Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken

Confession: There are no sesame seeds in my version of this recipe.  So technically I should call this more like Honey-Soy Chicken, BUT I did intend for there to be sesame seeds, and next time {if I remember to purchase them at the grocery store...}, there will be :)  In the the ingredients, I included the sesame seeds to help you remember to buy them at the store, and so that you can actually end up making Honey-SESAME chicken :)

This recipe, by the way, is delicious and way faster than most slow cooker recipes.  I only had to cook the chicken 3 1/2 hours on low and it came out perfectly.  If you want to speed it even further along, you could cook the chicken on high and lower your cooking time to about 1-1/2 hours.  Perfect for those days when you might have forgotten to defrost your meat overnight.  You can defrost during the day, throw it quickly in the slow cooker for a couple hours, go get somethings done around the house, and then come back to a delicious, home-cooked meal!

Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken

Serves 2-3 people

1-1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey

1/4 low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp. canola oil

2 tbsp. ketchup

2 tbsp. onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. water + 3-1/2 tsp. corn starch 

sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, canola oil, ketchup, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Stir.

In the crock pot, add the chicken breasts, and pour the honey-soy mixtures over top.  Turn the crock pot on low, and cook for 3-1/2 hours; or to cook the chicken faster, turn the slow cooker on high, and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, leaving the sauce behind.  Turn the heat up to high {unless you were already cooking the chicken on high, of course}.  Mix together the water and corn starch, and add the mixture to the sauce.  Stir consistently for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.  

Turn off the heat, and add the chicken back into the sauce.  Toss to combine.  Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds.

Serve with brown rice and any veggie of your choice.