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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Special Diet ยป Dairy Free

    sesame honey chicken

    Published: Jan 16, 2013 ยท Updated: Mar 7, 2017 ยท Post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Much healthier than take-out and made in your slow cooker!

    Crock-Pot Sesame Honey Chicken from Living Well Kitchen blog @memeinge

    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?

    Crock-Pot Sesame Honey Chicken from Living Well Kitchen blog @memeinge

    I remembered there was some fish sauce in my refrigerator from when I made kimchi a while back.

    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.

    It's perfect in this boring sesame honey chicken! {And I changed the name from Sesame Ginger Chicken to Sesame Honey Chicken because the ginger is not very pronounced in this dish}

    Crock-Pot Sesame Honey Chicken from Living Well Kitchen blog @memeinge

    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 are perfectly suitable. {I found mine at Walmart & Whole Foods. They also sell it online.}

    Make sure you buy fish sauce with a short list of ingredients: fish or anchovy, salt, water

    Please do not buy one that has MSG! Please! That stuff is evil! {Yes, I am dramatic, but whatev}

    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 google 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 you go, this is really quite tasty.

    Crock-Pot Sesame Honey Chicken from Living Well Kitchen blog @memeinge

    Plus, it is so much better for you than your typical take-out food. It's 260 calories per serving {without rice} or 420 calories with rice.

    And it has less than 550mg sodium and under 13g sugar. All of which are pretty impressive considering the alternative - takeout usually has over 1000mg sodium and tons of added sugar!

    I will forwarn you that it does take a few extra minutes of effort than the other slow-cooker recipes I've been posting. But it's definitely worth the effort to make the thick sauce that goes over the chicken & veggies!

    Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Chicken

    Much healthier than take-out and made in your slow cooker!
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    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Meme

    Ingredients

    • 1 to 1.25 lb. chicken breast or tenders {skinless thighs work too}
    • 8 oz . carrots {about 3 large} chopped
    • 4 mushrooms chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper chopped
    • 1 celery stalk
    • 1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger {from about ยฝ" piece of peeled ginger}
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic {about 3 cloves}
    • ยฝ cup chicken broth or water
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce divided
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • 1-ยฝ teaspoon sesame oil divided
    • ยฝ teaspoon Sriracha sauce
    • ยผ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon fish sauce {see Notes for alternative}
    • ยฝ cup cold water
    • 2-ยฝ teaspoon cornstarch
    • ยผ teaspoon garlic powder optional
    • ยผ 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 โ…” 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 & ยฝ teaspoon sesame oil. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.
    • Whisk together ยฝ 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

    *In place of fish sauce, use ยฝ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce + ยผ teaspoon rice vinegar or lime juice. Taste and add a little more as needed.
    *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.
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo
    IMG_1852
    Straining the sauce

    Meme

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    Meme (a brunette female) is holding umbrella and spinning around in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing a denim jacket, skirt, and blue shoesHi, I'm Meme, a thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist from Alabama living in San Diego. Here to help you enjoy food, feel better in your body at any size, and live free of diets & shame.
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