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Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

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This Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is sweet, spicy, and easy to make! Serve it over rice or noodles for an easy weeknight meal.

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken over rice in a white bowl on a green mat.

Making crockpot honey sesame chicken is a hands-off way to prepare dinner for your family! To finish off the meal, add some instant or ready-made rice, cream cheese wontons, and a salad.

How To Make Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Step One: Chicken

For the chicken, I chose boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use chicken thighs. Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them in a greased or lined slow cooker.

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken sauce.

Step Two: Honey Sesame Chicken Sauce

In a small bowl, mix together honey, low-sodium soy sauce, barbecue sauce, olive oil, minced onion, minced garlic, sesame oil, and crushed red peppers. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

Sesame chicken in a crockpot.

Step Three: Crockpot

Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours until it reaches 165˚F. Start checking the temperature of the chicken after 3 hours. Or you can cook it on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and start checking the temperature after 1 1/2 hours.

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken in a crockpot garnished with green onions.

Step Four: Sauce

Remove the chicken from the crockpot and transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Combine cold water and cornstarch together before whisking it 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 the sauce, and break any large pieces into smaller chunks. Stir to coat while simmering.

Slow cooker sesame chicken in a white bowl over rice.

Tips For Making Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

  1. You can choose chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe. I’ve tried both, and 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 crockpot or slow cooker. Each brand and price point can vary significantly. Check the temperature of the chicken after 3 hours when cooking it on low or after 1 1/2 hours when cooking it on high.
  3. For extra sauce, increase the sauce ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker.
A piece of honey sesame chicken on a fork.

Make Ahead and Storage

  • Make Ahead: To prep crockpot sesame chicken ahead of time, cube and season the chicken. Place it in an airtight storage bag in the fridge overnight. Whisk the sauce ingredients in an airtight container and store them in the fridge overnight. Then, prepare the recipe as directed.
  • Storage: Store the cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to four weeks.
Slow cooker sesame chicken on white rice.

More Crockpot Recipes

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken with white rice.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken recipe is sweet, spicy, and easy to make! Serve it over rice or noodles for an easy weeknight meal.
4.46 from 118 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put the cubed chicken in a greased or lined slow cooker.
  • In a small bowl, mix together honey, low-sodium soy sauce, barbecue sauce, olive oil, minced onion, minced garlic, sesame oil, and crushed red peppers. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
  • Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Start checking the temperature of the chicken after 3 hours and cook until the chicken reaches 165˚F. Or cook it on high for 1 1/2-2 hours and start temping the chicken after 1 1/2 hours.
  • Remove the chicken from the crockpot and pour the sauce into a saucepan. Combine the cold water and cornstarch before stirring it 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 the sauce, and break any large pieces into smaller chunks. Stir to coat while simmering.
  • Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over rice or noodles.
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Notes

Store the cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to four weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 | Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1199mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Author: Tonia Larson

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About Tonia Larson

Hi! I’m Tonia, the owner and recipe creator at The Gunny Sack, where I’ve shared easy recipes for busy people for 14+ years! My family-friendly meals, easy side dishes, and delicious desserts include mouthwatering photos, dynamic videos, and step-by-step instructions to help you cook at home.

Comments

    4.46 from 118 votes (99 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Alexandra says

    5 stars
    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?

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  2. Amber says

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply

  3. Kristin says

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply

      • Natasha says

        Hi Tonia! I tried this but had some trouble making the coating thick at the end. Any suggestions? More cornstarch? thanks!

        Reply

        • 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

          Reply

  5. Kathy says

    I’m so excited to try this! I put soy sauce on my list. I have everything but that. I mixed all of the ingredients for the sauce up except for the soy sauce and threw it in a freezer bag with the cut up chicken. I will add the soy sauce when I make it next week! The reviews look awesome and it sounds DELICIOUS!!! I hope my 4 year old likes it like Kerri’s kids did! I think I will serve it with rice and broccoli. 🙂

    Reply

  6. Kerri says

    I made this tonight and it was amazing! I didn’t have to tell my kids to sit down and eat, not once! They are 6, 4 and 2 and cleaned their plates!! New favorite! Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Judy Thurston says

      Shendy, Can you buy boneless chicken thighs anywhere doing that would probley be easier than buying them with bones in them? Hope that answered your question, Good luck?

      Reply

  8. Deborah says

    I made this tonight and it is very tasty. I cooked the chicken on high for about 2 hours and then followed the sauce direction. Then returned it all into the crockpot to cook a little more until dinner time.

    Reply

    • Tonia says

      Hi Jessey,
      I have not, but I’m sure they would work. You would just have to adjust the cook time and cut the chicken into pieces after they cook. Let me know how it turns out!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

  11. Lindse Mowery says

    I can’t wait to try this!!!!……one question do you think that you could sub like a pork tenderloin in for the chicken if you want red meat instead? Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Tonia says

      Thanks Lindse! I’ve never tried it with pork tenderloin, but I’ve seen people make it with steak. I think it would delicious that way and I would love to hear how it turns out.

      Reply

  12. Jessica Young says

    Hello… I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was AH-mazing!!! A total hit with the hubby, and we are putting it on the list of favorites to make on a regular basis. My chicken came out super juicy and the sauce was perfection! The only thing I did different from your recipe was leaving the sauce in the crock pot after removing the chicken, I added in flour and wisked it to get it ever-so slightly thickened. I cooked it for 4 hours on low and it was awesome!

    Thanks so much for adding to my crock pot arsenal 🙂

    PS… I use Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce too 😉

    Reply

  13. Melissa says

    I made this for dinner tonight and followed the recipe exactly and the chicken was crazy dry!!!! First thing I’ve made in years that my husband did not like! So disappointed because it LOOKED like it would have been delicious!

    Reply

    • Tonia says

      What a disappointment! It’s so hard when a meal doesn’t turn out the way you were expecting, especially when those you are serving it to don’t like it. I’ve made it twice and my family loved it both times. I’m trying to figure out why it didn’t work for you. Would you mind telling me what size and brand slow cooker you used? And did you cook the chicken on high or low?

      Reply

        • Tonia says

          Thanks for the information! I’m using my Crock-Pot from the 1990’s since my new one cracked. Once I buy a new Crock Pot, I’ll try making this again to see if I get the same results or if there is a difference in how the two cook.

          Reply

  15. Dominique says

    I made this tonight for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! I will definitely be making it again for my family and I. The only thing I had a problem with was the sauce thickening. I even added extra cornstarch and even after us eating and being off the heat for 20+ minutes it still wasn’t thick. It really didn’t make a difference because it was still so good. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  16. Vicky says

    Hi Tonia,

    This looks amazing! I’m definitely going to try this. I was just wondering if you think I could freeze the leftovers. Would you leave out the cornstarch step and do it after defrosting?

    Thanks.

    Reply

    • Tonia says

      Hi Vicky,
      I don’t have a lot of experience with freezing food because I have a tiny freezer and we usually eat our leftovers from the fridge. When I do freeze leftovers, I often forget about them in the freezer. 🙂 But I think that it would work better to freeze it with the sauce to keep the chicken moist in the freezer. Best of luck!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

  17. Heidi says

    So found this recipe online last night and decided to make this tonight for dinner. I went strictly by the recipe and it the chicken is so dry, I’m having to make a Chinese dinner run for dinner. My husband came to the conclusion it was the BBQ sauce. What BBQ sauce did you use for the recipe? I used what we had in the fridge, which is probably not the same as what you used. My suggestion would be adding the brand names to the items you used. By version came out looking NOTHING like what yours looks like in the picture. My first meal disaster, ever.

    Reply

    • Tonia says

      Hi Heidi, I’m so sorry that it didn’t turn out for you like it did for us! I used Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce and I changed the cooking time in the recipe for now. I have a really old Crock Pot (because my new one cracked) so I wonder if that has anything to do with it? I will try making it again this week to double check my recipe and report back.
      ~Tonia

      Reply

      • Heidi says

        That’s interesting, we used the same brand. So it probably is the difference in crock pots. I probably should’ve let cook for less time. I will be trying this again!!! Feel free to let me know if you figure out the timing!

        Reply

        • Tonia says

          Alrighty, I made this chicken again and I think there are two reasons for the overcooked chicken. The first is the cooking time. It was ready in 4 hours. (The first time I made it, I cooked it for 6 hours, but that is overkill and probably has to do with my antique Crock Pot.) It only needs 3 1/2 – 4 hours on low (depending on your Crock Pot) so keep an eye on it. The second is the size of the chicken pieces. The smaller you cut them, the faster it will cook. Mine were 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes when I put them in the Crock Pot. The pieces that were still big after being cooked, I cut into smaller pieces when I added them to the thickened sauce in the saucepan. Thanks for letting me know about the issue, Heidi, and I hope it turns out for you the next time!

          Reply

  19. Amy | Club Narwhal says

    Tonia, I’m always looking for good crock pot recipes (especially when it’s too hot to turn on my oven) and this looks perfect! I love the flavors you use in this 🙂

    Reply