Slow-Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

I've come to the realization that I don't make enough use of my crockpot. I tend to make the same few easy recipes over and over. Part of the reason, I think, is that I tend to think of the crockpot as something to use during the week to save time. I load it up at night, cook overnight, and then pack the food up for lunch and take it to work. Since I only have the morning to complete the last steps of the meal, I tend to make recipes that go right from crockpot to plate with little other necessary intervention. It's always seemed like cheating to use the crockpot on the weekend, since I actually have time to prepare a "real meal." I'm slowly coming to realize that crockpot meals are real meals, too, and it can be quite freeing to make them on the weekend! This is one recipe that caught my eye recently (along with another I'll be sharing soon - chicken tacos), and helped me reclaim a little time on a busy weekend afternoon.

Enjoy this sweet and slightly spicy easy slow-cooker meal!

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Source: Slightly adapted from The Dainty Chef
Yield: Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce.
4. Dissolve cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
5. Shred chicken or cut into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve chicken over rice or noodles, garnish with sesame seeds.