Sesame Honey Chicken recipe is a slow cooker version of a classic takeout dish.
At best, the original recipe for this Sesame Ginger Chicken was ok.
I just found it quite bland. Like "eh, I could totally throw this away and not ever think about this dish again if I wasn't so against wasting food"
How could I make this better and make it worth eating?
Woah now! Before you immediately click out of this recipe, I have a point. And my point is not that fish sauce is delicious and you should put it on everything.
Fish sauce is, for lack of a better word, gross. I love fish, all seafood for that matter, but a fishy sauce? No thank you!
But fish sauce is great for adding depth or complexity to a dish.
I know I know: you don't know where to buy fish sauce or maybe you don't want to buy it. I have solutions for both...
First, fish sauce is found in a lot of major grocery stores, not just your Asian food stores.
Obviously, there are probably better options at the Vietnamese, Thai, and/or Chinese groceries but the fish sauce in your regular grocery store's Asian or ethnic section is perfectly suitable.
I'm sure there will be some people who can't find fish sauce or are opposed to buying it, so I did some experimenting...
After a thorough search, I decided on soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice or rice vinegar as some additions to the sauce to help improve its drab flavor.
Results:
I like the fish sauce best but a combination of soy & Worcestershire sauce with a touch of lime juice or rice vinegar is a close second.
Either way, this is really quite tasty.
Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.25 pound chicken breast, tenders, or thighs
- 8 oz carrots chopped
- 4 mushrooms chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger {from about ½" piece of peeled ginger}
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic {about 3 cloves}
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce divided
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1-½ teaspoon sesame oil divided
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce {see Notes for alternative}
- ½ cup cold water
- 2-½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger optional
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted
- 4 cups cooked brown rice for serving
Instructions
- Put chicken in base of slow-cooker, then top with carrots, msuhrooms, bell peppers, and celery. Sprinkle with ginger and garlic.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup chicken broth {or water}, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, honey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, and salt. Pour over chicken & vegetables.
- Cover slow-cooker and cook on Low for 6 hours.
- When chicken is done, use a slotted spoon and take the chicken & vegetables out of the slow cooker. Put them in a bowl, and set aside.
- Put a fine mesh strainer over a saucepan, and pour the sauce from the slow-cooker into the saucepan. {The strainer keeps any vegetable or chicken pieces that you might have missed from getting into the sauce.}
- Stir in fish sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce & ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Whisk together ½ cup cold water and cornstarch, and pour into sauce. {Add the optional garlic powder & ground ginger here if you are using them}
- Whisk constantly until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, and either pour sauce over chicken & veggies or add chicken & veggies to sauce. Toss gently to coat.
- Serve the sauce-covered chicken & veggies over cooked brown rice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Serve any additional sauce on the side.
Notes
*This can be gluten free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce or alternative.
*This is based off this recipe from Pillsbury
*Nutrition Facts calculated including 1 cup of rice per serving.
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