How to make Mongolian Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Mongolian Chicken made super easy in the slow cooker. Smothered in a multi-dimensional sweet, savory, and spicy sauce-it’s sure to be better than takeout.

This Mongolian Chicken is is my Go-To slow cooker meal!  It takes minutes to “set it and forget” for tender, juicy chicken, then you thicken your sauce on the stove for truly luxurious Mongolian sauce – no lackluster, runny sauce here!  You will love the ease of this Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken and everyone else will swoon over the better than takeout flavor!  

Watch: How to make Mongolian Chicken

Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken smothered in the most irresistible sauce is my Go-To slow cooker meal and way better than takeout!


 

Why you will love this Mongolian Chicken Recipe

  • SO EASY! No searing or stir frying, simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker and walk away!
  • THE BEST SAUCE: The sublime sesame boasts a craveable, complex balance of savory, sweet, and tangy with a kick of heat that will have you licking the plate!
  • RICH, GLOSSY SAUCE: No sad, thin, watery sauce here! After the chicken cooks, the sauce is thickened with a simple cornstarch slurry.
  • JUICY CHICKEN: The chicken cooks until fall apart ender while soaking up the divine sauce.
  • VERSATILE: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, add any veggies, serve over rice, zoodles, etc. make it sweeter, spicier, tangier, etc.
  • PANTRY FRIENDLY: This Mongolian Chicken is made with kitchen staples if you do much Asian kitchen (or soon to be staples if you don’t). Once you stock them once, you can make this recipe quicker than picking up takeout!
  • BUDGET FRIENDLY: Feed the entire family for the fraction of dining out!

WHAT IS MONGOLIAN CHICKEN?

This better-than-takeout, swoon worthy Mongolian Chicken is based off my Mongolian Beef, which is one of my absolute favs because the sauce is everything. The Mongoilan sauce is perfectly balanced savory, sweet, tangy and spicy.  It’s savory from the soy sauce, garlic and ginger, sweet from the brown sugar and rice wine, tangy from the hoisin (like Chinese BBQ sauce), and is topped off with a splash of sweet heat from Asian Sweet Chili Sauce.  Can we say best sauce ever?!

Mongolian Chicken is simply a tender chicken version of this Mongolian Beef with a variation on the incredible sauce.  Mongolian Beef is a popular dish served in Chinese-American restaurants such as PF Changs and doesn’t actually come from Mongolia. 

Story has it that a chef in a Chinese American kitchen needed a creative name for a new Asian dish and “Mongolian Beef” was born. Although I love my stir-fry Mongolian Beef version, I loooove my crockpot, and I love my always stocked chicken, thus this Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken was born.

Mongolian Chicken Recipe Ingredients

This copycat Chinese Mongolian chicken recipe is easy to make and comes together with a few special ingredients.

  • Chicken breasts: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.
  • Cornstarch: Helps thicken the sauce.
  • Soy sauce: Use reduced sodium soy sauce so you can control the amount of salt in this dish.
  • Water: Just ½ cup helps make the Mongolian sauce.
  • Brown sugar: You need a little sugar to balance out the spiciness in this dish.
  • Asian sweet chili sauce: Sweet, with a hint of spice and packed with flavor from a combination of red chilies, onion, garlic, Japanese rice wine, brown sugar and fish sauce. 
  • Japanese rice wine: Not to be confused with rice wine vinegar.
  • Hoisin sauce: Adds a tangy flavor.
  • Ginger: I prefer using fresh ginger in this recipe.
  • Sriracha: Add more or less to taste.
mongolian chicken and broccoli in slow cooker insert with spoon

How to Make Mongolian Chicken

Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken – stress free and unbelievably delicious for those days when you are juggling a million things or for those nights you want to kick your feet up and stuff your face with fakeout takeout Mongolian Chicken.  Win-win.

  1. Add chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker.  I use chicken breasts in this recipe but you are welcome to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. 
  2. Whisk together all of the Mongolian Sauce ingredients and pour ½ cup over chicken. Refrigerate the rest of the sauce.
  3. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender enough to shred then remove to a cutting board to shred.  The key to tender chicken is to cook it long enough.  If it’s not easily shredding, it simply needs more time to tenderize. 
  4. Add reserved Mongolian Sauce to a small saucepan and whisk in 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch followed by all the liquid from the slow cooker. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened.   I have never found success by adding a cornstarch slurry to my slow cooker to try and thicken sauces.  Instead of a thickened sauce, I end up with a watery cornstarch flavored sauce.  Thickening the sauce on the solves this problem 100%.  You get luxuriously rich sauce that is as thick or as thin as you want.  For a thicker sauce, simmer longer, for a thinner sauce, simmer for less time. 
  5. Add shredded chicken back to slow cooker along with thickened sauce and let cook an additional 30 minutes on low.  This allows the now shredded chicken to absorb the sauce in every nook and cranny,  to absorb sauce.

Tips for making Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

  • Hoisin Sauce.  If you aren’t familiar with hoisin sauce it it can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store and is like Asian BBQ Sauce.  Its rich, sweet and tangy.  I use it all the time in my recipes so if you are interested in making my Beef and BroccoliKung Pao ShrimpSesame Chicken, etc., then I promise it will not go to waste!
  • Rice Wine:   Do not confuse rice wine with rice vinegar  – they re NOT the same – and are NOT interchangeable.   Rice wine adds a sweetness and depth of flavor.  Rice vinegar, on the other hand will add an acidic flavor.  I use “[eafl id=”28625″ name=”mirin” text=”Kikkoman Aji-Mirin: Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning”]” which is commonly found in the Asian section of most grocery stores or you can Amazon it.  I highly suggest you google image before you head off to the grocery store so you know exactly what you are looking for.  The best substitute for rice wine is pale dry sherry.
  • Asian Sweet Chili Sauce:  This is one of my favorite ingredients of all time and is often called Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.  It is made of chilies, sugar, vinegar and garlic is an addicting balance of sweet and spicy.  It’s often used as a dipping sauce for egg rolls but I love to use it in everything.  It is a common Asian ingredient and can be found in the Asian aisle at your grocery store.
mongolian chicken and broccoli in slow cooker insert with spoon

Mongolian Style Chicken Variations

  • Customize heat:  I use 4 tablespoons Asian Sweet Chili Sauce and 1 teaspoon sriracha which is perfect for the  palates at our house which like more spicy but when I made this dinner for my friend with 3 children under 4, I only used 2 tablespoons Asian Sweet Chili Sauce and omitted the sriracha – so basically, this Mongolian Chicken can be perfectly tailored to everyone so it can be everyone’s favorite fakeout takeout.
  • Customize flavor: You can customize the flavor of the Mongolian Chicken Sauce by adding additional Asian Sweet Chili Sauce for more sweet heat, Sriracha for spicier, brown sugar for sweeter if desired.
  • Add veggies: You are welcome to add broccoli to steam in the slow cooker after you have shredded your chicken but I like to just steam mine in the microwave for 3 minutes  – because then it just takes 3 minutes – or add any cooked veggies to your chicken your heart desires – and I can promise your heart will never desire them 1000x more once bathed in this intoxicating Mongolian sauce.

How to store Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

This Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken recipe makes fantastic leftovers as it reheats beautifully and stays tender, juicy and saucy for days! 

How to store:  store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Reheat Mongolian Chicken

  • How to reheat on the stove:  heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove.  Once hot, add the chicken, reduce to medium low and continue to cook and stir occasionally until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of water for saucier chicken.
  • Reheating in microwave:  transfer chicken to a microwave-safe plate.  Heated on high for 90 seconds, stir then continue to cook at 30 second intervals as needed until heated through.     

Can I Freeze Mongolian Chicken?

Yes! To freeze:

  1. Let chicken cool completely.
  2. Transfer chicken to either a large freezer size bag or divide into smaller size bags.  Alternatively, transfer to airtight container(s).
  3. Press air out of the freezer bag, seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
  4. When ready to eat, defrost chicken in the refrigerator.
  5. Heat on the stove until warmed through.
spooning mongolian chicken and broccoli onto a bed of white rice in a white bowl

How to serve Mongolian Style Chicken

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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Slow Cooker Mongolian Style Chicken

Mongolian Chicken made super easy in the slow cooker and super delicious smothered in a multi-dimensional sweet, savory, spicy (customizable) sauce!  This Mongolian Chicken is is my Go-To slow cooker meal!  It takes minutes to “set it and forget” then you thicken your sauce on the stove for truly luxurious Mongolian sauce – no lackluster, watery sauce here!  You will love the ease of this Chinese takeout fakeout and everyone else will swoon over the better than takeout flavor!  
Servings: 6 servings
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

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Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Mongolian Sauce

Instructions

  • Add chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker.
  • Whisk together all of the Mongolian Sauce ingredients and pour ½ cup over chicken. Refrigerate the rest of the sauce. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
  • When chicken is tender, remove to a cutting board and shred.
  • Meanwhile, add reserved Mongolian Sauce to a small saucepan and whisk in 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch followed by all the liquid from the slow cooker. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened. Add shredded chicken back to slow cooker along with thickened sauce. Toss to combine.
  • Let cook an additional 30 minutes on low to absorb sauce. Add salt to taste. Add additional Asian Sweet Chili Sauce for more sweet heat, Sriracha for spicier, brown sugar for sweeter if desired. Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Video

Notes

*Customize sweetness:  Use ¼ cup brown sugar for less sweet or if you are only using 2 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce.  You can always stir in more brown sugar at the end of cooking
**Customize heat:  If you aren’t sure how much Sweet Chili Sauce to use, start with less and stir in more at the end of cooking. I use 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) and 1 teaspoon sriracha and I would say it is medium spicy.  If you have young children you will want to start with 2 tablespoons Asian Sweet Chili Sauce and probably omit the Sriracha.
***Rice wine:  I use Kikkoman Mirin Aji Sweet Rice Wine – can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores – I suggest googling it so you can spot it easily. The best substitute is dry sherry.
***Broccoli:  I added 3 cups broccoli florets by adding ½ inch water to a microwave safe bowl along with broccoli, covering and microwaving for approximately 3 minutes to steam.

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77 Comments

  1. KD says

    Are you using fresh broccoli in this recipe? Can’t wait to try!

    • Jen says

      Hi there, I am using fresh broccoli. enjoy!

  2. Kathleen says

    Delicious recipe, even though I used rice wine vinegar instead of rice wine (after researching, apple juice would have probably been a better substitute). I have made a few of your awesome recipes and have enjoyed trying new flavors and products. I especially appreciate the crock pot recipes, they are perfect for hot summer days or busy days any time of year.

    • Jen says

      Thank you Kathleen, I’m so happy you enjoyed this chicken and it still turned out with rice vinegar 🙂 I love hearing you have been enjoying my recipes and are being introduced to new flavors and products – so fun! And I am right there with you – crockpot recipes are some of my favorites – doesn’t get any easier!

  3. Sheila says

    Can this be frozen? How would you recommend thawing/reheating it? I would like to add this recipe to the list of dinners I plan to make for my son and daughter-in-law when they welcome their first baby in September. I will definitely be trying it myself before that!

    • Jen says

      Hi Sheila, yes this should freeze very well. No special treatment necessary! You can either freeze small portions in smaller plastic bags or it all in a large freezer bag. Enjoy!

  4. Michelle Arthur says

    This was a hit with the entire family! Thanks!

    • Jen says

      You are so welcome Michelle, I’m so happy everyone loved it!

  5. Merrie Herrie says

    Been out of my kitchen using home food services, but will return for your slow cooker recipes!

    • Jen says

      Welcome back to the kitchen! I love slow cooker recipes because they are easy and taste better than slaving over a stove! I hope you enjoy them!

  6. Sandra says

    We’ve been making your recipe for quite some time now – I just wanted to tell you that me and my son love it. Actually i’m getting ready to load my slow cooker in just a couple minutes so we can devour it for dinner 🙂
    I usually double the sauce because it is so amazing!!!
    Thank you for the recipe

    • Jen says

      Hi Sandra, thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I love hearing you and your son are enjoying my recipes, that means so much to me! I hope you enjoy your Mongolian Chicken tonight!

  7. Rebecca Woolverton says

    Do you have the carb stats for this recipe?

  8. Cindy says

    I would like to double the recipe. In one of your comments to a reviewer you suggested adding 1/3 less salt, pepper & ginger. There is no salt in the recipe. But there is soy sauce. Did you mean cutting soy sauce by 1/3? Could you give me the exact amounts that you would suggest for doubling the recipe, please. Thank you.

    • Jen says

      Hi Cindy, I would double all of the sauce ingredients including the soy sauce and then use 3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger instead of 4. I would start with a heaping teaspoon pepper and add more to taste. I hope that helps!

  9. Sam says

    I’ve made this several times in the crock pot, and we love it!! Have you ever tried it in an Instant Pot for a quick weeknight option?

    • Jen says

      Hi Sam, I’m so happy this is a favorite! Unfortunately I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot yet, sorry!

  10. Cathy says

    When do you add the broccoli?

    • Jen says

      Hi Cathy, per my notes, I prefer to microwave my broccoli: ***Broccoli: I added 3 cups broccoli florets by adding 1/2 inch water to a microwave safe bowl along with broccoli, covering and microwaving for approximately 3 minutes to steam.

  11. Knugget says

    Made this tonight. Added chopped onions to chicken used liquid aminos and rice wine. We served with cauliflower fried rice. Boyfriends parents loved it

    • Jen says

      I’m so happy it was a success! Thank you!

    • Holly says

      And add the broccoli after its all done or in the 3 minute warm up to incorporate flavors?

      • Jen says

        I would add it after it’s done, or just the last 5 minutes after warm up so it doesn’t get too soft, but I’m a stickler for crisp-tender broccoli!

  12. Shari says

    Hi Jen,
    I have made several of your recipes, and all are delicious!

    Question: At what point would I add the broccoli, or any veggies if desired?

  13. Clarissa says

    If doubling the Mongolian sauce ingredients do we really need to add water? I don’t like diluted haha , What is the purpose of the water?

    • Jen says

      I have the same thinking of you Clarissa! But it actually is just too strong without the water.

  14. Sarah says

    Do you think you could just add the dress fresh broccoli right to the crock pot for the last 30 minutes of cook time? Or do we need to steam it? I don’t want mushy broccoli!

    • Jen says

      Yes, I think that timing should be about perfect. You can always check it at 20 minutes and see how it’s doing. Enjoy!

      • Sarah says

        I added fresh broccoli straight in for the last 30 minutes or so and it was fantastic. One of the better recipes we have had in awhile!

        • Jen says

          Thanks Sarah! Great to know adding broccoli the last 30 minutes works like a charm!

  15. Marie Z says

    Made this for dinner tonight! AMAZING! This will replace any takeout from now on! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    • Jen says

      I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review!

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