Who needs takeout when you have a Crockpot? I’m confident that’s what you’ll think after you make my Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken.
It’s incredibly easy to make, absolutely delicious, and great for meal prep or cooking for a crowd. Major winner if you ask me!
A CROCKPOT MEAL THAT CHECKS ALL THE BOXES
This Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken is truly a crockpot meal that checks all the boxes.
Easy-to-make? Check. Healthy and flavorful? Check. A meal that’s crowd-pleasing + makes for delish leftovers? Check, check, check!
What I love most about crockpot meals is how fuss-free they are. All you have to do is place your ingredients in the slow cooker, set the time and temp, and let it work its magic.
Ideal any day for anyone, but I especially think prepping meals like this will be extra helpful when Bridger and I are adjusting to life with a little one soon.
Before I go on though, let me just say I get it sometimes feels uninteresting to cook with chicken. I recently shared a post with 3 meals using chicken breast that will get you excited about dinner (click HERE to grab those recipes), and now I feel like I need to add this one to that list because it’s so good.
BETTER-FOR-YOU CREAMY SESAME CHICKEN
Like the Better-Than-Takeout Orange Chicken in my NYT Best-Seller cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats, this Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken not only tastes better-than-takeout (if you ask Bridger and I), but actually is better for you than takeout.
Restaurants tend to use not-so-great ingredients like inflammatory oils and refined sugar, but you won’t find anything like that here.
If you know me, you know my approach to cooking is nutritious but delicious and recreating classics with those better-for-you ingredients that are usually organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, GF, DF, and refined sugar-free.
This protein-packed meal is made with organic chicken breast, a lean protein that is an ideal source of amino acids and is high in essential vitamins and minerals like B6 and B12, magnesium, potassium, folate and zinc.
As if making your main in one (crock)pot wasn’t exciting enough, the Asian-inspired sauce will blow your mind. Between the nutrient-dense bone broth, fresh pineapple juice, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic and more, this is a dish you can feel good about, and after, eating.
And if you’re wondering where the creaminess comes from, it’s the subtly-savory, tasty tahini mixed in with a fresh squeeze of lime at the end.
Serve this over a bed of jasmine rice and crispy broccolini, and say goodbye to takeout. There’s just something so satisfying about a simple, healthy and flavorful meal all coming together. Hope you love it!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
For the Chicken:
- Toasted sesame oil
- Garlic cloves
- Grated ginger
- Coconut aminos
- Fresh pineapple juice
- Chicken bone broth (one of my go-to’s is Kettle & Fire)
- Rice Vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
To Finish:
- Fresh lime juice
- Tahini
To Serve:
- Cooked Jasmine Rice
- Crispy Broccolini, or cooked veggies of choice
- Toasted sesame seeds
HOW TO MAKE MY CREAMY CROCKPOT SESAME CHICKEN
To the Crockpot, add the toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, pineapple juice, bone broth, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Add in the chicken breasts, ensuring they are covered about halfway up the sides. Put the lid on and cook on “Low” for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender.
Once done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the meat.
To the cooking liquid in the crockpot, add in the fresh lime juice and tahini, whisking until smooth. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Serve over a bed of jasmine rice alongside crispy broccolini. Top with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
Leftovers of the sesame chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
A couple options for subs in this recipe include chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts and soy sauce for coconut aminos.
Ideally, you’ll want to stick to the pineapple juice for the sauce mixture, but I think you could try orange juice instead if needed. If you don’t have tahini, then try subbing for a cashew or almond butter.
For the chicken bone broth, don’t worry if you don’t have – regular broth or stock also work as a replacement. Feel free to use a vegetable bone broth/broth/stock instead of chicken-flavored, just note the final taste may be slightly different, but nothing major.
And feel free to get creative with what you serve this Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken with. Pair with your favorite rice (like jasmine, brown rice, cauliflower rice or even quinoa) and veggies, or noodles.
SHOP THIS RECIPE:
WHAT IS TAHINI?
Tahini is just a sesame seed paste. Usually made from just two / three ingredients, tahini is a blend of hulled sesame seeds, oil and sometimes salt. The texture is creamy, similar to nut butter and has a pourable consistency.
The taste is on the savory side. It has more of an earthy flavor profile but nothing overpowering. It’s a creamy, rich ingredient that’s used in both cooking and baking – one I personally love to use to add that subtle-tasting, creamy texture in this Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken recipe and even in desserts like my Chocolate Tahini Cookie Skillet.
IS IT OK TO PUT RAW CHICKEN IN A CROCKPOT OR SLOW COOKER?
Yes! It’s ok to put raw chicken in your crockpot or slow cooker. If you’re new to crockpot cooking, I get it can feel weird at first, but that’s the best part of cooking with an appliance like this. Simply put your meat, sauce mixture, veggies, etc., in the crockpot, set the temperature and time according to the recipe you’re making, and hours later you have a fully cooked meal. Just be sure to follow recipe instructions as sometimes you add various ingredients at different times.
IF YOU LOVE THIS CREAMY CROCKPOT SESAME CHICKEN, TRY SOME OF THESE EASY, HIGH-PROTEIN, HEALTHY MEALS:
Creamy Crockpot Sesame Chicken
Equipment
- Crockpot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice
- 3/4 cup chicken bone broth, one of my go-to’s is Kettle & Fire
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
To Finish:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
To Serve:
- Cooked Jasmine Rice
- Crispy Broccolini, or cooked veggies of choice
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- To the Crockpot, add the toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, pineapple juice, bone broth, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
- Add in the chicken breasts, ensuring they are covered about halfway up the sides. Put the lid on and cook on “Low” for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender.
- Once done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the meat.
- To the cooking liquid in the crockpot, add in the fresh lime juice and tahini, whisking until smooth. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Serve over a bed of jasmine rice alongside crispy broccolini (recipe on my site). Top with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
- Leftovers of the sesame chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days.
