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.
These look absolutely delicious! You have amazing food photography too :] As much as I know my girl’s will love these, I know I will too!
It looks yummy!
thanks for sharing!
I have no cornstarch, is there any other way to thicken this sauce up at all?? Help?!
For you spicy lovers! Substitute sriracha for the ketchup! Amazing. Only cooked 3 pieces for about 3 hours and it was perfect. Wife loved the thighs and she doesn’t like dark chicken. One of the best recipes I’ve ever made. It is so much better with the spice and the thickened sauce with corn starch.
Thank you! This is the comment I was looking for. Not a fan of ketchup in recipes, but we are a siracha fam!
To thicken the sauce, 30 minutes before the chicken is done, whisk a cornstarch slurry into the sauce; cover and continue to cook. Thanks for sharing this tip.
I did 4 thighs with skin and bones, did recipie exactly, it smelled good and was pretty tasty, but a little bland. It was for sure missing something to give it a little kick, ginger or peppers maybe ? Other than that it was fall off the bone tender and is a good base to add to and build upon.
I made it and replaced the ketchup with sriracha and marinated it overnight. Excellent!
I was concerned about the so-so ratings (but I do think on its own, now that made it, it would be amazing without my changes) so I decided to make a few changes. This was one of the easiest dinners (one dish-the slow cooker pot and my rice cooker insert) Ive made in a very long time.
That being said, I left your measurements and ingredients as is (although I did not have sesame seeds so I omitted them) and I ADDED about half a cup of fresh orange juice, some onion powder, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce, some grated fresh ginger and salt and pepper. I did brown the chicken for about 3 minutes skin side down first in my Ninja. It was FANTASTIC. I cooked it on high for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
PS. I did make a slurry to thicken the sauce. That way, the sauce was great not only on the chicken but on some jasmine rice that I made to accompany it.
The good: chicken was very tender. I shredded the leftovers and we will have as either pulled chicken sandwiches or on nachos. The so-so: The sauce is a bit sweet; I tried to modify that by adding extra garlic and red pepper flake. The meh: as others have reported, the sauce is too thin — much closer to a broth. It smelled great while cooking, but the flavor just didn’t live up to the aroma. I am a good cook and I followed the recipe exactly. Probably won’t make it again.
Hi!
The “sweet” is from the ketchup – I buy sugar free ketchup so mine always turns out delicious. But, you can leave it out or use less of it. Also, you can thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. Place a tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl, add equal amount of water and stir until smooth paste forms. Whisk the slurry into the hot liquid and cook it for a bit, or until it thickens.
hese look SO amazing! I think my son would even love them! im totally saving this recipe! thanks for sharing!
Pretty bland. Followed the recipe and then added extra honey and garlic powder, salt and pepper halfway through because it was smelling weird and not how I expected it to. Even with adding other seasonings it was pretty bland and I just wasn’t ending up with the right combination to fix it entirely. I had to add in a lot of other ingredients to make it flavorful which was disappointing.