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.
Is the crockpot suppose to be on high or low?
I only have two options. And for three hours?
Hi Lisa! If you have it on HIGH, they will cook in about 2.5 to 3 hours. IF you have it on LOW, they should be ready in 4.5 to 5 hours.
I want to make a this recipe by cutting up four big chicken breasts into bite size pieces. How long would I cook it for? Everyone says it cools fast. Also does it make a lot of sauce? Can I double it or would it be too much. And I wanted to add frozen broccoli to make it a stir fry would you suggest putting in the broccoli the last hour! Please help me with these questions I want to make it tonight for dinner. And great job adding the WW points. Im on the program and it helps!
Hi Lisa!! You can do this with chicken breasts, definitely, just as long as you have enough chicken to cover the bottom of the crock pot insert. I add the broccoli at the beginning just to avoid having to come back to the pot :-D, but adding them the last hour is good, too. If you find it too saucy (I love sauce and would never think that, but also understand people’s different tastes) you can scoop out 2 tablespoons of the sauce and whisk it together with 2 tablespoons corn starch; whisk until smooth and then add it to the crock pot to continue cooking for at least 20 more minutes. I hope this helps.
Hey! I want to cook this tonight and eat it tomorrow night. Will this work or should you cook and eat the same day?
Has anyone tried this with molasses instead of honey? Would that make the sauce richer? Would it alter the taste too much (bitter perhaps)?
I just made this for my family. It’s a little bit sweeter than our English palates are used to but then we all ate it up, and my kids are usually suspicious of new dishes especially new dishes that have a brown sauce involved! It probably is a bit high in sugar and salt for every day but it’s great to have another meal for those days when you’ve got next to no time to prep and you’re out until tea time. So we’ll be having it again, definitely!
My husband LOVED this. Like “make this every other week” loved it. And it was super-easy! Served with white rice.
Fantastic! Yummy! Flavorful!
I cheated and used my electric pressure cooker (poultry setting for 15min). I doubled the chicken and the sauce and in about 45 minutes I had a very tasty dinner on the table (served chicken over white rice).
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Does the chicken need to be thawed or can you use frozen?
Hi! I’ve never used frozen chicken in the crock pot, but I know many people that do with much success. However, since I have not tested this recipe with frozen chicken, I can’t say that it will work 100%.
Hi – no crock pots over here in this part of Europe – any tips for doing it on the stove top?
Thanks
Hi! You can make it in the oven. Prepare it as the recipe states, but place it all in a baking dish, and cover. According to my crock pot manual, 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven is equal to around 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high in a slow cooker. I hope that helps. Have a great day!
Thanks!
Hi Bob. I live in Germany. I bought 2 crock pots over Amazon. Had them in 2 days. They’re not even expensive 🙂
You might want to simmer the dish on medium for twenty to thirty minutes.
I just made with frozen chicken legs and cooked on high for 2 1/2 hrs. Then low for 1 1/2 hrs. Thickened the sauce in small pot on stove with a little bit of corn starch and added it back into Crock-Pot with chicken legs and cooked on low for another 45 minutes. Perfect! Served with white rice and steamed broccoli. Family loved it! Didn’t have dried oregano so I used the fresh Italian parsley and fresh green onions. Great!
How do I toast the sesame seeds?
Hi Emily! You can just put them in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until slightly browned. Shake them around a bit, once or twice, while they are cooking.
I did it with frozen. It was a little over 5 hours. 🙂
I tried this last night for the first time and it was delicious! I didn’t have any sesame seeds so I added a little sesame oil to the fresh garlic as I chopped it in my mini chopper and all of the flavors together were just amazing, everyone loved it! I made with rice, and pan fried fresh green beans on the side. Will definitely make again. Thank You!!
Made this ,used chicken breast and served it with a side OD fresh green beans….very easy to make ,very tasty . One recipe we will do again
Would this work as a freezer meal to be prepared and frozen in ziplock bag until cooking?
Hi! Yes, you can definitely do that, but as long as you freeze it before cooking.
Hi Katerina,
Just saw your recipe and I can’t wait to try it! But I’m wondering, can you also make this in the oven? I have too many people to cook for so the crock pot wouldn’t be large enough. Thank you!
Look at January 10 above, she answers someone else