Asian Barbecue Chicken in the Crock Pot

Asian cooking is not typically in my wheel house, but this is so easy and so delicious. It’s also light, but satisfying. This recipe uses more ingredients than I typically like to use, but I always have these items on hand so it makes this Asian dish more doable for me. I have no idea where this recipe originally came from, but I’m pretty sure I got it from my sister because she knocks the Asian cooking out of the park.

A couple time saving tips… 1… I chopped my green onions and cilantro while I had my cutting board out to chop my jalapeno. Then, I just stored the cilantro and green onions in a container in the fridge until dinner time so I wouldn’t have to wash my utensils twice. 2… I used a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce and I had about 1 cup leftover. I froze it in 1/2 cup portions so I can use it next time. You can put the frozen sauce in the crock pot and it will thaw just fine as it cooks.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts or 2 pounds of chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/3 cup Bragg’s coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup honey
• juice from 1 lemon or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup organic barbecue sauce (This barbecue sauce tastes good, but it has some ingredients that I typically don’t use. I’ll update when I find a replacement)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• salt to taste, I added 1 teaspoon course Celtic sea salt
• toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• optional: sprinkle with green onion and cilantro
• Soaked brown rice for serving

Directions

Place chicken breasts in crock pot.

Season chicken with spices.

Deseed and slice and dice jalapeño and add to crock pot.

Add all ingredients except salt, sesame seeds, corn starch and water to the crock pot.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender. I just cooked from frozen for 5 hours on low and it shredded great. I find the time changes based on size of the chicken pieces and of course, if it’s frozen or not.

Shred chicken and mix in with sauce well. Taste and add salt if needed.

Let sit on warm until ready to eat. If sauce soaks into the chicken, you can omit the corn starch and water mixture.

If adding the corn starch and water, in a small sauce pan, combine corn starch and water and whisk until combined. Add 1/2 cup liquid from the slow cooker to sauce pan and whisk.

Heat sauce in pan until bubbles and thickens. Mix back into slow cooker and combine and mix all ingredients.

Serve over rice. Top with sesame seeds, which I forgot in my picture.

Garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Serve with roasted or sautéed vegetables or a side salad.