Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This one is in my regular rotation and my family requests it constantly. It tastes like takeout and costs a fraction of the price.

Slow cooker honey sesame chicken is the weeknight dinner that makes everyone think you put in way more effort than you actually did. Chicken goes in the slow cooker with a sweet and savory sauce built from soy sauce, honey, gochujang, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic and cooks low and slow until it shreds perfectly. The sauce gets thickened with a quick cornstarch slurry, broccoli goes in for the last 30 minutes, and then ramen noodles tossed through right at the end soak up everything in the slow cooker and coat every strand in that glossy, slightly spicy, deeply flavorful sauce. Topped with sesame seeds and green onions and served immediately. My family clears the slow cooker every single time.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• The sauce builds all day in the slow cooker and produces a rich, glossy, deeply flavored result that tastes specifically like a great takeout sauce without any of the actual takeout.
• Gochujang in the sauce adds a slightly fermented, complex heat and depth that makes this taste specifically more interesting than a standard honey sesame chicken. It's the ingredient that makes people ask what's in it.
• Ramen noodles tossed directly into the finished sauce at the end are the shortcut that makes this a complete meal in one slow cooker with almost no extra work.
• This is genuinely a set-it-and-forget-it dinner. Everything except the noodles happens in one vessel and dinner is ready when you get home.

Ingredients Needed to Make Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

The Chicken and Sauce

Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cook directly in the sauce and shred easily after 3 to 4 hours on low. Low sodium soy sauce is the savory backbone. Honey adds natural sweetness and helps create the glossy sauce finish. Gochujang adds a slightly fermented, complex, mildly spicy depth. Sesame oil adds a nutty, aromatic richness. Ketchup adds a slight sweetness and body. Finely diced shallot and yellow onion build aromatic depth. Ginger paste, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper layer the seasoning throughout.

The Finish

A cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce into something glossy and coating. Fresh or frozen broccoli added after shredding cooks down in the sauce and absorbs all that flavor. Maruchan ramen noodles cooked separately and tossed through at the very end complete the meal. Sesame seeds and sliced green onions finish every bowl.

How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Step 1: Load the Slow Cooker

Add the chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, shallot, and garlic. Pour in the soy sauce, honey, gochujang, ketchup, and sesame oil. Add all the seasonings and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.

Step 2: Shred and Thicken

Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Mix the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and stir into the sauce. Return the shredded chicken and add the broccoli. Cook on low for 30 minutes for fresh broccoli or up to 1 hour for frozen.

Step 3: Add the Noodles and Serve

Boil and drain the ramen noodles according to the package. Add them to the slow cooker and switch to warm. Toss until every noodle is evenly coated. Top with sesame seeds and green onions and serve immediately.

Storing and Reheating

Store the chicken and sauce separately from any leftover noodles if possible since the noodles continue absorbing the sauce as they sit and can become very soft overnight. The chicken and sauce keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the chicken on the stovetop over medium-low heat or microwave on medium power in 60-second intervals. Cook fresh ramen noodles when serving leftovers for the best texture.

How to Serve Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Serve immediately after tossing the noodles through while everything is still hot and the sauce is at its glossiest. Extra sesame seeds and green onions piled on top make every bowl look specifically good. A drizzle of extra sesame oil over the finished bowl adds an extra aromatic richness. For another easy slow cooker dinner that rotates well with this one, the Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Chicken covers a similar sweet savory format with a completely different flavor direction.

Alexandrea

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This slow cooker honey sesame chicken cooks chicken in a sweet and savory soy honey gochujang sauce then shreds it with broccoli and ramen noodles for an easy flavorful weeknight dinner.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Servings: 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  

• 1.5-2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon gochujang sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 shallot finely diced
• ½ yellow onion diced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1-2 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon cold water
• Diced broccoli
• 2-3 packs ramen noodles maruchan
• Green onion for garnish

Method

 

1. First, add chicken to the bottom of crockpot.
2. Next, add diced onions, shallots, and minced garlic.
3. Then, add soy sauce, honey, gochujang sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and seasonings listed above.
4. Cover the crockpot with the lid, and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from slow cooker and shred the chicken.
6. Add cornstarch slurry (mix 2 tablespoon corn starch, and 2 tablespoon cold water until well combined and no clumps are present), into slow cooker and mix together.
7. Next add chicken back into crockpot, and fresh broccoli. Let it cook for an additional 30 minutes to let the broccoli soften. If the broccoli is frozen, I recommend letting it cook for 45-1 hour additional.
8. While the broccoli is cooking in the slow cooker with the chicken, boil water for the ramen noodles.
9. When the water is boiling, add ramen noodles and cook based on what is listed on the packaging.
10. Once the noodles are cooked, remove from pasta water and add to slow cooker. Turn temperature down to warm on slow cooker, and mix the noodles together until the sauce has an even coat on the noodles.
11. Top with additional sesame seeds and green onions for garnish.
12. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Chicken thighs produce a juicier, more deeply flavored result than chicken breasts in the slow cooker and are more forgiving if they cook a little longer than planned. Either works but thighs are specifically recommended for the best texture after shredding.
• The gochujang is what gives this sauce its slightly fermented, complex heat that makes it taste specifically more interesting than a standard honey sesame sauce.
• Don't skip it and don't substitute regular hot sauce since it won't produce the same depth.
• Add the cornstarch slurry after removing the chicken and before adding the broccoli so it has time to thicken the sauce properly before the noodles go in at the end.
• Add the ramen noodles right before serving and switch immediately to warm. Noodles sitting in a hot slow cooker absorb the sauce quickly and can become soft and bloated.
• Serve immediately for the best texture.