WOW! This recipe for Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Barbecue is amazing! I made it for my family last week and we were all disappointed that there wasn’t more chicken to eat. The soy sauce and sesame oil really marinate the chicken so that every bite is juicy and flavorful. If you’re a fan of sesame flavor you’ll love this chicken recipe. Try it for dinner this week!
Makes 4 servings
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-8 quart
Cooking time: 2-4 hours
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch strips (don’t use chicken breasts)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp quick cooking/minute tapioca
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
1. Place strips of chicken into the bottom of a slow cooker. Lay as flat as possible and try not to overlap, if possible.
2. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and tapioca in a small bowl. Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Turn chicken over and cook 1 hour longer.
3. Remove from slow cooker and place on serving dishes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
P.S. Make sure to join in all the foodie fun on Pinterest!
Made this tonight using chicken thighs (bone in). Browned the chicken first, added sauteed onions, and cooked slow cooker low for 4 hrs and high for last 45 minutes. Browned in the air fryer for 8 minutes whilst I thickened the slow cooker juices. Delicious!
Would this recipe work if I used whole thighs and cooked them on low for 6-8 hours?
Yes! I think it would.
Katie, that sounds fantastic! Glad it worked out for you 🙂
Just as a heads up for others, I used a package of bone-in thighs and drumsticks and this worked great. I didn't have the tapioca, so I omitted that, with the intention of thickening the sauce at the end with cornstarch, but I found no need to do so.
you could probably put a tbsp on flour in there instead of the tapioca. just make sure it gets dissolved well!
What would be a substitute for the tapioca? Cornstarch?
Amber, that sounds yummy! Glad it worked for you 🙂
Tried this today and it was good! I was only cooking for myself with 0.8 pounds of chicken, so I just did it in the oven. I added some red pepper flakes. Next time I make this I'll probably use some oyster sauce to up the flavor. But it was good overall! I made it with white rice and the following Bok Choi recipe:
http://rasamalaysia.com/restaurant-style-chinese-greens-with/2/. I have just enough for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the easy recipe!
-Amber
This looks delicious. I've made a commitment to use my slow cooker every day for a year to make WW friendly recipes so am always on the lookout for yummy looking ones.
Have pinned and plan to try soon!
Just need to figure out the WW information.
Thanks!!
Sarah! Glad you liked it. I think it is amazing too 🙂
This was so amazing! As soon as I started mixing the sauce ingredients, I could tell it would be amazing. I am curious to try it with chicken breast strips, despite the concerns about dryness. Regardless, this was a fabulous and easy weeknight dinner. We cleaned our plates!
Great post!
I recommend checking out http://bestslowcooker.us before purchasing any slow cooker. Great reviews as well as great articles. What else can you ask for 🙂
Sarah, I serve it with rice and then serve the sauce over the top of it! Enjoy!
What would you serve this with in terms of a grain or starch? Would just plain rice be good? I'm looking for something quick and easy for dinner tomorrow and this sounds so good…just know we'll want something else to go with it 🙂
No, I'm sorry, I don't have the nutritional information 🙁
Are their any nutritional counts for this recipe? Calories, carbs etc
If you use the tenders they are already small so you don't have cut them. If you use boneless thighs then I would cut them into strips or pieces before you put them in. That way more surface area gets marinated in the yummy sauce! Thanks, I love being called a genius.
So… do you cut your chicken first and then place it in the crockpot? Or do you do it after the meat has cooked?
I love your recipes! You're a slow cooker genius!
It would probably take about a half hour to 45 minutes longer.
Is the cooking time the same if the meat is frozen?
This was a great meal. The whole family loved it! I imagined the sauce to be thicker and "saucier" and mine turned out thinner but was still yummy. Was yours saucier? Do you think mine was watery because I put frozen thighs straight into crockpot? Help me out I definately want the sauce to be thick and saucy. Lydia
It was awesome. My husband loved it. We have added it to our monthly menu.. Love your site.
I tend to buy groceries on the extra-cheap, so I used frozen chicken thighs. My standard crockpot move is to add hot water to the frozen chicken and give it an hour on high. That way the skin is semi-soft and pulls away from the chicken super easily. After I drain the fatty water, I add whatever sauce/veggies will be for dinner. This recipe worked great! Next time I'll probably halve the sesame oil. It's pretty potent and I think less would lend the same flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!
We tried this tonight and definitely agree it's a 5 star dish. My husband said he would be happy if I made it every week. I went against Karen's advice and used chicken breast tenders since that's all I had. I was super careful to make sure I didn't overcook them and even though it tasted GREAT, they were just a little dry. So lesson learned…get the right meat! 😉
Chicken breasts tend to get dry, tough, and overcooked in the slow cooker if you're not really careful. If you try it with breast tenders, let me know how they turn out…watch the cook time though.
Why do you say not to use chicken breasts? Will they overcook, or do they just not go as well with the marinade?
looks so good!I am thinking of trying a month of slow cooking. I'll probably start after Christmas.
Love your blog!
I found my thigh tenders at Walmart. They are Tyson brand and they look almost identical to the bag of breast tenders. I bet you could find them at Smiths too. I know Costco has a bag of frozen chicken thighs that is about 1.91 a pound if you look in the freezers.
going to try this tonight. Can't find thigh tenders so going for the breast tenders (although i'm such a dark meat lover). Can't wait for dinner!
this looks fabulous. i will definitely try. my only hesitation is that the only kind of chicken i ever buy is the breasts from costco. so the thigh tenders are a new venture for me. do they have them everywhere? costco? can't wait to try…