Skip the takeout and enjoy a home-cooked meal, without actually doing much cooking, with this mouthwatering Slow Cooker Chicken and Broccoli recipe. It has all the flavor of your favorite takeout spot, but is fresher and better!
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Often times when my family orders takeout, it's about satisfying a craving or because we were too busy to prepare dinner. This Asian chicken and broccoli in the crock pot will satisfy anyone's cravings and is ready in less than 3 hours (when cooked on high). For my busy family, that's enough time to do our evening chores and homework before dinner is ready. The whole family loves this meal and requests it pretty often.
If you like easy crock pot stir fry chicken recipes, you will love my Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles, and Crock Pot Pepper Steak!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: While the ingredients list may look a little long, but if you cook Asian-style food at home, then everything in this recipe is a pantry staple. These simple ingredients make this the perfect last-minute dinner.
- Minimal Prep and Effort: Aside from cutting up the chicken, this recipe doesn't require any prep work. It's so easy to just dump the ingredients together, spend some time relaxing or cleaning up the house, and have dinner ready in a flash.
- Better Than Takeout: We all love a good takeout meal, but sometimes making your favorite dishes at home tastes even better! This recipe for crock pot chicken and broccoli is even better than getting dinner to go.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe because they are easy to cut into bite-sized chunks. You can also use boneless, skinless thighs, which are a little fattier and more flavorful.
- Cornstarch: Coating the chicken in cornstarch before cooking it helps tenderize the meat and seals in the moisture. This is especially important when cooking pre-cut pieces of meat.
- Soy Sauce: Give this dish the signature Asian umami flavor with your favorite soy sauce. Use a low-sodium soy sauce if you don't want it too salty.
- Light Brown Sugar: Sweeten your sauce with a little bit of brown sugar, which has a deeper flavor than regular sugar.
- Rice Vinegar: This type of vinegar has a more mild and sweet flavor than regular vinegar. It is a key component in many Asian-style dishes.
- Sesame Oil: This adds a nutty flavor to the sauce and helps balance the other ingredients.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a slightly spice and fragrant flavor to the dish. You can also use ginger paste from the refrigerated area of the produce aisle if you don't want the hassle of peeling fresh ginger.
- Garlic: Add a pungent kick to the chicken and broccoli with freshly minced ginger. You can also use jarred garlic to make preparing this meal easier.
- Honey: A little bit of honey adds sweetness and helps round out the flavors in this dish. It also tenderizes the meat as it cooks.
- Broccoli: You can't have chicken and broccoli without some broccoli florets! Use fresh or frozen broccoli.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make It Gluten-Free: If you need this meal gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.
- Spice Things Up: Add a little bit of spice to your crock pot chicken broccoli with some red pepper flakes, sriracha, or chili garlic sauce.
- Make It Vegetarian: Substitute the extra firm tofu, seitan, or tempeh for chicken to make this meal vegetarian.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli in the Crock Pot
This is one of the best chicken crock pot recipes when you're craving takeout, but want to eat a home-cooked meal. If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can even start cooking when you get home and still have dinner on the table in less than 2 hours without doing any work!
- Step 1: Chop the Chicken. Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks and add them to a 1-gallon freezer bag with the cornstarch. Shake the chicken inside the bag until every piece is coated with cornstarch then add it to a 6-quart crock pot.
- Step 2: Make the Sauce. Add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and honey to a separate bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to make the sauce, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Step 3: Let It Cook. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 1½ - 2½ hours or on low for 3½ - 4½ hours.
- Step 4: Add the Broccoli. About 45 minutes before the cooking time is up, add the broccoli. Then replace the lid and let it finish cooking.
Expert Tips
- Use Fresh or Frozen Broccoli: This broccoli and chicken in the crock pot is pretty versatile. You can use fresh or frozen broccoli. Frozen broccoli needs less time to cook, so add it 45 minutes before your cooking time is up. If you use fresh broccoli, you can add it to the sauce and cook it on high for 1 ½ hours, any longer than that, and it may get mushy.
- Thicken the Sauce: If your sauce looks a little too thin, you can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. Combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Whisk them together until there are no cornstarch clumps, then slowly stir the slurry into your sauce.
- Don't Overcook the Chicken: The chicken is finished cooking when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the chicken so it doesn't become gummy and overcooked.
Storing Directions
- Storing: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: You can reheat your leftovers in the crock pot on high for an hour, over medium heat on the stove for 20 minutes, or in the microwave in 60-second increments. If you use the stove or microwave, be sure to stir the leftovers so they reheat evenly. Thaw frozen leftovers for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating them.
- Make Ahead: If you want to make less work for yourself in the evening, you can mix the sauce and cut up the chicken the night before or in the morning. Just store them in separate containers in the refrigerator until you're ready to start the crock pot.
Serving Suggestions
I'm a sucker for Asian takeout, but this slow cooker chicken and broccoli tastes just as good as my favorite takeout. Plus, sometimes it's easier to throw the ingredients in the crock pot instead of driving through traffic to pick up food. This way I can satisfy my cravings, but the family gets a delicious home cooked meal at the end of a long day.
- We love this easy chicken with broccoli served with a scoop of slow cooker white rice or brown rice. Garnish it with chopped green onion and sesame seeds for a flavorful crunch.
- These copycat PF Chang's lettuce wraps are the perfect appetizer to serve with this slow cooker stir-fried chicken.
- Make dinner a fun event and create a smorgasbord of your favorite takeout dishes like sweet and sour pork, orange chicken, and teriyaki beef.
- Chocolate peanut clusters are the perfect dessert for a filling dinner like this because they are a simple snacking-style treat.
Reicpe FAQs
You cannot place frozen chicken directly in the crock pot. It sits at an unsafe temperature for too long as it thaws and cooks. However, if you only have frozen chicken, you can thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then chop it up and use it to make the dish.
This slow cooker chicken stir-fry is the perfect dish for a lot of fresh vegetables. Try adding snow peas, slices of bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, or bok choy to slightly alter the dish.
If you're short on time you can make this chicken and broccoli in the Instant Pot instead. Cook the chicken pieces and sauce on manual high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release. After the pressure is released stir in a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Then add the frozen broccoli and replace the lid. Let the broccoli steam in the hot Instant Pot for 5-10 minutes until it is fully cooked and vividly green.
More Delicious Crockpot Asian Chicken Recipes
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Slow Cooker Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
- 2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 cups frozen broccoli florets
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1" chunks and add to a 1-gallon freezer bag. Add cornstarch and close the bag. Shake until completely coated.
- Add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and honey in a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined. Pour over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high for 1½-2½ hours or low for 3½ to 4½ hours.
- Forty-five minutes before cooking time is up, add broccoli and continue to cook.
- Serve over rice and garnish with fresh green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen broccoli for this crock pot chicken stir-fry. Add frozen broccoli 45 minutes before your cooking time is up. Add fresh broccoli with the sauce and cook it on high for 1½ hours. Either way don't cook the broccoli too long or it will turn mushy.
- If your sauce is too thin, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry. Slowly stir the cornstarch slurry into your sauce to thicken it.
- Use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the chicken. Chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate. It may vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact ingredient numbers, I recommend calculating them with your preferred nutrition calculator.
Eileen says
I assume you remove the ingredients from the freezer bag when putting them in the crockpot ♀️
Ryan Allen says
Yes, you remove the chicken from the freezer bag before adding it to the crockpot.
Lucia says
What if my broccoli isn’t frozen? Should I add extra water?
Ryan Allen says
There is no need to add water.
Caitlin says
Turned out great. I only used two tablespoons of honey instead of three. I also used chicken thighs.
Ryan Allen says
Your changes sound delicious!