste, minced garlic, onion powder, Sriracha, and black pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat everything evenly.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for approximately 3 hours, or on LOW for 5 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- During the final 20 minutes, stir in the frozen broccoli. Cover and continue cooking on HIGH until the broccoli is heated through and tender.
- Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch with 2 tbsp of cold soy sauce and 2 tbsp cold water until smooth. Keep the slow cooker on HIGH, or use the simmer or saute function if your slow cooker has one. Stir in the slurry a little at a time, letting it simmer until thickened. Add more slurry as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in the sesame seeds and simmer briefly to finish thickening.
- Spoon the sesame chicken and broccoli over cooked rice, and drizzle plenty of sauce over the top.
Notes
- Cooking time: This recipe cooks on HIGH for approximately 3 hours, making it a good option when you need to start dinner in the afternoon.
- Frozen or fresh broccoli: Adding frozen broccoli during the final 20 minutes makes this dinner especially convenient. Fresh also works here if you want to wash and chop! The key is to not let the broccoli cook for too long, nobody likes mushy broccoli.
- Adjust the sauce: The chicken releases moisture as it cooks, so thickening the sauce at the end creates a glossy coating instead of a thin broth.
