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 am thinking of making this tonight and for my dinners out at work next week because I am away from home and need to bring dinners with me. can I triple up the recipie with all ingredients?
Hi Larry! I have doubled the recipe and it turned out just as good, but I’m not sure if adding 12+ pieces of chicken at once is best only because all I’ve ever read about slow cookers is to not pile up meat or poultry. You can most definitely give it a go, but I’m not 100% how it will turn out only because I haven’t tried it with tripling the ingredients. Doubling, yes, but nothing more than that. I hope this answer helps, somewhat. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Hi,
Made the chicken yesterday, followed the recipe verbatim, but it needs something else. I have been working at mastering Asian cuisine for over 30 years, stir frying 2-3 times a week. My family found this OK, rather bland in flavor. I know it was not the parsley or oregano as they came out of my garden and were dehydrated in the fall, much fresher than what is available at grocery stores. I also used locally sourced honey, not a blended or specific pollination honey, like orange, which could alter the resulting flavor. The only thing I did that could be interpreted as my own touch, but would not change the flavor was I toasted white and black sesame seeds and used the mix.
I presume that the result would have been distinctly Asian, but it lacked “Asian” overall taste and flavor. I would suggest that perhaps additional garlic for that amount of chicken. I would also suggest perhaps adding grated ginger and/or Chinese five spice powder, together or alone would add to the flavor layers making the dish more interesting.
Onion powder or minced onion and garlic pepper, made a huge difference
I agree. I made this tonight and the flavor wasn’t as I expected. I will be making this again but adding some more spices.
I agree. Ginger I think is definitely what it needs. I thought this was good but was wondering if the Oregano and parsley were the right mix with this.
How much of ginger and 5 spice do you suggest?
Thanks!
I know it sounds crazy but I added hoisin sauce and a lil terriaki was delicious flo Zimmerman cook
You might try adding a touch of Sriracha. But then that might just me my take on it, since I love Sriracha on almost everything, lol.
How about you season the chicken prior to cooking it?! That would add flavor without calories.
would it better to marinate the chicken overnight in the sauce?
I’m frustrated by most of the over cooked comments. Some are saying the chicken is too dry or starting to burn at the 5hr mark on high. PLEASE READ THE DIRECTIONS: 4-5 hrs on LOW, that’s LOW, 3-4 hrs on HIGH.
Also, as far as adding frozen chicken. One of the ingenious things about a slow cooker is it’s friendly to frozen (not a 3-5lb roast mind you). Bone in skin on chicken, pork beef. Especially if cooking around 4hrs.
Hi Lisa!! You’re only seeing a quarter of those comments… 😀 You should see my email inbox! And my FB Page! lool! BUT I know people just skim through the recipe card and don’t see the little notes I’ve left all over the place. And thank you so much for chiming in!! I need some troops to help me out. hahaha Have a wonderful day ahead!
I made this dish for my family last night and served it over rice noodles. It was absolutely delicious. The only changes I made were doubling the sauce ingredients (because I didn’t want the noodles lacking sauce) and I cooked it in a large skillet due to a lack of time. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
And so many feel entitled to be a critic when online. It’s amazing how many complain about everything…
Thanks for the delicious recipe. I’ll definitely try this.
Can I use raw honey instead? I only have raw honey, and I want to make it today. Is there anything I should do differently if I use raw honey? Will it change the taste?
Mindy (Feb 17 2017 question. Not Katerina here, but I’m replying anyway.
Honey is honey so it’s not going to affect how the recipe proceeds.
All honey affects taste since all honey differs in taste from one produced in another setting. Our Almond, Apricot and Cherry orchards make for a decidedly different taste than what we get in supermarket. Just jump in and try it.
I’ve got this in the crock pot right now, can’t wait to try! If I were to want to add broccoli to it… at what point should I put the broccoli in the crockpot? Thanks in advance
Hi Sarah! I would add the broccoli the last 35 to 40 minutes.
how did it turn out with the broccoli?
Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband and I have recently gotten into meal prepping and this is our favorite dish to make! So delicious and EASY! We are going to try the Orange Chicken tonight!
If you are using low sodium ingredients why is the final sodium level over 900mgs?
Ketchup. Ketchup has sodium.
I was curious about this as well. Is there a way to get the sodium lower? It seems really high, and am concerned with high blood pressure my roommate and boyfriend have
I did this with thick cut pork chops—fantastic! Also added broccoli for the last hour to get in some veggies.
I’m doing this with pork chops tonight and was curious if anyone else did. Thanks for sharing that it was awesome!
Thanks for the inspiration Katerina.
My brother no longer calls me the take out order foodie lol!!!!