Sweet and sour chicken in rice with a scoop of coleslaw in a white round bowl on top of a white round plate with bamboo chopsticks on the plate and a white and brown towel behind all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowl in the Slow Cooker

Use your slow cooker to make a delicious, easy, sweet and sour chicken bowl with rice and coleslaw that the entire family is sure to love!

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Sweet-and-Sour sauce is a wonderful way to give your weeknight chicken meal a unique flavor that (most) kids will love! And when it’s a homemade sauce with a meal done in the slow cooker, everyone wins. Add some healthy coleslaw and rice and you have a delicious sweet and sour chicken bowl for the entire family.

I love using the slow cooker to throw a bunch of food together in the morning and let it cook all day. It usually doesn’t take much effort or time. And dinner is ready when you want to eat. Not to mention how tender the chicken is when it’s cooked this way.

When I first saw the recipe that I used as inspiration, I wasn’t so sure. Justin insisted that he wanted to try it, so we did. Much to my surprise, it was delicious! I don’t usually like coleslaw which is part of this recipe. We made some homemade coleslaw just for this recipe. It was delicious and worked well in the dish. Of course, you can buy premade coleslaw. But when we went to the store they were completely out, so we didn’t have that option. The leftover coleslaw went well with our burgers that weekend.

We made this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but the original recipe called for chicken thighs. You could use either, but the boys and I prefer white meat. If you use the thighs, you’ll need to pull the meat off the bones before serving.

Step by Step

Place the thawed chicken in your slow cooker.

Chicken in a slow cooker on a wooden surface

Thinly slice the green part of a few green onions and put those on top of the chicken (kitchen shears make this easy!).

Chicken covered with chopped green onion in a slow cooker on a wooden surface

In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. This is your basic sweet and sour sauce and could be used for other recipes.

Sweet and sour sauce in a small stainless steel mixing bowl next to a slow cooker on a wooden surface

Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the chicken and green onions. Move the chicken around a bit to make sure some of the sauce gets underneath as well to keep it from sticking.

Chicken covered with sweet and sour sauce and chopped green onions in a slow cooker on a wooden surface

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours. The chicken will be tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and let it cool while you cook the rice according to directions. I use my rice steamer any time I need to make rice, so I started it a few minutes before the chicken would be done since it takes about 20 minutes.

Prepare your bowls by placing the rice in the bottom and top it with your coleslaw and sliced chicken. Then drizzle a bit of the sauce from the slow cooker over everything and garnish with sliced green onions or sesame seeds.

Sweet and sour chicken in rice with a scoop of coleslaw in a white round bowl on top of a white round plate with bamboo chopsticks on the plate and a white and brown towel behind all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: May 16, 2018

Last Updated On: February 6, 2020

Sweet and sour chicken in rice with a scoop of coleslaw in a white round bowl on top of a white round plate with bamboo chopsticks on the plate and a white and brown towel behind all on a wooden surface

Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowl

Use your slow cooker to make a delicious, easy, sweet and sour chicken bowl with rice and coleslaw that the entire family is sure to love!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
chicken
|
slow cooker
|
sweet and sour
Servings: 4 cups
5 from 8 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
  • 2 green onions
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 cups brown rice (cooked)
  • 1 cup coleslaw

Instructions

  • Place chicken in a slow cooker
  • Slice green onions and add to the slow cooker
  • In a small bowl, whisk ketchup, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, and vinegar
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken
  • Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours, making sure chicken is cooked through
  • Meanwhile, cook rice according to package
  • Remove chicken and slice into strips
  • Prepare bowls by adding the cooked rice, then top with chicken slices, coleslaw, and drizzle with the sauce
  • Garnish with sliced green onions or sesame seeds
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Nutrition Facts
Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowl
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 704 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 145mg48%
Sodium 1347mg56%
Potassium 1217mg35%
Carbohydrates 96g32%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 56g112%
Vitamin A 220IU4%
Vitamin C 11.3mg14%
Calcium 57mg6%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

44 thoughts on “Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowl in the Slow Cooker”

  1. I couldn’t have stumbled upon this at a better time. I love slow cooker meals especially when I know we have a busy day, Dinner like you said is ready when you need it. I will definitely be trying this one out. My oldest loves chicken dishes in the crockpot and I’m always looking for new ideas. This one looks delicious – Thanks

  2. 5 stars
    We looove sweet and sour anything. I don’t think we’ve ever cooked it at home though, so this is a great time to try! It looks delicious. PS: slow cookers are magic aren’t they?

  3. 5 stars
    This looks so good! I love meals in the slow cooker because it makes my life so easy! This is great because you can put it all in one bowl, I love meals like this!

  4. I love using the slow cooker and this recipe looks awesome! It’s a much healthier version than I currently make and it’s also so much easier to prepare. My family would really enjoy this meal after a long day of school and after school practices.

  5. 5 stars
    So slow cooker meals are honestly my favorite thing ever. If something can be put in my crockpot…chances are much higher I’ll make it!! This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it!

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