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.
I followed this recipe to a T. I’m sorry to say, I was very disapointed with this recipe. The sauce did not make it for me!
I mean it uses ketchup. This is elementary cooking lol.
Hmm, so I made this in an instant pot, and it way overcooked the chicken. Instant pot is way hotter, even on the crock pot setting. The time should not be so long for IP cooking. Flavor was bland, it needs vinegar. Why does it say “keto dinner idea” under keywords? How can ketchup and honey sauce be keto? I’m impressed that the flavor is similar to chinese takeout, but the recipe still needs work. There are too many keywords that don’t work, like keto and IP.
Hello, can you freeze this and reheat it later?
Hi!
Sure! Let chicken cool completely. Transfer it to either a large freezer bag or airtight container, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, defrost Honey Garlic Chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
Wait, why oregano and parsley? Seems out of place. I’d add some hot pepper like cayenne and some rice vinegar instead. Maybe a little cumin or coriander. Also where’s the sesame seeds? Toasted sesame seed oil would be good, you can save a step by adding hot toasted sesame seed oil.
I made this starting with frozen chicken breasts, and cooked it for 4 hours on high. I halved the ketchup and added an extra couple tablespoons of mikes hot honey and some red pepper flake. We served it with half brown rice half quinoa and grilled pineapple. Everyone loved it.
That’s great! I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
After reading the comments I decided I’d add and omit things. In sauce pan I added ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, orange rinds (just scrape the orange any white will add bitterness)..ginger and hot pepper flakes. I did not measure anything and tasted simmering sauce until it was to my liking. In crockpot I added my diced boneless chicken thighs. I seasoned the chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, adobo and a dash of pepper. Once sauce was complete I mixed into the chicken and turned on my crockpot. I paired my honey garlic chix with cilantro, lime rice and BAM…My family loved it. I gave this review 5 stars because of the versatility. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is a solid, super-easy crock pot recipe. The sauce comes out like a mild barbecue sauce, and the corn starch slurry is 100% necessary to thicken the sauce. I used bone-in, skin-on thighs, and they came out super tender (no knife necessary). The sauce is a little on the bland side, though, so I agree with other commenters that adding some spice would take it up a notch. But for a busy working professional like me, this was PERFECT. I threw some rice & veggies in the slow cooker, and I was good to go.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I bought a crock pot and first time gonna use it and gonna try to make Honey Garlic chicken with rice and veggies..
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Thank YOU! 🙂
Is there a change in the time or ingredients if I do 3 or 4 chicken thighs instead of 6?
It was okay. I felt like something was missing. I could really taste the saltiness of the soy sauce and not enough sweetness of the honey. The sauce also turned out very thin even though I added that slurry. I also feel like there needs to be a spicy component…maybe red pepper flakes? I added broccoli and served over rice. I will take another crack at it and make some modifications.
I added a little splash or rice vinegar with the sauce mixture and it made a big difference, it adds a mildness and sweetness that I too though was missing. you can also try adding a bit more honey. i tasted the sauce as I went and added accordingly to what I thought was missing. I hope that helps with your missing flavor.
what did you add to knock off the saltiness of the soy sauce?
Sugar takes some of the salty away….
Did you use low sodium soy sauce?
I am a college student looking for new, easy recipes every day that I don’t have to spend a lot of time on. This recipe is by far my favorite, I was able to use the whole day studying, minus the mere 10 minutes it took me to prep.
I used bone-in, skin-on thighs and they turned out absolutely delicious. I also added some chili powder and red chili flakes to the sauce because I was worried it would be too sweet, and they added the perfect amount of spice!
For the sauce, since it was a liquid consistency by the time it finished cooking, I ended up draining it into a sauce pan on medium high heat and brought it to a simmer. Then, I added a mixture that was 1/4 cup water and about 1 tbsp of flour (I didn’t have cornstarch and it worked well), and brought it to a boil until it reached my desired thickness.
Served the whole thing over top of white rice, garnished with chives, and it was absolutely delicious. 10/10 for the college student.
That’s GREAT!! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
If you do not have fresh or minced garlic and needed to use garlic powder as a substitution, how much would I have to use ? Also has anyone added brown sugar to this recipe?
Use 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
Can I use Boneless Skinless Breasts?
Hi!
Yes, but those will take less time to cook. Start checking for doneness around the 3-hour mark.
I cut down the honey to about 1/8th cup and added 1/8 cup packed brown sugar. I added red pepper flakes for a little zing, and It came out amazing.
How much red perrp flakes?
Just wondering if this would work with a 5 qt. crock pot or would it have to be at least 6 qt?
I used a 5qt. crockpot and only used 4 chicken thighs and it worked perfectly 🙂
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Followed the recipe (which really means I didn’t go thru the comments before hand) and discovered I didn’t care for it as is. I will continue to make it with some of the suggestions the crowd has recommended and see.
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I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂