Crockpot Sesame Chicken

Sweet, savory, and slightly spicy, this easy Crockpot Sesame Chicken is an easy Asian-inspired dinner with perfectly balanced flavors.

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

If you love sesame chicken, I think you’ll enjoy this easy, hands off slow cooker sesame chicken recipe. Making it in the slow cooker, the chicken turns out more like my Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken. If you prefer it more like a stir-fry, I would stick to the stove top recipe. It’s made with boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and sriracha for that balance of sweet, spicy, savory and acid. Serve it over a bowl of rice or with your favorite brown fried rice recipe.

Why This Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken Works

I’m not a fan of sweet foods as a main dish unless they’re balanced with savory and spicy flavors. In this recipe, the honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha complement each other beautifully, creating a harmonious balance without being overly sweet. After several trials, I finally nailed the perfect sweet-savory ratio without relying on too much sugar (or honey in this case).

However, some feedback since I shared this in 2013 inspired me to make a few tweaks to make it better. I reduced the tomato paste, added fresh ginger for a touch of warmth, and bumped up the sesame for extra depth. I also tested this recipe with chicken thighs, which turned out to be my favorite—juicy, flavorful, and perfect for this dish. If you prefer chicken breasts, feel free to use those instead!

What You’ll Need

Here’s the ingredients to make sesame chicken in the slow cooker. See exact measurements in the recipe card below:

• Chicken thighs or breasts: Use your preferred cut for juicy, flavorful results.
• Black pepper: Adds a subtle kick to enhance the overall flavor.
• Soy sauce: Provides a salty, umami base; tamari works great for a gluten-free option.
• Honey: Balances the saltiness with a touch of natural sweetness.
• Tomato paste: Adds depth and richness to the sauce.
• Rice wine vinegar: Brings acidity to brighten the flavors.
• Garlic: Infuses the dish with a bold, aromatic layer.
• Ginger: Adds warmth.
• Sesame oil: For that sesame flavor.
• Sriracha: For heat to balance the sweetness.
• Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce to coat the chicken perfectly.
• Water: Helps dissolve the cornstarch.
• Sesame seeds: Adds a light crunch and nutty flavor.
• Scallions: Brightens the dish with a fresh garnish.

How To Make Crockpot Sesame Chicken

Here’s the step-by-step directions, see recipe card below for the printable recipe.

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon water and sriracha. Pour over the chicken and cook on LOW 3 to 4 hours. If you are not home and need it to cook longer, it will be fine.

Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.

Serving Suggestions

• Rice – Serve this over sticky rice, jasmine rice or brown rice. For easy rice recipes try this Instant Pot Brown Rice. Cauliflower rice would make a great low-carb option.
• Vegetables – steamed or roasted broccoli, snow peas, asparagus or bok choy would be a great side.

Leftovers

For lunch the next day, I made some lettuce wraps with some leftover forbidden rice. This will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

More Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipes:

• Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
• Slow Cooker Harrisa Chicken
• Slow Cooker Maple Dijon Chicken
• Crock Pot Chicken and Black Bean Taco Salad
• Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

4.46 from 46 votes 7 Cals:232 Protein:24.5 Carbs:18.5 Fat:6.5 Sweet, savory, and slightly spicy, this easy Crockpot Sesame Chicken is an Asian-inspired dish with a perfectly balanced flavor profile for an easy weeknight dinner. Course: Dinner Cuisine: Chinese

Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 3 hours hrsTotal: 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins Print Rate Pin Save Saved! WW Points Yield: 8 Servings Serving Size: 2 /3 cup 1x2x3x

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, tamari for gluten-free
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 5 tablespoons water, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha, or more to taste
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4 medium scallions, chopped for garnish

Instructions

• Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon water and sriracha. Pour over the chicken and cook on LOW 3 to 4 hours.
• Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.
• In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.
• Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.

Notes

With Chicken Breast 3 WW points If you won’t be home, and your slow cooker doesn’t go to warm after it’s done, it should be fine leaving it on low 6 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 /3 cup, Calories: 232 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.5 g, Protein: 24.5 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 106 mg, Sodium: 808 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 11.5 g