How to make Mongolian Chicken in the Slow Cooker

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

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!

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER

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
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.

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.
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 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.
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.
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 Broccoli, Kung Pao Shrimp, Sesame 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, and is an addictive 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 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 fake-out take-out.
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-sized bag or divide into smaller-sized 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

Stir Fry Veggies. You can stir fry any veggies your heart desires from broccoli, to bell peppers, to mushrooms, to carrots, etc.
Shortcut Veggies. You can purchase pre-chopped veggies perfect for stir fries or use a frozen stir-fry blend or steam-in-the-bag microwavable frozen veggies.
Crockpot Veggies. As previously discussed, you can add vegetables directly to the crockpot to cook with your chicken.
Salad. You can swap the stir-fried veggies for a fresh, crunchy salad such as Crunchy Asian Salad, Chinese Salad, or Asian Pineapple Salad. You can even add the Honey Garlic Chicken directly to the salads.
Fruit. Fresh fruit such as chopped pineapple is always an easy, welcome sweet Asian side. Grilled Pineapple, Summer Fruit Salad, Perfect Fruit Salad, Creamy Grape Salad, and Pina Colada Fruit Salad are also fantastic.
Appetizers. For an Asian feast, Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken is delicious with Chinese appetizers such as Crab Rangoons, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Pineapple Cream Cheese Wontons, Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls, Sweet and Sour Chicken Egg Rolls or Chinese Chicken Wings. It is also delicious with potstickers, even though they are technically Japanese and not Chinese.
Soups. Let the Chinese feast continue with soup! I love to warm up to Egg Drop Soup which is SUPER easy and always a satisfying favorite.

Looking for More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes?

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken
Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken

Looking for more Asian recipes?

General Tso’s Chicken
Cashew Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sesame Noodles
Pineapple Ginger Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Orange Chicken
One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Rice
Sticky Honey Lemon Ginger Chicken

WANT TO TRY THIS RECIPE?

PIN IT to your recipe BOARD TO SAVE FOR LATER!

FIND ME ON PINTEREST FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES! I AM ALWAYS PINNING :)!

©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

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: servings

Total Time: 4 10

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 4

Save This Recipe To Your Recipe Box

You can now create an account on our site and save your favorite recipes all in one place!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

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

Mongolian Sauce

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2-4 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy) **
2 tablespoons sweet Japanese rice wine (may sub dry sherry)
1 tablespoon quality hoisin sauce (like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman)**
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sriracha/Asian more or less to taste***

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.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs

Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!

Carlsbad Cravings Original

leave a review Cancel reply

79 Comments

KD says

at

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

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  Hi there, I am using fresh broccoli. enjoy!
  
  Reply
Kathleen says

at

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.

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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!
  
  Reply
Sheila says

at

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!

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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!
  
  Reply
Michelle Arthur says

at

This was a hit with the entire family! Thanks!

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  You are so welcome Michelle, I’m so happy everyone loved it!
  
  Reply
Merrie Herrie says

at

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

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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!
  
  Reply
Sandra says

at

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

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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!
  
  Reply
Rebecca Woolverton says

at

Do you have the carb stats for this recipe?

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  Hi Rebecca, you can calculate nutritional info at: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
  
  Reply
Cindy says

at

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.

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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!
  
  Reply
Sam says

at

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?

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

at

When do you add the broccoli?

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Knugget says

at

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

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  I’m so happy it was a success! Thank you!
  
  Reply
- Holly says
  
  at
  
  And add the broccoli after its all done or in the 3 minute warm up to incorporate flavors?
  
  Reply
  - Jen says
    
    at
    
    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!
    
    Reply
Shari says

at

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?

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  Thanks Shari! I would follow the instructions/method in my Beef and Broccoli: https://capital-axis.live/secret-ingredient-better-than-takeout-beef-and-broccoli/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
  
  Reply
Clarissa says

at

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?

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  I have the same thinking of you Clarissa! But it actually is just too strong without the water.
  
  Reply
Sarah says

at

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!

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  Yes, I think that timing should be about perfect. You can always check it at 20 minutes and see how it’s doing. Enjoy!
  
  Reply
  - Sarah says
    
    at
    
    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!
    
    Reply
    - Jen says
      
      at
      
      Thanks Sarah! Great to know adding broccoli the last 30 minutes works like a charm!
      
      Reply
Marie Z says

at

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

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review!
  
  Reply
Amy says

at

I apparently had no hoisin sauce (oops) or rice wine, so I made it without and it was still amazing! Also, made it in my instant pot. So good, will definitely make again!

Reply
- Jen says
  
  at
  
  I’m so glad that it will be a repeat!!
  
  Reply

See More Comments

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.

Watch: How to make Mongolian Chicken

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER

Why you will love this Mongolian Chicken Recipe

WHAT IS MONGOLIAN CHICKEN?

Mongolian Chicken Recipe Ingredients

How to Make Mongolian Chicken

Tips for making Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

Mongolian Style Chicken Variations

How to store Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken

How to Reheat Mongolian Chicken

Can I Freeze Mongolian Chicken?

How to serve Mongolian Style Chicken

Looking for More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes?

Looking for more Asian recipes?

WANT TO TRY THIS RECIPE?

PIN IT to your recipe BOARD TO SAVE FOR LATER!

FIND ME ON PINTEREST FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES! I AM ALWAYS PINNING :)!

Tools Used in This Recipe

Mongolian Style Chicken

Save This Recipe To Your Recipe Box

Ingredients

Mongolian Sauce

Instructions

Video

Notes

Want To Make This Recipe?

Never Miss a Craving

You Might Also Like

Reader Interactions

leave a review Cancel reply

79 Comments

The Face Behind the Recipes

Find the Recipe You Are Craving:

Don't Miss a Craving!