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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tips For Making Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
- 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.
- 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.
- For extra sauce, increase the sauce ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker.
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.
More Crockpot Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
- Slow Cooker French Dip
- Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Meatballs
- Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed or chicken thighs
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers more or less as desired
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
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.
Lindsay K says
I know this recipe has been on Pinterest for a while but I tried it today and it was a recipe fail for me. Is it normal for a crock pot to have a setting for 2 hours on low? Would 2 hours on low actually completely cook the chicken? Maybe I read that wrong. Tried to cook mine on the shortest low setting… Turned out over cooked and extremely dry. It’s looks like people have had a lot of luck with this recipe. I’m a little surprised by that. Didn’t really care for the flavor. Ingredients were not cheap and it was kind of a lot of work for a crockpot recipe.
Gail says
This recipe grabbed me, because I wanted to make something really easy tonight. I was feeling super lazy. I threw the boneless, skinless chicken into the pot frozen. Since I live alone, I used about a pound of chicken and half the sauce. I recently purchased a rice cooker at Costco, and it has a slow cooker feature. I cooked the chicken on high for 2 hours, and it was definitely done. I removed the chicken and cut it up. While I was doing that, I put 4 cups of carrots and broccoli and half an onion in the pot (in the sauce) on high. The veggies were done after about 20 minutes. How easy does it get? I stirred everything together and served it over rice. This was an acceptable meal, but it is missing something. I have a similar recipe that I make with chicken wing drumettes, and it is cooked on the stove top. The other recipe is much better for some reason. It is called Asian Glazed Drumsticks. I think that recipe is better, because the chicken is cooked on the bone. I think bone marrow helps to thicken the sauce. Still, if I was feeling lazy again some day, and if I had everything on hand to make this, I would make it again.
Jodi says
This turned out great! I had to use half the honey, as that is all I had, and 4 lb. of chicken for our large family, but there was enough glaze to coat everything and plenty to spare. The rest of the recipe I followed exactly and we loved it! Well, I didn’t cut the chicken thighs, so we ended up with shredded chicken, which was just fine. We will make this again!
Shannon says
I just made this and HOLY COW I am never doing Chinese take out again. I didn’t use as much honey as prescribed, but upped the red pepper flakes, and added some chopped carrots, peppers and onions to the pot toward the end. This made for a really soupy liquid that I reduced in a saucepan to a BOMB glaze, which took longer than expected but I never did it before. I think it would’ve been fine without adding corn starch, as well (I ended up adding masa – was what I had on hand and didn’t affect the taste).
I’m pumped to try different types of sauces and meats now :).
Thank you!
Tonia says
Woohoo! Sounds perfect! ~Tonia
Dana says
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit with the hubby. Turned out perfect. I served it with Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba (The Pickled Plum Blog).
Barbara says
made this tonight and it was amazing!! thanks for a great recipe, will be making this again
Sardrellas says
Let me offer a faster, better tasting, not-completely-dry alternative to this recipe that comes out in 30 minutes, not 4 hours. I like the choice of ingredients for the sake of flavor, but this recipe has failed to deliver moisture and flavor by taking advantage of the ingredients it calls for. I’ve done this six times now, and the food has always turned out dry, no matter what I do to it. Always.
Do NOT use a slow cooker for chicken cut that small. Pan fry it instead on a medium heat.
Do NOT marinate the chicken, especially chicken that’s been cut that small. You will absolutely dry the chicken out if you do that as a result of it’s size. Obviously, the smaller the cut, the faster and crispier your food is supposed to get. Following that rule retains the natural moisture produced by fresh chicken as well. This moisture is removed if you marinate it beforehand. It’s far superior to butterfly it, cut it into slightly larger slivers, and cook it into a pan that’s already got a powerful mixture of vegetables and oils going.
Do NOT cut it into cubes. Butterfly it and then cut it into diagonal slivers instead (sort of like a super thick julienne), so the center retains it’s moisture as a result of the chicken being primarily cooked from the sides. Cubes will apply heat to the center of the meat at every angle evenly and make it much easier to dry the meat out. Slivers are the way to go.
Do NOT add the honey to a cold mixture before hand. You’re not taking advantage of the Honey’s flavors by adding it so early. Instead, coat the food with honey once it’s already mostly done cooking in the pan (5’ish minutes before serving).
Do NOT mix anything solid, such as onions, garlic, or peppers into a cold mixture of liquids, such as soy sauce, barbecue sauce, etc.
Replace barbecue sauce with brown sugar, tomato ketchup, worcestershire sauce, freshly caramelized red onions (or better yet, scallions), paprika, minced garlic cloves, freshly ground Sea Salt and Pepper Corns, and cider vinegar of your choice. I’m not naming out measurements because it’s generally better to let the person cooking measure ingredients to taste, and a lot of them should be self explanatory. Combine the onions and garlic with olive oil into a frying pan, season with the salt and pepper, caramelize, add the other spices, then the sauces and ketchup, and you’re done. The difference between doing this fresh and buying barbecue sauce is night and day, and it’s not difficult to make anyways.
ABSOLUTELY do NOT use cornstarch! There is NO NEED to rely on this ingredient to thicken the sauce! Instead, cook the vegetables and liquids in a saucepan BEFORE adding the chicken in order to reduce them into more of a glaze! This coats the rice better and has an infinitely superior flavor.
Definitely keep the sesame seeds and onions uncooked for the end of the dish though. I like that.
===PROCEDURE===
After making your barbecue sauce as instructed above, deglaze the frying pan with rice wine. Have your chicken slivers already prepped and season the raw meat with salt and pepper of your choosing. DO NOT marinate it. Chicken that’s already been cut thin WILL DRY OUT if you marinate or boil it. You MUST fry it to retain it’s moisture!
Add olive oil to the pan and get it to a medium heat BEFORE adding the chopped onions, garlic, salt, and pepper to your deglazed pan. Add sesame oil after the mixture starts sizzling and keep it on a medium heat.
Add your crushed red peppers (and optionally some julienne bell peppers) right as your onions start changing color. After they’ve been caramelized, you can add your barbecue sauce. This works because the barbecue sauce’s solids are already softened and cooked, just like the fresh onions in your pan. In other words, combining the sesame flavors with the sweeter barbecue flavors will be a lot easier because you’re combining them before adding your chicken.
Crank up the heat a little bit right before adding your chicken. You want to cook it rapidly so that the center gets to it’s safe temperature of 160F, while still not having enough time to dry out in the pan. If you do this correctly, the chicken should be between not crisp and just barely crisping. The entire thing should be white all the way through, but have a pinkish glow to it. This doesn’t take but a few minutes to achieve.
Use a rubber spatula to serve the entire mixture of chicken and vegetables over rice of your choosing. I prefer short grain to medium grain rice, washed before hand, pressure cooked with cardamom pods and star anise. After cooking, you can add chia seeds, pre-melted butter, and perhaps a little bit of salt.
Sprinkle over your green/spring onions and sesame seeds, then serve.
Far superior moisture, more intense flavors, easier and faster to cook, and there’s less cleaning up to do afterwards.
I apologize if it sounds like I’m being rude. I just see and experienced a mass of mistakes in this recipe, and I feel obligated to offer a better alternative to it. You certainly can slow cook chicken, but usually only with the bone still in there and if it’s still whole.
Kim says
Omg, if you don’t like the recipe, post your own. This was for a slow cooker recipe, not yours!
Shannon says
😂😂😂 my thoughts exactly!
Angel says
Omg I agree!! Plus I make chicken in the crock pot all the time. Sometimes I brown it first a bit sometimes not. Cubes, slivers, diced, shredded, sliced? Who cares. This recipe seems just fine to me, if not then just scroll on past or write your own. I love it when people criticize a recipe yet they changed it so much that it’s not even the same dish anymore!! Smh!
Eirlys says
You’re a piece of work aren’t you?
ghetonda mosley-shertzer says
OMG!!!!!! if u can’t say something nice!!! just shut-up!!!
go post some where else!!!
Lauren says
My whole family LOVED this recipe! Everyone asked for second helpings 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
Tonia says
Oh yay!!! I love hearing that!
Lisa says
This is a great easy dish and my family Loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe we even used chicken pieces keeping this recipe
Karen Iaquinto says
Is the recipe for the honey sesame chicken?
Diana says
My crockpot is out of commission – can this be made on the stovetop as well? If yes what cook-time/heat would you recommend?
Sardrellas says
Yes it can. I posted a lengthy explanation of how to do it correctly. The comment is awaiting approval, so stick around and see if you can find it soon.
ghetonda mosley-shertzer says
i read ur lengthy reply!!!
OMG!!!!! keep ur mouth shut!!
if u can NOT say something nice do NOT say anything at all!!!
WHO DIED & LEFT U IN CHARGE???????
Dee Sund says
I can’t understand all these negative responses to someone who has another idea. I personally like it very much when anyone offers another idea for a recipe. I have read many responses on the many food blogs that I am subscribed to. Unless they are insulting or totally ‘off the wall’, I am happy to read alternatives. I have been in the medical field for much of my life and I have sent criticisms to some who include Canola oil in recipes. The only oil that exceeds canola in being detrimental to the human body is Soybean oil . It is an endocrine disrupter that affects the master gland known as the Thyroid, and therefore throws the entire endocrine system into a panic mode. Canola oil, BTW “there is no such thing’, is derived from the rapeseed plant , which is so poisonous that no animal, wild or domestic will eat it. This oil is extracted by heat and a solvent called hexane, which is a product of anti-freeze. Any oil that is heat extracted is detrimental to the body. Canola is also a ‘Mega trans fat’ after the processing. People need information and I feel sure that this person was only trying to be helpful.
jennifer groulx says
do u have to use sesame oil I priced it expensive can I use regular veg oil will it taste different need to know making 2 night thanks jen
Tonia says
You can leave the sesame oil out if you want but it provides a lot of flavor, so you can’t substitute it with vegetable oil. Best of luck! ~Tonia
Amanda says
If you go to the right store, you can get cheaper sesame oil. The stuff I got is a mixture of soybean and sesame oil, and it was really cheap (and tastes great)
Sophie says
I made this last night as my first ever attempt at a slow cooker recipe and we absolutely loved it!!! The sauce is sweet but countered by the crushed pepper spice. I will definitely make this again!
Briannarae23@yahoo.com says
I did this on the stovetop In about 20 min, used real onions, and sriacha instead of olive oil. DELISH!
Clare says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I have a very picky eater and he loved it. I made it with boneless/skinless chicken breast. The sauce was very tasty. Served over rice with steamed broccoli and carrots. It was very easy to make and plan to make again and again.
Thanks for sharing!
Tonia says
Wonderful! Thanks for stopping back to let me know!
McCayla says
Everyone who wrote a poor review for this recipe either butchered the meal on their own accord…..or they are simply missing their tastebuds. The chicken was juicy and soft with only 2 hours of cooking on low. I made broccoli as a side dish instead of rice, but there was a little bit of extra sauce so if you don’t mind the extra calories I would definitely recommend making this with rice. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! Printing out the recipe and will no doubt be making again!
Kristin says
Followed the directions except for the thickening of the sauce at the end, and the flavor was decent, but my chicken was super dry. The first time I’ve ever cooked chicken in the crock pot and it came out dry. I can see in the comments quite a few people had that issue too.. I don’t know what it could be. I cooked the chicken on low for 4 hours, my guess is that was way too much time? Disappointed.
Reggie says
This recipe is terrible. Chicken got way over cooked and the sauce was not tasty either. Very disappointed.
Tonia says
I’m sorry that it didn’t turn out for you! It’s so disappointing when that happens.
Cindy says
I posted before I had the chance to give you your stars. LOL
Cindy says
Just made this tonight for my family. Everyone loved it! Great recipe! I have now added it to my favorites! Thank you!
Cindy