Crunchy Salty Sweet

Now that the sun has finally decided to show its face in New England, I’ve been spending as much time as possible outdoors. This past weekend, I went for a long run outside (for the first time since my half marathon in October!), Baxter went for a dip in the ocean, and Andrew and I strolled around town, enjoying the long-awaited sunlight on our faces.

We were thinking about what might be a good supper for Sunday, and ultimately we decided that neither of us really wanted to cook. Luckily, Gina at Skinnytaste shared the perfect slow cooker pulled chicken last week – and we knew that it would be a winner. Typically when we make pulled chicken we use bbq sauce and call it a day, but the Asian spin on this recipe made for a meal we will certainly turn to again and again.

Simply toss a few chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

Now, take the sauce ingredients and whisk them together in a bowl.

Pour over the chicken, set the slow cooker on low, and enjoy the sunshine!

After about 3-4 hours, the chicken should be fully cooked. Take 2 forks and pull the chicken so that there are no large chunks.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place into a bowl.

Now, take the cornstarch and water and whisk together until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Add the mixture to the sauce in the slow cooker, set to high, and let thicken for about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Re-add the chicken to the sauce, and place the slow cooker on warm (or low) until ready to eat.

Just before serving, add sesame seeds to the chicken.

Garnish chicken with scallions when serving, along with a big hunk of cornbread (coming on Thursday!) and a spicy pickle.

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Adapted from: Skinnytaste

Makes: 6-8 servings

Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 4 hours (all hands off), Total: 4 hours and 10 minutes

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• black pepper, to taste
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sriracha, or more, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 scallions, sliced

Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, onion and garlic powder, sriracha and red pepper flakes.

Pour sauce over the chicken, set the slow cooker on low.

After about 3-4 hours, the chicken should be fully cooked. Take 2 forks and pull the chicken so that there are no large chunks.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place into a bowl.

Now, take the cornstarch and water and whisk together until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Add the mixture to the sauce in the slow cooker, set to high, and let thicken for about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Re-add the chicken to the sauce, and place the slow cooker on warm (or low) until ready to eat.

Just before serving, add sesame seeds to the chicken.

Garnish chicken with scallions, and enjoy!