Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Try this Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 17.3881881830741 g
- Cholesterol 15.1199999872183 mg
- Fat 21.0136496423965 g
- Fiber 3.75569981864153 g
- Protein 4.1164146082026 g
- Saturated Fat 5.9083974993048 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (247g)
- Sodium 173.768352216656 mg
- Sugar 13.6324883644325 g
- Trans Fat 1.20759278878003 g
- Calories 262 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, pepper flakes & pepper in the slow cooker. Add the chicken and stir to cover them with the sauce.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked.
- Remove the chicken from slow cooker, leaving sauce in the insert. Turn the heat to high on slow cooker.
- Whisk the cornstarch into water and pour into slow cooker. Whisk to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high 10 more minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Shred the chicken, return to the pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds & sliced green onions (if desired) and serve over rice.
Why does a slow cooker sauce sometimes taste thin and watery even after hours of simmering? Sugars like honey break down and release moisture from onions and poultry during long cooking cycles, diluting the aromatics. Balancing this requires understanding how individual components react under prolonged heat. Soy sauce provides free amino acids that drive Maillard-type reactions with sugars, producing deep savory notes, while ketchup introduces natural pectin and tomato solids that act as secondary thickeners alongside the cornstarch slurry added at the end. Adjusting the honey volume between one-half and one full cup shifts the flavor profile significantly without altering the fundamental viscosity, though higher sugar content demands closer monitoring during the final high-heat reduction phase to prevent burning along the ceramic insert walls.
Managing the Starch Slurry
Dissolving cornstarch in cold water before introducing it to the hot slow cooker prevents clumping by allowing the starch granules to hydrate evenly before gelatinization begins. Whisking this mixture directly into the leftover liquid while the machine runs on high for ten minutes activates the thickening polymers. Boiling is unnecessary; reaching a gentle simmer around 200 degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient for the starch chains to uncoil and trap free water molecules, transforming a runny pan juice into a glossy glaze that clings uniformly to shredded meat.Controlling Poultry Texture
Cooking boneless, skinless breasts on low for three to four hours protects muscle fibers from seizing and releasing all their internal moisture too rapidly. Shredding the meat only after it has rested off the heat allows the internal temperature to drop below 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which helps reabsorb surrounding cooking juices rather than squeezing them out into the fiber matrix. Frozen poultry releases additional surface water as ice crystals melt, meaning excess liquid should be partially drained or reduced longer during the final open-lid phase if the initial volume appears excessive.
