Slow Cooker Asian Chicken
Slow Cooker Asian Chicken is served as a bowl meal with Broccoli and this is going to be a hit with the whole family.
PIN Slow Cooker Asian Chicken to try it later.
One day I started thinking about how take-out Chinese food often comes with broccoli, and that’s what inspired this recipe for Slow Cooker Asian Chicken that’s served as a bowl meal with broccoli. It was a simple enough idea, slightly spicy Asian chicken cooked in the slow cooker and then served over steamed broccoli in a bowl, but it took Kara and I a few different tries to come up with a version we thought was a winner.
The keeper version uses Sugar-Free Apricot Preserves (affiliate link). The sugar-free preserves do have artificial sweetener, so if you don’t want to use that just look for no-sugar-added apricot preserves instead. The sugar-free preserves have some carbs, but for sure this is lower in carbs than takeout Asian chicken that’s loaded with sugar.
Kara tested this out on her kids the day we made, and even though we thought it was slightly spicy, she reported back that the kids gobbled it up. You can use less Chili Garlic Sauce (affiliate link) if you’re making this for kids.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- broccoli
- Sesame Seeds (affiliate link), for garnish
- Sugar-Free Apricot Preserves (affiliate link)
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- sesame oil (affiliate link)
- Chili Garlic Sauce (affiliate link)
- Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
- ginger puree from a jar
- Tamarind Sauce (affiliate link)
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) other sweetener of your choice
Can you make Slow Cooker Asian Chicken with chicken thighs?
We first made this recipe with trimmed and cut-up boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and if you don’t mind the work of trimming them, they’ll work great in the recipe. But we experimented with cut-up boneless, skinless chicken breasts and decided they were so much easier and worked well if you don’t stir too enthusiastically (that will make the chicken shred apart).
Is Tamarind Sauce a must for the Slow Cooker Asian Chicken?
One thing we used in this recipe that some people may not be familiar with is Tamarind Sauce (affiliate link). If you can’t find that (or don’t want to buy it), just replace with a little more apricot preserves.
Want an Asian Chicken recipe that doesn’t use the slow cooker?
If you don’t want to use a slow cooker you could try my recipe for Spicy Asian Chicken which has very similar ingredients with fewer carbs and and you could serve it over broccoli if you like that idea.
How to make Slow Cooker Asian Chicken:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Cut up chicken breasts into largish bite-sized pieces.
- Mix Sugar-Free Apricot Preserves (affiliate link), soy sauce, sesame oil, Chile Garlic Sauce (affiliate link), Garlic Powder (affiliate link), ginger puree, Tamarind Sauce (affiliate link) (or more preserves), and sweetener of your choice.
- Put chicken and sauce in slow cooker and cook on high about 2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Be prepared for the mixture to look a little unappealing when it’s done because there will be some bits of cooked protein from the chicken.
- Gently drain chicken in a colander placed in the sink, catching the sauce. (I strained it through a fine strainer.)
- Put chicken back in the slow cooker and turn to low; put the sauce in a small pan and reduce over low heat until it’s as thick as you’d like it, about 20 minutes.
- Gently combine reduced sauce and chicken in the slow cooker.
- When the sauce is just about thickened, steam or microwave the broccoli to the level of crispness you prefer. (We microwaved it for just barely over a minute to keep the broccoli slightly crisp.)
- Divide broccoli between four or six bowls and spoon some chicken and sauce over each.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds and with a sauce like Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) to add at the table for those who’d like more heat.
More Slow Cooker Chicken You Might Like:
- Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Cabbage Bowl
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (Slow Cooker or Oven)
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Slow Cooker Asian Chicken
This Slow Cooker Asian Chicken is served as a bowl meal with broccoli for a dinner the whole family will love!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
- 8 cups cut up broccoli florets
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Sauce Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar-free apricot preserves (see notes)
- 3 T soy sauce (see notes)
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 T Chili Garlic Sauce (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. ginger puree from a jar (see notes)
- 3 T Tamarind Sauce (see notes)
- 2 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
Instructions
- Trim fat and any undesirable parts from the chicken breasts and cut into largish bite-sized pieces.
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray and put the chicken into the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the Sugar-Free Apricot Preserves (affiliate link) , soy sauce, sesame oil, Chile Garlic Sauce (affiliate link), garlic powder, ginger puree, Tamarind Sauce (affiliate link) or more apricot preserves, and Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweeteners of your choice.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir so all the chicken pieces are coated with sauce.
- Cook on HIGH for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is done. Don’t be alarmed if the dish looks rather unappealing when it’s first finished cooking, because there will be some bits of cooked protein floating in the sauce.
- Drain chicken in a colander, catching the sauce. (I strained the sauce again with a fine strainer.)
- Put the chicken back into the slow cooker and turn to low to keep it warm.
- Simmer the sauce over low heat until it’s as reduced and thickened as you’d like, about 20 minutes.
- Pour thickened sauce back into the slow cooker and VERY GENTLY stir so the chicken is coated with the sauce. (If you stir too vigorously the chicken will shred apart.)
- When the sauce is nearly thickened, steam or microwave the broccoli until it’s as crisp as you prefer. (We put the broccoli in an 8-cup glass measuring cup and microwaved on high for a little over a minute.)
- Divide the broccoli among bowls and top each with some of the chicken and sauce.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) on the side for people who want to add a little more heat.
Notes
You will need 4-6 chicken breasts, depending on how big they are. I would use Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for the sweetener. Use no-sugar-added apricot preserves if you don’t want artificial sweetener. Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed.
Ginger Puree is sold near the produce in most stores and also called ground ginger in Asian markets; do not confused with dried ground ginger. Just use more apricot preserves if you don’t want to buy Tamarind, although it does add a nice flavor.
I would use a 3 to 4 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe.
Nutritional information is calculated with the sugar-free apricot preserves and sweetener I used. If you're figuring carbs, subtract the fiber to get net carbs.
Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara, after quite a few experiments that weren’t quite the one!
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 489Total Fat 7.8gSaturated Fat 1.9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4.8gCholesterol 129mgSodium 685mgCarbohydrates 29.5gFiber 7.3gSugar 26.2gProtein 53.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Asian Chicken does have some carbs from the apricots and the Tamarind sauce, and it’s probably too high in carbs for low-carb diet plans. It would be limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes or Bowl Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for This Recipe:
This Slow Cooker Asian Chicken that’s flavored with sugar-free apricot preserves and tamarind and served as a bowl meal with broccoli was first posted in 2016. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
20 Comments on “Slow Cooker Asian Chicken”
Pingback: The Top 20 Slow Cooker Chicken Dinners - Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Pingback: 10 Easy Fall and Winter Comfort Food Slow Cooker Recipes
Pingback: Weekly Meal Plan Number 62 from Table for Seven - Table For Seven
I have tried this chicken broccoli with my slow cooker the other day and I must say, it was surprisingly delicious! The broccoli simply complimented the thick-taste of the chicken! Thank you for sharing this recipe Kalyn.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Yummly is not always correct if they don’t recognize the ingredients. They’re probably calculating based on regular apricot jam, but even with that it seems very high to me.
Insanely adorable and delicious!
Oh my! Hubby would love this! Pinning now! Thanks for sharing!!
One of my daughters is a very picky eater. I made this for us last night (served with brown rice on the side) and she said — more than once! — that it was maybe the best meal she'd ever had. I can't imagine better feedback…
Wow, I love hearing that! Thanks for sharing the feedback!
It looks great. I will try to make it myself
Hope you enjoy!
Hi Kalyn! This looks so yummy, I'm excited to make it tonight! I live in downtown SLC and could not find tamarind sauce at Smiths or Sprouts. Do you have any suggestions on where to find it locally?
I would try an ethnic market. Both Asian and Latin cuisines use it. Hope you can find some, but it will still be good without it.
You're right, it was good. I just wanted to let you know how much I'e been enjoying your blog – I've loved every recipe I've made so far and I LOOOOVE your savory flavor profile. Cilantro, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, Greek/Mediterranean, etc. It is rare to find a blog without a ton of sweet desert and treat recipes. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thanks Tayna, so glad you have been enjoying the recipes. Sweets are not my thing, so glad you don't miss them!
Wow, looks really yummy! Thanks a lot sharing.
Asian dishes too frequently so much oil and sugars but this recipe is perfect.
Glad you like it.
I love slow cooker Asian-inspired dishes. Can this one use tamarind concentrate (which I always have in my pantry) instead of tamarind sauce? (And thanks for linking to one of my slow cooker Asian dishes.)
Lydia tamarind concentrate could work but I would use less and you might need more sweetener. The tamarind sauce is less concentrated and sweeter.