I love anything that has an Asian influence, and even more so when it comes to food and great tasting meals, so when I found these Asian crock pot recipes for flavor-filled dinner dishes I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to make.
Usually, the ingredients list for these recipes is endless and have items I sometimes have not even heard of, let alone expect to find in the supermarket, but these are quick and easy using everyday ingredients.
We love eating out at our local takeaway restaurant, but more than once can get a bit pricey, so I was looking for an option to try some dishes at home. And I was in luck. Not only did I find a great collection of easy-to-follow recipe cards but I could use my convenient crockpot which I try to use whenever possible.
The slow cooker is a marvel I have come to love and could probably never live without, so when I can combine ease of preparation with great tasting food I am all for it.
#1. Korean pulled pork
My kids love pulled pork in any form. I think it is because the meat is so tender and you don’t have to end up chewing a piece of meat for hours on end that has been badly cooked and now resembles a leather shoe (anyone else relates to grandmother’s forgotten pork roast).
This dish, with its Korean inspiration, has become a firm family favorite at our dining table, and as such has saved me plenty of money. A treat dinner trip to the restaurant is always on the cards, but enjoying the great flavors more than once a month is now easy on the pocket and is just as delicious.
There is nothing more rewarding than creating Asian crock pot recipes that are healthy and effortless.
Sprinkle the dishes with a generous amount of chopped spring onion for a nice tang and to add a beautiful pop of color when serving. You can also add sesame seeds for texture and a nutty element to the flavor profile.
The mix goes beautifully served over fluffy rice or tossed with noodles.
Thankfully, chicken is a reasonably cheap source of protein and when I see a promotion at the supermarket that has frozen chicken on sale in bulk, I jump on it because I know I can defrost it, portion it up and have options when it comes to dinner or lunch meal prep.
And this dish was one of those creations.
Soya sauce, garlic, and ginger are for me, the fundamentals of this amazing cuisine and cultural cooking, and then you add to it a touch of honey to add an evident yet subtle sweetness, and you are left with a well-balanced, gorgeously tasting dish the family will rave about for days.
Dinner is a quick preparation away, toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker, leave on low for several hours until the chicken is cooked through and tender, and then shred the chicken and stir it back in the flavor-filled liquid.
The meat is smothered in a rich sauce and tastes exquisite on fluffy, simple rice so that the chicken is the star of the show, and for good reason too. These slow cooker Asian recipes are a must-try this week for supper, you won’t be disappointed.
Finding crock pot Asian recipes was easier than I thought it would be, not only to research but to make at home without much Asian culinary experience.
This flank steak meal was such a winner when we took it to our friend’s house over the weekend that the kids requested it for one of our midweek dinners.
The meat is fork-tender smothered in a dark, rich sauce that sinks deep into the meat filling it with goodness and an unmistakable flavor profile. Large slices of spring onion are a great way to add much-needed color to the dishes when serving and with white rice, the meat pops off the plate.
I loved making this recipe because I didn’t have to do anything other than throw the ingredients into the crockpot and put the lid on. I left it on low for several hours while I ran errands and collected the kids from school and we were hit by a meaty aroma that made the kids’ faces light up because they recognized the smell (that moment alone was worth making it).
It was a success and the kids and hub gave it a two thumbs up.
When I plate this for the family and any guests we have over for dinner that evening, it is always a crowd-pleaser. It is so simple to make and looks just like those food magazine images we see on TV and billboards.
I even opted to serve chopsticks instead of the generic knife and fork combo and it went down a treat.
You can switch out the vegetables for specific ones that the kids love or prefer, and even choose colors to match a theme if you are making this dish for a special event or an occasion to celebrate one of the children.
And I love that you can make a big batch of this to have enough for lunch boxes or to have in the fridge in a sealed container to keep fresh for a couple of days, and it reheats just as well with a splash of soy and butter (I like garlic butter, who doesn’t love garlic, and I make my own). Sauté in a hot skillet and you have yourself a great afternoon snack box.
The chicken makes this dish a healthy version, which is great during the summer months when you are trying to keep to your gym schedule but can easily be substituted for additional veg or tofu for a vegetarian option.
If there are allergies to nuts please omit the sesame seeds, it is still amazing.
This dish is so popular when I make the home version and is the only thing the kid’s order when we go out to eat, so all around the flavors are great.
But the simplicity of the dish is what keeps me making it. I prefer Asian slow cooker recipes that are quick, and fuss-free, and I don’t need to be well-versed in all things Asian.
To give the dish that deep, rich flavor you want to be sure to give the meat a good sear in the pan, almost charring it to help lock in the juice and moisture, the cornstarch helps with this, and you will thank yourself for it because it makes all the difference in the final dish.
The sauce simmers gently with the meat smothered in goodness for several hours, all you need to do is add ready-cooked noodles to toss for a minute or so, or over rice for a filling meal. My husband has even rolled the filling into a wrap with sliced cucumber for a creation he now takes to work, it is amazing what you can do when we don’t have rice or noodles on hand.
A superb dish the kids will adore and a hit around the dining table.
If you want Asian crock pot recipes that won’t break the bank then look no further, this has only a handful of ingredients, is so quick to make, and tastes, if not better than the restaurant version, I think it is because I make it with more love.
This is a dish that is filled with beautiful tender pieces of chicken coated in a sweet-sour sauce that is divine, decadent, and not overly sweet as so many people think.
You can leave the chicken to cook while you get the rest of the ingredients ready, I like to set it on high for a few hours if time is of the essence, but low throughout the day is also fine while you get on with things.
Then you drain the chicken, discard the liquid, and put the chicken and the sauce ingredients back into the slow cooker to reduce. Once it’s thickened up and the sauce has become sticky and smothered the chicken you can dig in.
I will admit (although I may be biased) that this sweet and tangy dish with the hints of spring onion adds a nice zest and great pop of color, and the sesame brings in a rich, nutty element, that the result was better than our usual takeout.
Perhaps because I was so hungry by the time supper time came around, or that I had been craving something like this for so long, or most likely the generous amount of love I poured into making the meal that gave it that something extra. Either way, it was heaven on a plate, and the family agreed.
Packed with goodness and full-bodied flavors, this meal is combined perfectly with rice, (feel free to make egg-fried rice if you have the time), and a sprinkle of fresh spring onions and chives and dried red chili flakes for a touch of heat. You can leave the chili out if you prefer a milder meal option, both are equally fantastic.
Simple to make yet tastes like hours in the kitchen.
It is funny how so many of the best-tasting dishes are made with chicken, but when these crock pot Asian recipes elevate a slice of humble meat to a heavenly level, you can see why it is so versatile. There is something to suit everyone’s pallet and taste and all with a single protein, win-win.
Thai food is one of the most authentic cuisines I have experienced. Having watched chefs cook live you can see the passion and care they have when creating the meal from the first ingredient to the garnish.
While they do make it look effortless, I am well aware of the skill involved so I had no intention of setting up a wok station and risk burning my house down. I do have a crockpot, however, and having experimented with slow-cooking Asian dishes before with much success I decided to give this recipe a go. It was like fireworks on Bon Fire night.
This dish ticked all the boxes. It was filled with flavor from the top to the bottom, essentially cooked itself while I got on with the housework, and the flavor combinations melted together harmoniously for a brilliantly impressive meal. I recommend it to everyone that visits our home and has only heard good things, a must-have dish in your recipe collection.
When you have everything in the slow cooker and you see the ingredients and the meat becoming fork-tender and smothered in a rich, dark sauce, you will know why I always reach for these slow cooker Asian recipes when I want a dish that makes me feel good.
There is something about the dish that when I take a bite the stress from the day just dissipates and all is right in the world again.
Honey and garlic while highly different in flavor profiles, seemingly marry together beautifully. And with the sprinkle of ginger thrown into the mix, the flavor combination is complete.
If you want to impress the in-laws on the weekend with a great tasting meal then give this one a try, as tasty as your local restaurant, but made in the comfort of your home, without the hefty price tag, and you can easily double the portion size with minimum added effort.
This dish does take a few added steps of effort but they are well worth the taste in the end and make a huge difference. Coating the chicken in these easy Asian slow cooker recipes is vital to help seal in those flavors, juices, and moisture, and is the step where you could add more seasoning if you enjoy a more intense taste.
The cashews also have a niggle to them. You can opt to add them halfway through the slow cooking process so that they soften and absorb the liquid at the same time, or just before serving so you have a crunch element to the dish.
I even enjoy roasting a handful of the cashews in a hot skillet with butter to char them a bit or add a singed touch of color and flavor, and then crush them till chunky or fine for the family to spoon over their plates when serving.
A garnish of fresh coriander adds a lovely touch of color and freshness to the meal to lighten it.
This is a well-balanced meal, full of authentic flavors, and is essentially a hands-off dish, yes, please.
If you have been looking for a way to cook ribs where you don’t have to wrap them in foil and oven bake for the whole day under supervision, then these healthy crockpot Asian recipe options are just the answer.
The meat, in the end, is falling off the bone without an effort on your part, pretty much sacrificing itself for you to enjoy, and you will.
This fork-tender meat is so juicy and packed with flavor that when you try this way of slow cooking you will never want to use any other method, and for good reason too, it is effortless amazing and tastes even better than it looks.
I serve them with some homemade Asian BBQ sauce for the kids to dip into, garlic buttered brioche rolls pair perfectly, and when served on rice the sauce envelopes the grains making the entire meal a dream come true (my children’s words but I’ll take it).
When I know the kids are having friends staying over or the hubby has invited the lads over for game days, I almost always make an overly large batch of this shredded, pulled pork and stuff the saucy mix into fresh buns or wraps, top it with homemade coleslaw, and serve.
Everyone loves them (this is an understatement because there are never any left) and a hit with even fussy eaters. And if you see a piece of meat on promotion at the store, grab it. You can cook up a large batch, shred and sauce as normal, and portion into smaller bags to freeze down. The meat freezes and thaws effortlessly and reheats and tastes just as good as when you first made it and can be tossed into a salad or served over rice for varied supper options.
There are so many meals you could create with a great base of perfectly tender, tasting meat.
You may see that the recipe card calls for both honey and brown sugar and then worry that it may be too sweet, as did I, but it is perfectly well-balanced out by the soy and hoisin. This is one of the reasons why I love cooking Asian cuisine at home, the flavors you would never think to combine have been perfected by the Asian nation, and they show us how humble ingredients when paired well, taste exquisite.
This is my oldest child’s ultimate dish, she could eat it all day every day. She never wants to try anything else when we go to the restaurant (unlike me who tries something new each visit- and not always successful) so I knew I had to find a version of the meal I could make at home so she could have it more often.
Eating out is a nice treat but it can get pricey quickly when the kids want to go more than a couple of times a month, so having this traditional dish is perfectly budget-friendly.
While the chicken is simmering gently and tenderizing in the soy sauce you can cook the rice on the side and mix the eggs ready to add to the crock pot later. Then once the chicken is cooked, drain and dice the meat and put it back into the slow cooker with the rice, and give it a good stir. Add the veg and cooked egg and stir to combine beautifully.
Serve this delicious dish as the main course or as a side option, either way, be sure to serve it to the family and wait for the compliments.
If you take your time with this dish and pour the love into the preparation and serving as I know you will, you can count on your family being shocked at how good the dish looks, a magazine-worthy meal that impresses every time you serve it.
Guests will be raving about it, asking for the recipes for sure, and asking if you will be serving this again the next time you invite them over for a meal.
The dish itself looks like it has so many complex elements to it, and while it is not your average handful of ingredients and left to cook kind of a meal, the result is mind-blowingly worth it. If you have all the ingredients prepped and ready, the stages of the dish flow into one another and before you know it you are layering the veggies on the pork and noodles with the soft egg and corn kernels, and a sprinkle of chili and sesame seed flakes.
Wow. This is all my husband could manage to croak out between his wide-eyed look when I placed a bowl of this in front of him for dinner. A beautifully elegant dish fit for a special occasion.
I don’t think I know any of my friends or family who doesn’t love a dish filled with delicious homemade meatballs packed with an Asian flavor.
When I know we are having guests over for a gathering with drinks and snacks I like to make a small buffet area with nibbles and picky bits, and this is always my go-to dish because it is such a crowd-pleaser. Served with toothpicks for easy lifting, it is as simple as it sounds.
The best part of this recipe (and I found this out by mistake if I’m being honest) is that it tastes just as fantastic if you use frozen meatballs. Because this is a slow cooking marvel of a recipe the meat thaws, heats, and absorbs the juicy, flavorful liquid perfectly.
Make a quick slurry of cornstarch to thicken the sauce for a sticky, enveloping sauce that coats the meatballs in complete goodness. Sweet, sticky, tangy, all the elements you could want to have a great appetizer.
And while they are cooking away you can get on with the rest of the party prep and food bits and have peace of mind that it won’t overcook, burn, or set the house on fire.
Suppertime just got a whole lot better and tastier and now you can immerse the family in brilliantly delicious cuisine without the effort, and price tag. This season is the time to try out these Asian crock pot recipes for flavor-filled dinner dishes that are always crowd-pleasers.
Great tasting food at dinner time is the perfect way to wrap up the day, ready to take on whatever tomorrow has to bring.
Born and raised in South Africa and being immersed in the rich culture, Candace soon found a passion for all things food related. Exploring and experiencing new flavors and taste profiles she pursued her career as a qualified chef in silver service specialized in fine dining.
