I’m having a bad case of deja vu.
Once again, the spring is here and I am feeling remorse over the under-utilization of my crock pot through the fall and winter months. I have this same feeling every year it seems…when will I catch on? The crock pot…rocks.
That said, the crock pot is ideal for meat…especially leaner meats that made need a bit of oomph to get to the point of being absolutely divine.
This recipe…it fits the bill.
I was crouching around my dinner plate snapping photos while Mr. Prevention went on…and on…and on (no complaints!) about how amazing this sauce was. Truly, there’s no going wrong with these flavors and unlike most recipes using soy sauce (yes, even the low-sodium variety), the sodium content of this meal was perfectly in check, coming in under 500 milligrams per serving.
That would be reason #1 I loved this meal.
Reason #2 would be the fact that the prep time takes all of 10 minutes…and that’s if your knife skills aren’t the greatest. Any recipe where chopping an onion and a few cloves of garlic constitutes the prep is a meal worth making, says the busy woman who juggled this crock pot meal with making a Meyer Lemon Cheesecake. 😉
In other words, anyone can throw this together.
I also had a bit of deja vu because the conversation that accompanied this meal (after all the praises from that husband of mine), revolved around the price of chicken. My local Kroger officially sells an organic chicken option…and Tyson. That is all.
Naturally, I chose the organic chicken at $5.99/lb which is met with looks of disgust and disapproval by my other half. My rebuttal: it’s better for us, we’re supporting local ranchers, and there’s no waste as there’s no fat to trim (a time savings, too!).
Needless to say, we can agree on dinner’s final product but not on the means by which we get there. I’m still working on the whole education piece with him in terms of long-term vs. short-term savings (money now vs. health later). It’s a works in progress…
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken adapted from The Balanced Baker, The Dainty Chef, and Six Sisters’ Stuff, originally from Baby Center
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.25 lbs)
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp safflower oil or extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 cup dry basmati rice
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half
Directions:
Put chicken into crock pot.
In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
Cook rice according to package directions.
Trim green beans. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add green beans and saute 5-6 minutes or until cooked but tender.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Whisk cornstarch into liquid in the crock pot. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
Shred chicken or cut into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve chicken over rice with green beans, garnish with sesame seeds.
Yield: 3/4 cup rice with 5 ounces chicken/sauce and 2/3 cup green beans.
Nutrition Information (per serving): 553 calories; 6.8 g. fat; 69 mg. sodium; 465 mg. sodium; 87.8 g. carbohydrate; 4.8 g. fiber; 39 g. protein
Result: Sweet and a bit spicy…the meat was tender and as a whole, this meal was generous in portion, very filling, and completely satisfying. With the crock pot prep + rice and green beans prep, you’re looking at a 30-minute meal. Not too shabby! Don’t let the nutrition stats scare you with a slightly higher calorie count…this is a complete meal with lots of staying post. There’s nearly 5 grams of fiber (add more by using brown rice if you can commit to a longer cook time) and lots of protein. The carbohydrate content is high due to the honey. But let me tell you, the honey is what makes this dish. You could certainly reduce that amount, however. Enjoy!
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Somehow, this “somewhat normal” week has turned into insanity! I think I can…I think I can! Especially if my injured ankle would feel better. I had a workplace injury…getting UP FROM MY DESK on Monday. How can I play ice-hockey for years with men twice my size and come out perfectly fine, but twist the heck out of my ankle getting out of my desk chair?!
Be well,
I am excited to move home and start making some of these recipes!
Good luck the rest of your week!
Sorry to hear about your ankle, Nicole! I’ve twisted my ankle quite a few times and it sucks! Hope you feel better soon!
So yeah, I can’t WAIT to get a slow cooker! It’s on our registry but I’m thinking of getting one sooner (as I’ve done with a couple things on our list!).
So, quesiton…how is it that the groker organic chicken is sustaining local farmers? Do they sell local chicken at your Kroger? And how is there no waste or fat to trim? I mean….organic doesn’t mean low fat. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. What kind of chicken is it??? AND, last but not least, only 5.99/pound?! I need to shop at YOUR Kroger!
Author
I’m glad you said something…I just looked and it’s not Kroger brand. I sure thought that was their packaging! But yep…organic, free-range, local, etc…$5.99/lb. I didn’t think it was that bad! We don’t eat a ton of meat, so I don’t mind paying a bit more for higher quality. But truly, there is NO fat on these. They must come trimmed or something…so, so lean!
OH. MY. GOODNESS! This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Sorry to hear about the ankle, heal up soon!
I wrote GROKER above, but I meant KROGER (not even close, not sure how that happened!).
Oh man… I hope the work injury isn’t too serious! That’s something that always scares me when a race is coming up. I’ll train hard for 3 months and am terrified I’ll twist an ankle stepping off of a curb or something…
You just reminded me I need to get my crockpot back from my friend… grrr
I hope your ankle starts feeling better! I often hurt myself doing day-to-day activities. Don’t know how I am so clumsy.
This recipe looks like another winner! I haven’t used my crockpot nearly as much as I should have this year.
I love, love, love crock pot meals. I’m adding this to my list of recipes!
I have the same crock pot remorse every year. I think I used mine once this entire winter (hangs head in shame).
btw- I’ve done stupid stuff like pulling my back out getting up from my office chair too, don’t feel bad. I think we’re just getting old! haha
Author
I wish you weren’t right! 😉
Pretty, healthy, simple, fast, delicious. Anything else? 🙂
This looks so good! I love my crockpot – I use it all the time! I hope your ankle feels better!
I was actually looking for a sesame chicken recipe today. This one is much healthier than what I was originally planning to make.
This looks awesome Nicole, and your pictures are so pretty. I really need to bust out my slow cooker more often.
Does the chicken need to be cooked first or just put it in raw?
Author
Yep…raw!
I made this tonight using your version. My hubby and I both loved it! Easy and very flavorful! This is definitely a recipe that will be making a regular appearance on our menu.
Author
Yay! I’m so glad it was a hit!
This looks amazing Nicole. I need to start making better use of my crock pot and this looks like the perfect dish to break it in! 😀 I think the sweetness of the sauce will entice my picky kids to eat this! I have to give it a try ASAP!
Sorry about your ankle injury and hope you heel quickly. I love using my slow cooker. In fact yesterday I had two of them cooking at the same time. One had Mexican shredded chicken and black beans were cooking in the other for a wonderful Mexican feast!
Author
That is multitasking at its finest!
yum yum. I need to make this especially that I bought a crockpot recently and haven’t used it much. Would the chicken get overcooked if on low for 8 hours?
I saw this on Baby Center and Six Sisters and printed the recipe because it sounded so good and easy too. I’m glad I waited to try the recipe, because I love your version much better!! I don’t use my crock-pot near enough, so I’m so happy when I find a crock-pot recipe I like. Love the addition of the green beans 🙂
Love you site. I stumbled upon it and I love that you write the health factor of every meal, because while I WANT to make healthy food I just don’t know what is and isn’t.
I made this last night, and while the prep time took me a lot longer (I’m no cook, and apparently terribly slow at chopping) the end result was delicious, so much so that I’m excited to eat the left overs for lunch today.
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try more!
I’ve never seen sesame chicken that was nice and shredded like – I love the way it looks.
This was so yummy – and I even over cooked the chicken. I guess it’s not one to leave cooking while a long day at work 😉 Oh well, me and the honey still enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
I posted this recipe for my Secret Recipe Club challenge. It was fabulous, and best of all the entire family loved it too! Thanks!!
Where do the letter grades in the recipe index come from?
Author
My husband and I make them up based on how well we enjoy each recipe 🙂
This is kind of amazing. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.
Author
Haha, thanks Jessica! 🙂
Made this and it turned out okay. I felt like it was missing something so I added a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar an fit was perfect!
Sound so good! Will have to try! Question please: how many servings does the entire recipe yield? i am guessing 4, because there are 4 chicken breasts… but then there is only 1 cup of dry uncooked rice for all 4 servings?
Thank you so much, keep on posting good stuff!
Author
Yep, 4 servings. 1 cup of dry rice makes about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of rice, so that’s about right 🙂