Easy Crock Pot Sesame Chicken for Busy Weeknights

Introduction

Nothing beats the convenience and flavor of a meal that practically cooks itself while you tackle your busy day. This Easy Crock Pot Sesame Chicken is your answer to midweek dinner dilemmas—delivering restaurant-quality flavor with minimal prep and cleanup. With its irresistible blend of tender chicken in a savory-sweet sesame sauce, this dish is sure to win over both adults and kids at the dinner table.

Deliciously Simple Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

This recipe is a weeknight superstar, offering the bold, delicious notes of your favorite takeout with a fraction of the work. The slow cooker transforms boneless chicken thighs or breasts into melt-in-your-mouth pieces coated with a garlicky, ginger-sesame glaze. Served over fluffy rice or your favorite veggies, it creates a complete, satisfying meal with a flavor balance that’s both familiar and exciting.

The Essential Sesame Sauce

The heart of this recipe is its sauce: a rich mix of soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame oil, thickened with a touch of cornstarch. This combination creates a glossy coating with umami depth and a touch of sweetness that perfectly complements the chicken. You can dial up the heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or add extra hoisin sauce for complexity.

Effortless Crock Pot Assembly

Making this meal couldn’t be easier. Simply whisk together the sauce ingredients, pour over the chicken in your slow cooker, and let the Crock Pot work its magic. The chicken stays juicy while soaking in the sauce, and about 30 minutes before serving, you’ll add a cornstarch slurry to thicken everything up. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and sliced green onions for a vibrant finishing touch.

Serving Suggestions for a Crowd-Pleasing Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

Pair your sesame chicken with steamed jasmine rice, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option. Stir-fried or steamed broccoli, snow peas, or bell peppers make perfect accompaniments. For a family-friendly meal, let everyone build their own bowl with their favorite toppings like chopped peanuts, extra green onions, and a dash of hot sauce.

Nutritional Information and Serving Size

This recipe yields about 4 hearty servings. Each portion (with rice) is approximately 350-400 calories, with plenty of lean protein and flavor—it’s a nutritious option that keeps both your energy and spirits high on busy nights.

Easy Crock Pot Sesame Chicken for Busy Weeknights (Recap)

Deliciously saucy, delightfully easy, and endlessly versatile, this Sesame Chicken recipe is made for busy cooks who refuse to compromise on taste or nutrition.

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this recipe to instantly generate an organized shopping list with all ingredients grouped by grocery store aisle, so you can shop efficiently and never forget a key item.

Instructions

1. Place chicken thighs or breasts in the bottom of your Crock Pot.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce (if using), and crushed red pepper flakes.
3. Pour sauce evenly over the chicken.
4. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, or on HIGH for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Remove chicken and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces.
6. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Stir the slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker.
7. Return the chicken to the Crock Pot, toss to coat with the thickened sauce, and let cook on HIGH for about 20–30 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
8. Serve hot with rice and steamed vegetables. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Weekly Meal Planning

This sesame chicken is a lifesaver when it comes to weekly meal prep! Save and schedule this recipe to make weeknight dinners a breeze. CookifyAI helps you organize meals by day, creates smart shopping lists (merging duplicate items), and helps you see where ingredients overlap for big savings and less food waste.

Benefits for busy families:

– Automatically calculates total quantities across your planned dinners
– Organizes all shopping lists by store aisle for fast, efficient trips
– Prevents missed ingredients and duplicate purchases
– Makes meal prepping for the week smoother and more predictable

Pro tip: Use CookifyAI’s scheduler for all your planned recipes to streamline your week and get a bird’s eye view of what ingredients you need—especially handy with pantry staples like soy sauce, rice, and chicken that appear in many Asian-inspired meals!

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3–4 hours (LOW) or 1.5–2 hours (HIGH)
Total Time: About 4 hours (hands-on time: 10 minutes)

This simple Crock Pot Sesame Chicken will transform your weeknight dinner routine—enjoy big flavors, family smiles, and the peace of mind that comes with effortless meal planning!