Sunday Crock Pot Dinner... Sesame Ginger Chicken

I tried a new recipe today that I found on Pinterest. It came from the Keeping Up with the Joneses blog. You can read the blog HERE. The recipe is for Sesame Ginger Slow Cooker Chicken. It turned out so well!! I wanted to have everything ready to go in the crock pot this morning before I got ready for church, so I made the sauce last night, trimmed up the chicken thighs, and then left them marinating in the sauce overnight. I did not add the carrots until this morning. I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe. If you would like to view the original recipe click HERE.

Sesame Ginger Slow Cooker Chicken

6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, fat well trimmed
8 oz baby carrots
2 tsp ginger (the dry powder)
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules + 1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 c honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/4 c soy sauce (I used low sodium)
3 tbsp corn starch + 3 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp dry roasted sesame seeds + 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
white rice--any kind you like. (I keep a container of steamed rice in the fridge all the time, so I have it to just heat and add to my slow cooker meals.)

In a bowl, combine the ginger, bouillon granules, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce. Add the boiling water, then stir until well combined. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, put the carrots on top and pour the sauce over.

Cook on low for about 4 hours. I put this in the crock pot around 8:45 or so and it was perfect at 12:30 when we got home for lunch.

Remove the chicken and carrots to a serving bowl or platter. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a saucepan on medium-high heat. In a measuring cup, combine the cold water and corn starch, then stir till dissolved. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil, then stir in the corn starch mixture until the sauce thickens for a gravy.

In another small pan, roast 2 tbsp of sesame seeds for about 2 minutes. You can do this while you make the gravy if you can remember to shake the seeds every 30 seconds or so. You can get dinner on the table in about 5-10 minutes.

Pour about 3/4 of a cup of the gravy over the chicken and carrots, and reserve the rest for table use. Garnish with the sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.

Don't forget to cook or reheat your rice :)

Happy Sunday!