Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
Sep 06, 2015, Updated Aug 31, 2022
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Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken is an easy slow cooker dinner, featuring a sticky-sweet sauce and juicy, perfectly cooked chicken thighs. Everyone will be fighting for the last piece!
Want more chicken thigh recipes? Try this easy air fryer chicken thighs recipe!
So Good You Might Just Lick Your Plate (I Did!)
Crockpot honey garlic chicken always makes me think of this one time, at a reallllyyy nice restaurant, when I picked up my plate and slurped up all the sauce. No shame.
It just so happened that I had a hot date at one of Chicago’s best Asian restaurants, and because I knew the owner, I felt like, hey anything goes! I felt like a hot shot, if you will, until I completely made a fool of myself because I could not stop slurping up the honey garlic sauce. I didn’t completely pick up the plate – just kind of tilted it a little bit – enough to get every last drop of that sauce! This experience was akin to the first time I tasted bourbon chicken, with its equally irresistible sauce that leaves you wanting more.
As a result, I developed this recurring hangry hunger for honey garlic chicken because it is simply that good. Tender, moist, chicken thighs, coated in the most glorious homemade honey garlic sauce, and in my version, it all comes together in the slow cooker. This recipe will change your life!
What You’ll Need
We’re only dealing with 5 ingredients here plus a seasoning or two. Super easy, I’m telling you. Here’s what you will need to make the perfect crockpot honey garlic chicken:
- Chicken Thighs: Since this recipe is for the slow cooker, I recommend using boneless, skinless thighs. Skin-on chicken would not get crispy.
- Garlic: Mince up some fresh garlic for a pop of savory flavor.
- Honey: For sweetness and stickiness! Pure maple syrup makes a good substitute if needed.
- Ketchup: Low-sodium is my preference, but you can use any ketchup you like.
- Soy Sauce: Again, I like low-sodium soy sauce. However, you can use regular soy sauce, or substitute tamari or coconut aminos.
- Dried Herbs/Seasonings: Dried oregano, fresh parsley, and toasted sesame seeds… yum!
How to Make Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Take out the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and chicken thighs – things are about to get amazing!
- Mix the Sauce Ingredients. In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients: honey, ketchup, garlic, soy sauce, and dried herbs.
- Place the Sauce and Chicken in the Slow Cooker. Arrange the boneless, skinless chicken thighs inside the slow cooker, and pour the sauce over them.
- Cook. Cover the Crockpot and cook on HIGH for about three hours, or on LOW for 4 to 5 hours.
- Optional: Thicken the Sauce. If you would like to thicken the sauce, you can whisk a cornstarch slurry into the sauce about thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time.
How to Make a Cornstarch Slurry
To make the slurry for thickening, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of cold water, to form a paste. Whisk this into your sauce inside the slow cooker, cover and continue to cook. The sauce will thicken up beautifully!
Helpful Tips
This easy recipe is perfect for any dinner, with its ultra-simple ingredients and scrumptious taste. Plus, these tips make it even easier to whip up!
- How Much Chicken Should I Use? Use enough chicken thighs to cover the bottom of your slow cooker. You can also use chicken breasts, or substitute bone-in, skin-on chicken, if you prefer. Keep in mind that different kinds of concern require different cooking times!
- How Long Should I Cook This? All crock pots cook at different times and temperatures. Some readers suggest to cook the chicken for only 3 hours, while others said it took 4 hours in their crock pot. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is done.
- Checking for Doneness. Most importantly, 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the safe internal temperature for both the white meat of the chicken, and the dark meat. Always cook to this temperature for food safety!
Great Side Dish Ideas
To serve this chicken, I like to make jasmine rice or another white rice. Of course, you could also make salad, or serve some simple veggies cooked with salt and maybe a little butter. Still looking for inspiration? Well, some other good side dishes could include…
- Broccoli: Fresh, green, Garlicky Steamed Broccoli is a great contrast for sticky chicken. It adds nutrition, too, of course! I love the fragrant garlic flavor in this recipe.
- Noodles: Instead of rice, add even more yumminess to your meal with a serving of noodles.
- Snap Peas: Crispy, crunchy, and sweet, these Sesame Snap Peas are always a huge hit and a breeze to make. Sesame goes perfectly with the sweetness of the honey garlic chicken.
Storing and Reheating the Leftovers
- To store, place the chicken and sauce in airtight containers or bags, and refrigerate for up to four days.
- Reheat on the stove over medium heat until heated through.
Can I Freeze Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken?
Yes, you can! Just place the cooked, cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer bag or container, leaving as little air inside as possible. Mark with the date, freeze, and use within 3 months for best results.
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Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, , skinless chicken thighs*
- 4 garlic cloves, , minced
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low sodium ketchup
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Arrange chicken thighs on the bottom of your slow cooker; set aside. (please look at the notes section)
- In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano and parsley; whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs. Close with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours on LOW, or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH.** (please look at the notes section)
- Remove lid and transfer chicken to a serving plate.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Use 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water; mix it together until mixture forms a paste.
- 30 minutes before the chicken is done cooking, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce inside the slow cooker; cover and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Hi, I just made this recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs..I was surprised that it was done in 2.5 hours on high. (almost over done) I then read many of the comments from people who said it failed, burned and was dry. Mine didn’t take very long to cook at all. Your pictures show BONE IN SKIN ON chicken thighs, but your recipe states boneless skinless chicken thighs. They will cook much faster and be dryer than bone in skin on. I think your directions need to be corrected.
Hi Kim! All crock pots cook at different temps and times. I have consulted with the people at Crock Pot about this and that’s pretty much the answer that they gave me.
Also, the picture of the raw chicken was taken prior to me de-boning and removing the skin. But you can definitely use bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, as well as chicken breasts. As long as there’s enough meat to cover the bottom of the slow cooker, this recipe works very well. To add, there’s hundreds of comments on this recipe with 99% of them giving a positive review – everyone has different tastes, and obviously some didn’t like the chicken, but I just can’t make everyone happy. I WISH I could!!
Hi, how would you cook this if you didn’t have a slow cooker? Can this go in the oven or be cooked on top of the stove.. it sounds so good.
Very well said!!! I loved the one lady who hates meat cooked in a crock pot, my question was, why are you looking up crock pot recipes then?!?
I made this yesterday, because I knew I would be out most of the day, I added an extra bottle of teriyaki sauce to add extra liquid and not deviate the flavor too much. I cooked it on low for 6 hours, (boneless and skinless chicken breast) shredded it at hour 6 and thickened the sauce added the chicken back in and put on warm for an hour. To let the shredded chicken absorb the liquid. Then I sautéed onions and green peppers (two of each) with salt and pepper and mixed in before serving. It was amazing and I am very grateful for the recipe.
Thank you!!!
I have found that a lot of crockpots do cook at different rates. I feel I’m lucky enough to have a really old crock pot,maybe 25 years plus and I can tell you now it’s the best and I have tried a few modern ones,
After having mine for about for about 20 year crockpots began being manufactured to cook at higher temperatures. My son was disappointed when he brought his slow cooker as he felt it cooked so fast,he particularly thought it a problem with chicken ,he ending up buying an old one on eBay, followed by 2 more for friends.
Not sure what brought about the change in temperatures may be EU regulations but a slow cook should not be bubbling away after a couple of hours,otherwise it’s not slow.
Would there be a way to slow a new one down? Place something in between the heating element and the ceramic pot to cut the heat slightly?
Obviously has to be something that won’t burn.
I just got Crockpot last year and was surprised that the “low”‘setting wasn’t as slow as I imagined it should be.
I’ve seen recipes that say to ball up aluminum foil (using several balls) and place them in the bottom of the crock and then place the meat on top of the balls. I am assuming you might need to increase the amount of liquid you’re using as this could place the meat above the called for amounts of liquid in the original recipe.
I am wondering how 1 inch pork tenderloin cutlets would work in place of the chicken.
Hi Tess!! I had a few commenters on my FB page say that they made this with pork and loved it! I haven’t tried it myself, but clearly, I SHOULD! 😉 I hope that helps.
I think it would be awesome!!! Rub the meat with salt and pepper so it falls apart easier, I’m toning to have to try Thisbe variation!!! Great idea
Love this and the photos are beautiful!
In the picture you show chicken thighs with skin and bones but the recipe calls for chicken breast. Would either work just as well?
My dad and his wife are visiting for Christmas and I am making this for them!
3 out 4 people loved this! I doubled this recipe and had tons of sauce. Next time I would add veggies to have a complete crockpot meal!
So delicious! Made this in my Instant Pot on “poultry” and the only thing wrong was I needed to double the meat. Will do that the next time! This will be a permanent menu item since it was so easy and good.
I was just wondering how to do it in instant pot. Did you double the sauce? How long on poultry and NPR or QR? Thanks!
This is the most incredible chicken I ever had, THANKS.
Tried this recipe tonight. It was awesome! It was easy with ingredient usually found in the typical kitchen. I used skinless boneless thighs from Costco (I keep a dozen 1pound packages in my freezer, they thaw quickly). And I served it with coconut jasmine rice, which absorbed the yummy sauce so well! Knowing that I wanted sauce for the rice, I increased the recipe to 1 and a half. The sauce is a bit thin, which was fine for a rice dish, just add a bit of cornstarch to thicken. Overall, this was a great recipe and it only took 3 hours on low in my crockpot.
Does anyone know if it freezes well? Either as a “dump in” crockpot recipe, or after it is cooked? I have a kid in college and I often send food up to her that is easy to prepare. She would love this dish!
Looks like a great slow cooker recipe!
Those seasonings sound good!