Weather: 25 degrees and a lovely pink sunrise for Valentine’s Day
What I’m listening to: Jason Mraz
I have for you today one sweet, tangy, chopstick-licking bowl of honey sesame love… made in the slow-cooker! How great is that? Easy schmeasy and a great way to add a little Asian flare to your dinner repertoire without having to order take-out. And, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m a huge chopstick fan. Asian food just doesn’t taste as good with a fork. True story. So, this is my appeal to you to spend some time with chopsticks. They’re sure to add a little adventure to your life.
All you do is put some boneless skinless chicken in the bottom of a slow-cooker, mix up a perky sauce, and pour it over top. And then you get to walk away, for several precious hours. Enjoy them -take a nap, read a book, go for a walk. Then, return to an amazing soy-laden, garlicky-sweet scent oozing into every corner of your house. Quick note: when I made the original recipe, I found it a little too sweet, so I reduced the honey in the recipe by 1/4c for you, my lovelies. Feel free to adjust it more to your liking.
Slow-Cooked Honey Sesame Chicken
Adapted from [Six Sisters’ Stuff|http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe.html]
Yields: 4-6 servings
- 8-10 chicken breast tenderloins or 4-5 chicken breast halves (thighs would also be tasty, or a combo of light and dark meat)
- Salt and pepper
- 3/4c honey
- 1/2c soy sauce
- 1/4c ketchup
- 2T canola oil
- 1/2c diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4t red pepper flakes
- 2T cornstarch dissolved in 6T COLD water
- Sesame seeds (I used about 1T)
Place chicken in the bottom of the slow-cooker (frozen chicken is ok). Season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, mix honey, soy, ketchup, oil, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set slow-cooker to low and cook, covered, for 3-4 hours (until chicken is cooked through and fork-tender).
Remove chicken from pot and set on cutting board. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Meanwhile, mix cornstarch and cold water. Whisk into pot with sauce. Change temperature to high and cook until sauce thickens. When sauce is thicker, return chicken to pot and warm through.
Sprinkle a generous amount of sesame seeds over chicken. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.