Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe – 7 Weight Watchers Freestyle Points
Quick & Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe
I LOVE this honey sesame chicken recipe! Mostly everyone in my family loves it too, so I keep the simple ingredients on hand and make it often. It is super easy to make in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. Plus, you can prep or cook it in advance for an easy freezer meal!
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points – 7
With a small modification, you can use this recipe with your Weight Watchers Menu Planning and get 7 points out of it! Simply reduce the honey and sesame oil by half and you’re good! Want to leave the recipe as is? Then it will be 12 Weight Watchers Points!
Making the Sauce
The sauce is simple and sweetened with honey. And yes, the sauce is pretty sweet, but it is also very delicious to those that enjoy sweet meat recipes. I sure do love a good honey, soy sauce, and garlic combo! Note that the amount of red pepper flakes in this recipe doesn’t make it spicy, but it does add a little more flavor.
Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
I used to make this recipe all the time in my slow cooker, but it is definitely faster in the Instant Pot! Pressure cooker adaptation is pretty easy for this recipe too, just add some water. The sauce comes out too thick and too sweet if you don’t. Perfect option for those of us that don’t plan ahead for meals very well sometimes.
Freezer Meal Instructions
What’s even more helpful than cooking this recipe in a pressure cooker is making extra and freezing the rest. Then when you don’t know what to serve for dinner, you can just go into your freezer, reheat the chicken, cook some rice, and viola! Dinner is served.
Make this recipe a freezer meal by placing the sauce and the raw chicken in a labeled freezer bag then lay it flat and freeze. (The sauce doesn’t really freeze all the way, but it still works.) When you’re ready to cook your instant pot sesame chicken, thaw it in the refrigerator and cook as instructed.
As an alternative, you can also cook up your honey sesame chicken with the sauce as directed in the recipe and then freeze the cooked chicken. It reheats nicely and quickly in a skillet on the stove top.
Want to make it gluten-free? Use a gluten-free soy sauce option.
More Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Recipes:
- Honey Teriyaki Chicken recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash
- White Chicken Chili Recipe (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
- Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe
Find more instant pot recipes or more slow cooker recipes.
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Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe - 7 Weight Watchers Freestyle Points
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Pressure Cooker
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tbsp water
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Lightly season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes.
Preparing For the Freezer:
- Put the seasoned chicken and sauce into a large resealable bag. Freeze. (The fully prepared and cooked chicken also freezes well.)
Prepare after Freezing (Slow Cooker):
- Let thaw in fridge for 24 hours. In a slow cooker, cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours. (Or you can cook from frozen for about 5-6 hours.) Remove chicken from slow cooker, but leave the sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of cold water and pour into the sauce; stir to combine. Leave lid off and cook sauce on high for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Meanwhile, cut or shred chicken into bite-size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Instant Pot:
- Spray inside of pot with nonstick cooking spray. Place seasoned chicken inside. Add 1/2 cup water to the sauce and pour it in the pot. Cook for 15 minutes (about 18 minutes for larger chicken breasts), until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred. Use saute setting and stir cornstarch into the sauce. Let cook until slightly thickened. Then return shredded chicken to pot, toss with sauce, and serve.
Recipe Notes
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 7 per serving (if you reduce honey and sesame oil by half) - 12 Weight Watchers Points if you prepare the recipe as written.
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted From: Six Sisters' Stuff and Baby Center
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I was wondering if you or anyone has made this without ketchup? If so did it still taste good? Thank you
I haven’t tried it. But you could try this substitute for ketchup: 1 cup ketchup = 1 cup tomato sauce, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp vinegar. Or you could try using some BBQ sauce or maybe salsa in place of the ketchup.
Did you freeze the chicken breasts in the sauce?
Yes. I put the chicken and the sauce in a bag and froze it.
I see you call for 4 chicken breasts, but what size? How many pounds? When I buy at my local grocery store, they’re usually about a half pound each, but when I buy from Zaycon, they’re more like a full pound each. Since these are going to be shredded and not turned into their own entree, it seems like it would just be easier to give a weight so you end up with a good sauce to chicken ratio. Thanks!
You are so right, Rebecca. Thanks. I will update the recipe with the weight right now. 🙂
Hi, I have tried to make this twice now but both times the honey did not seem to freeze? Will it still be safe to use? the chicken etc are frozen solid there is just some unfrozen liquid in the bag too
This is what happens when I freeze it too and I think it still works out great! One of my favorite recipes!
Hi,
Do you use instant release or natural? I am assuming you cook on high.
Thanks!
Donna
Great questions, Donna. Yes, I cook on manual setting, high pressure. I’ve done both methods of pressure release and I don’t think it matters much on this one. If you do quick and it is spurting too much liquid, then wait and let it naturally release for 5-10 minutes, then try the quick release again. 🙂
How long do you cook it in the slow cooker on low?
Hey Michelle, cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours. (Or you can cook from frozen for about 5-6 hours.)
Hello!
Question when preparing for freezer do you add the cornstarch and water to the bag as well? I see when you prepare after you freeze you add the cornstarch and water after in the crockpot.
Thank you!
Hey Britt, great question! The cornstarch and water is a thickener. So you can add it in right before you are ready to eat the meal!