Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Broccoli Bowls feature Broccoli and slightly-spicy Asian chicken in a tasty dinner that’s going to be a hit with the whole family. 

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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 Broccoli Bowls. 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 this is lower in sugar than Asian chicken made with sweet ingredients. 

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?

Can you make the Asian Chicken Broccoli Bowls 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). 

What if you don’t have Tamarind Sauce?

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 use the recipe for Easy Spicy Asian Chicken which has very similar ingredients with a bit fewer carbs and just serve it over broccoli.

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How to make Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Broccoli Bowls:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

  1. Cut up chicken breasts into largish bite-sized pieces.
  2. 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.
  3. Put chicken and sauce in slow cooker and cook on high about 2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
  4. 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.
  5. Gently drain chicken in a colander placed in the sink, catching the sauce. (I strained it through a fine strainer.)
  6. 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.
  7. Gently combine reduced sauce and chicken in the slow cooker.
  8. 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.)
  9. Divide broccoli between four or six bowls and spoon some chicken and sauce over each.
  10. 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.

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More Chicken You Might Like:

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Cabbage Bowl ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup ~ A Spicy Perspective
Low-Carb Slow Cooker Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Slow Cooker Korean-Style Chicken ~ The Perfect Pantry
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with Lime and Melted Mozzarella ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Broccoli Bowls

Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Broccoli and slightly-spicy Asian chicken make a perfect combination in these Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Broccoli Bowls.

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

  1. Trim fat and any undesirable parts from the chicken breasts and cut into largish bite-sized pieces.
  2. Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray and put the chicken into the slow cooker.
  3. 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.
  4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir so all the chicken pieces are coated with sauce.
  5. 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.
  6. Drain chicken in a colander, catching the sauce. (I strained the sauce again with a fine strainer.)
  7. Put the chicken back into the slow cooker and turn to low to keep it warm.
  8. Simmer the sauce over low heat until it’s as reduced and thickened as you’d like, about 20 minutes.
  9. 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.)
  10. 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.)
  11. Divide the broccoli among bowls and top each with some of the chicken and sauce.
  12. 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:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe does have some carbs from the apricots and the Tamarind sauce, and it would be limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet. It’s too high in carbs for low-carb diet plans.

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