Slow-Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

One of our favorite  guilty pleasures is to order sesame chicken from the local chinese restaurant. Some days you are just too tired to cook and want chinese take out. I came across this recipe that has a lot of the same flavors and uses the infamous crock pot to make it almost as easy as ordering take out. I am always looking for recipes for my crock pot that aren't a stew or shredded so this fit those requirements. It is a combination of sweet from the honey and a little spice from the red pepper flakes. Served over brown rice with some steamed vegetables makes a complete faux chinese take out dinner.

Slow-Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Serves 4
Source: Foodie with Family

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup minced onion

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 Tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 cup of water

Hot cooked brown rice

Sesame seeds

Scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Very lightly season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them in the slow cooker.

Whisk the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola and sesame oils, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes together in a mixing bowl and pour over the chicken thighs. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a rimmed plate or bowl and cover lightly with foil, leaving the pan juices in the slow cooker.

Stir the cornstarch into the water with a fork or small whisk until dissolved. Whisk the mixture into the pan juices in the slow cooker. Re-cover the slow-cooker and turn the heat to high. Let it cook and thicken for 15 minutes.

Carefully transfer the chicken back into the slow-cooker. Serve the pieces of chicken over the hot cooked rice, spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.