I can’t believe it took me so long to blog this ginger honey chicken dish, because it was SO GOOD. While winter is in its last gasps I encourage everyone to make and enjoy this super-easy slow cooker recipe. As with all the best slow cooker situations, it’s quick to prep, makes your house smell delicious, and seems like you put waaaay more work into it than you actually did. Score, score, and score.
Slow Cooker Ginger-Honey Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (or garlic-hoisin sauce if you have it)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 knob ginger, zested or minced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes (add more, or a squirt of Sriracha in addition, if you like it super spicy)
2 cups broccoli florets
2 large carrots, cut into coins
1-2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Garnishes: sesame seeds, ground peanuts or cashews, green onions, sriracha, and/or pea shoots
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Whisk together everything from tamari through red pepper flakes to make a spicy-sweet sauce and pour it over the meat. Cook on low for about 5 hours. When the chicken is about a half hour from being done, throw in the broccoli and carrots.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker using tongs or a big slotted spoon, leaving the sauce in the bottom of the pot. Gently shred the chicken with two forks and set it aside with the broccoli and carrots. Put a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-high heat then pour in the reserved liquids from the crock pot. Whisk together the arrowroot or cornstarch in a bit of warm water to make a slurry (I hate that word, but there it is) and whisk it into the sauce to thicken. Add more to get to the desired consistency, but don’t overdo it or things can get kind of… gloppy.
After you’ve gotten your sauce how you like it, pour it over the chicken and vegetables in a serving dish and mix everything together. Garnish with anything (or everything!) I listed above. Serve by itself or over quinoa or rice.
