Name: Sticky sesame, soy & honey chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 chicken stock cube or 400ml fresh chicken stock; 6 garlic cloves or 1 tbsp garlic purée; 15g ginger or 2 tbsp ginger purée; 5 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp ketchup; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder; 10-12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs; 1½ tbsp cornflour; 50ml Shaohsing rice vinegar; 50g honey; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 10 spring onions; 1½ tsp sesame oil; cooked rice or noodles to serve; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Sticky sesame, soy & honey chicken

Prep this sticky chicken in a slow cooker at lunchtime, then serve for dinner with rice or noodles. It's a brilliant hands-off supper

5 hr 10 min total 10 min prep 5 hr cook 6 343 cal

Instructions

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1 Crumble the stock cube into a large heatproof jug and stir in 350ml boiling water. If using fresh stock, heat until steaming. Crush the garlic and finely chop the ginger. Stir into the stock with the soy sauce, ketchup and five-spice.
2 Pour the stock into a slow cooker (or large casserole or baking dish). Add the chicken, cover and cook on high for 4-5 hrs (or for 2 hrs at 160C/140C fan/gas 3 in the oven).
3 Mix the cornflour with a splash of water until smooth. Pour into the cooker with the vinegar and honey, and cook for 20-30 mins more until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is very tender and falling apart (or, cook on the hob for 10 mins, carefully pouring into a large pan first if your dish isn’t flameproof). Once cool, will keep frozen for three months. Defrost and reheat until piping hot.
4 Meanwhile, heat the veg oil in a frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the spring onions for a few minutes until slightly softened and charred, then roughly chop.
5 Roughly shred the chicken while still in the slow cooker, then stir in the sesame oil. Serve over rice or noodles, scattered with the spring onions and sesame seeds.