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If you love the takeaway classic, try my Slow Cooker Salt and Pepper Sticky Chicken! An easy, delicious, hands-off meal the whole family will enjoy.
This Chinese-style Salt and Pepper Sticky Chicken made in the slow cooker is perfect if you’re a fan of homemade fakeaways.
Just prep in the morning by throwing all the ingredients into the pan, and let the slow cooker do the work for you.
There’s so much flavour from these simple store cupboard ingredients, and this recipe is great for batch cooking and freezing for another day too.
WHY I LOVE Slow Cooker Fakaways
⭐️ Healthier and cheaper than a takeaway
⭐️ Saves time on busy days
⭐️ Lots of fun and flavour
Sarah’s Notes
This is my take on Salt & Pepper Chicken focusing on convenience and a simplified ingredients list and method.
Salt and Pepper Chicken is traditionally deep fried and crispy, but here we’re making it in a sticky sauce to enjoy alongside rice.
If you’d like to try a more authentic recipe for this dish, visit The Wok’s of Life to see their version.
Slow Cooker Salt & Pepper Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken – I cut these into bite sized pieces. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer, they will take a little longer to cook.
- Ginger puree – This is really convenient. You could use frozen or fresh though, if you like.
- Tomato ketchup – Yes, really! This adds a nice sweet and sticky tang.
- Light soy sauce – You can use dark soy if it’s all you have, but the colour of the finished sauce will be very different. The flavour may also be quite salty.
- Chinese five spice – We just need a teaspoon of this but it adds a lot of flavour.
- Other dry ingredients – Chilli flakes, garlic granules and brown sugar.
- Black peppercorns – This dish is often made using Sichuan peppercorns rather than regular black pepper. If you’d like to try them instead, substitute the black peppercorns for Sichuan peppercorns.
- Red peppers – I like to add the peppers right at the end of the cooking time so they are still fairly crunchy. If you prefer them softer, you can add them for the slow cook.
- Spring onions – Cut these into long pieces.
- Cornflour – This is to make a slurry to thicken the sauce (see notes below).
- To serve: Rice and sliced red chillies.
How to make Slow Cooker Salt and Pepper Chicken
1. Place all of the ingredients, apart from the red pepper, spring onions and cornflour, into the slow cooker. Give it a good stir then cook according to the recipe below.
2. Put the cornflour into a small bowl and add enough liquid from the slow cooker to make a smooth paste (slurry). Pour back into the slow cooker.
3. Add the red peppers into the slow cooker.
4. Add the spring onions cook on high for 30 more minutes or until the peppers are softened.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or on the hob before serving. The sauce will be a lot thicker when reheated, add a splash of water to thin a little if you like.
In the freezer Wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or on the hob.
Making a ‘slurry’
This is a trick to thicken the sauce without ending up with floury lumps.
First you add cornflour to a small bowl, mug or jug, then use a little liquid from the dish (a spoonful or two) to mix the cornflour into a paste consistency.
If you just sprinkle cornflour straight into the dish, it will form lumps that are almost impossible to get rid of. I promise this step is worth the extra dirty bowl!
PLEASE NOTE that cornflour in the UK is NOT the same as it in the US! There it’s known as ‘corn starch’. Corn flour in the US is something different (the same as cornmeal in the UK), so please don’t use this.
More fakeaway-style slow cooker chicken recipes…
Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken {Easy Fakeaway}
Slow Cooker Curries
Slow Cooker Chicken Korma
Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Satay {Easy Fakeaway}
Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken {with Sticky Sauce}
FAQs
Yes, sure. Make sure your ketchup is free from gluten and swap the soy sauce for tamari, and you’re good to go.
I like to eat this with plain long grain rice, but you can eat this with a variety of sides, including egg noodles, rice noodles, rice, my Egg Fried Rice, and prawn crackers.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Slow Cooker Salt & Pepper Sticky Chicken
Ingredients
- 800 g (28 oz) Chicken breast, Cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp Ginger puree
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 6 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp Garlic granules
- 1 tsp Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Black peppercorns, Crushed
- 2 Red peppers, Diced
- 6 Spring onions, Cut into long pieces
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
To serve:
- Rice
- Sliced red chillies
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients, apart from the red pepper, spring onions and cornflour, into the slow cooker. Give it a good stir, put the lid on and then cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours.
- Put the cornflour into a small bowl and add enough liquid from the slow cooker to make a smooth paste (slurry). Pour back into the slow cooker.
- Add the red pepper and spring onions and cook on high for 30 more minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So simple and so delicious! I will definitely make this again ❤️