#2,042: Slow Cooker Asian-BBQ Fusion Chicken

I am trying to use chicken thighs more because I know they are a bit easier on the grocery budget, but they aren't my favorite type of meat.  I made this because it looked SO good to me, but I didn't know if my boys would enjoy it as much (the girls were out of town).  No surprise, the littlest boy (5) wasn't a big fan and we had to coerce him to eat it.  The big boy (40) actually surprised me by liking this.  He did, however, prefer to eat the leftover chicken in a roll (more like a BBQ chicken sandwich) instead. 

6 chicken thighs, skin removed.

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp minced jarred garlic)

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ground ginger)

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 1 lemon (or 3 Tbsp lemon juice)

Lemon zest (if using a fresh lemon)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season chicken with the spices.

Add all of the ingredients on top except for the water and cornstarch. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cold water with the cornstarch until well blended.

Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker to the saucepan and whisk.

Heat over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens.

Mix the thickened liquid back into the slow cooker and stir. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve chicken over rice. Top with some of the sauce and then some sesame seeds.