Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

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Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

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Sweet honey and sesame sauce smothering this Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken is an easy family-favorite and so easy it will become a new staple recipe in your rotation! 

slow cooker honey sesame chicken with rice in a bowl with a jar of honey faded in the background.

Really good things are happening around here. For one thing, a last minute trip to Las Vegas for a few days with our friends kind of came out of nowhere and changed our week for the better. Warm weather was desperately needed by all of us, especially me, and not just because I felt like my skin was so colorless it was glowing in the dark. Seriously though. Paste-y to the max. For some reason last summer while I was pregnant with the twin kidlets I did not tan, I just fried and peeled all season long. Anyone else have that experience?? So unlike me. I usually tan tan tan in the summer sun but last year the sun and my skin were not friends.

Needless to say, some sunshine was needed. For my skin, and for my so-done-with-winter mood.

a honey dipper with honey on top being held above a jar of honey.

Other good things that are happening? Some pretty amazing dinner things, not the least of which was the Thai curry steak noodle bowls. Ohmagosh. so. good. But the slow cooker dish I’m sharing today has to be one of my favorites – both slow cooker and just dinner, period – ever ever.

close up top view of slow cooker honey sesame chicken with a serving spoon in a serving pan.


If I could fill an entire pool with this honey sesame sauce, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy my cravings. It is that good. Very flavorful, but not overbearingly sweet or anything, just kind of a perfect blend of flavors. And not spicy – for those of you who cringe when you think of digging into that slow cooker firecracker chicken. (I looooove that stuff something fierce)

slow cooker honey sesame chicken with rice in a bowl with a jar of honey with a honey dipper in it in the background.

This chicken dish is really simple and easy to make. You whip up a sauce, saute your chicken over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then throw it all in the crockpot and come back a few hours later to the most delicious smelling and tasting dinner you could dream of.

close up top view of slow cooker honey sesame chicken and rice in a bowl.

And the sauce is a bit customizable. I wrote it exactly how I like it but if you make it once and then want to play with the flavors a bit the next time you could up the amount of sesame oil, or increase or decrease the amount of honey. Or, if you do happen to want to heat things up a tad, you can add a little sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes. But don’t add too much, you don’t want to overpower those incredible honey and sesame flavors!

a pair of chopsticks holding a piece of slow cooker honey sesame chicken above a bowl of chicken and rice with a jar of honey with a honey dipper inside in the background.

What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

“I made this tonite for dinner. I used my thermal cooker (off the grid). It turned out so tender and the rice was so fluffy in my cooker. My husband and I both loved it and will make it again. Thank you so much.” – Joni

“This was great! It tasted better than what you get at a Chinese restaurant. Definitely will make again.” – Laura

“I nailed it😀 It turned out perfect . I did add some fried wonton chips and green onion When I served it. Added Sriracha to the sauce. Also since I had 4 chicken Breasts I increased the sauce . Yummy 😋” – Darlene

“Really delicious! Even my toddler who is extremely picky said ‘mmm good!’ Thank you!” – Lauren

If you liked this recipe, you’ll love my Sticky Sesame Chicken!

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken | Creme de la Crumb
4.77 from 93 votes

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Slow cooked chicken with sweet honey and sesame sauce – an easy family-favorite with perfect flavor.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
0 minutes
Total: 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 3 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • cup corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ cup cold water + 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • sesame seeds, for topping

Instructions 

  • Chop chicken into 2 inch pieces. Add to a large resealable bag and add corn starch. Seal and shake to coat chicken.
  • Drizzle a large skillet with the oil and preheat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 1-2 minutes (just to brown the very outside, chicken should not be cooked through) and remove from heat. Add to a greased slow cooker.
  • Whisk together the cold water and corn starch til dissolved. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ketchup, and rice vinegar and whisk to combine.
  • Poor sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 3 hours. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat!

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a star rating or comment below!
Tiffany of Creme de la Crumb in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hey there, I’m Tiffany – chef, photographer, mother, and avid taco eater. I am passionate about turning simple flavors and ingredients into tasty meals the whole family will love, with minimal prep and cleanup so there’s more time to spend eating and enjoying. Stay awhile, and help yourself to a taco or two!

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106 Comments

  1. Linda says:

    Hi! I’m giving this recipe a try tonight. I’m a but confused and I’m hoping someone can reply to this pretty quickly. Although, I know it’s a long shot.

    The ingredients say “1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce”. What does 1/4 cup mean?

    1. Jean says:

      1/4 cup = 4 Tablespoons .. so 4 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons = 6 Tablespoons total

  2. Strobi says:

    4 stars
    Hi , today i tried your recipe. It sounds delicious … But i made a big mistake, i took all the corn starch to mix it up 🙁 it was like jello…. 🙁 i will try it again with only 2 tablespoon…:D the taste was good!
    Thx for the recipe greetings from germany:)

  3. Sophie says:

    This turned out kinda tasting like sweet ketchup and kinda soggy.. looked really good though

  4. Donna says:

    Hello. This looks great; however can it be cooked for 2 hrs on high instead of the 3 hrs on low? Or would this make the flesh tough? I only have 2 hrs when I get home to make dinner for partner and 3.5yo son. Ta.

  5. Brittany says:

    5 stars
    I made this tonight, I have actually made many of your recipes.. it was very good, I do have a question tho.. would there be something that would make the sauce more brown? Mine didn’t turn out the same color.. haha just curious if there was something I could of used more of

  6. Penny says:

    Is it possible to substitute garlic or walnut oil for the sesame oil?

  7. Rebecca says:

    5 stars
    This sounds so yummy! How would I make this normal non corn-starch chicken instead? Could I just put it straight in the crockpot?

  8. Alejandra says:

    Question: would it be possible to throw the chicken pieces in raw I’m interested in an eight hour recipe

    1. Tiffany says:

      Yes you could put them in raw, browning them first does help them to keep their shape and texture a little better. You could also do whole, frozen chicken breasts for a longer-cooking recipe and just shred the chicken at the end.

  9. kati says:

    5 stars
    This looks fantastic! I will try this receip this weekend ☺

  10. Lynn says:

    Will I be able to cut the Cook time in half by putting on high.