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.
This looks SO good!
I made this tonight for dinner and MAN… it’s delicious!!! This recipe is definitely a keeper, and one I will absolutely be making again and again!! I am serving with brown rice and steamed veggies. Can’t wait till dinner time when the whole family can try it, I know they will all love it!
Also… I used soy aminos rather than soy sauce. Not sure if it made a difference but it wasn’t too salty or too sweet… just right!!
Yes, I heard this is the healthier version of soy sauce – thank you for reminding me! I will make this dish for sure!
Amazing recipe!! All I did was Google “easy crock pot recipes using chicken thighs” and this came up! Definitely a HIT in my household. And I too slurped the sauce off my plate!! Definitely a keeper!! My boyfriend already asked when will I be making this again!
Hi Marci!!
YAY! Very happy to know you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!
Do you think BBQ sauce would be OK instead of ketchup
For me the recipe was too much soy sauce any idea how to cut back on that taste I know we have to cut back on the sauce but what do you replace it with
Water
It is such an awesome combo of spices!
Made tonight. Cooked on low to make sure it didn’t burn. The sauce was absolutely delicious however it came out runny for me as well. Will definitely add cornstarch to thicken it up next time. This recipe is a keeper though!
What sides are good with this? I’m thinking jasmine rice and green beans.
I’m not much of a cook so I’ll ask before it try anything. Lol. Ok 1. I don’t like ketchup or any high fructose syurpy things is their any other substitute for it? 2. I’ll be using 4 boneless, fatless, skinless chicken thigh cutlets. Is their a time difference in the crockpot from using my kind of chicken? Thanks for answering.
Hi Chris! I have never tried this without ketchup, and I’m sure the flavor will be different, but you could use something like tomato paste – it’s certainly not as sweet as ketchup. In as far as the cooking time, boneless will cook faster – probably around 3 to 3.5 hours on the LOW setting. I hope this helps!
Ours is coming in the crock pot right now! Smells so good, can’t wait to try it! We’re using organic ketchup made from agave. No sugar or corn syrup added. 🙂 Hope that helps too!
You can buy ketchup that is organic and without any high fructose corn syrup, it’s really good & it’s what I use.
I used crushed tomatoes instead of the ketchup but an even better substitute would probably be tomato paste thinned out by a tablespoon or two of water. I personally buy organic meat and notice that it cooks faster. If you’re setting your crockpot to high I would check it at 3 hours and for the low setting check at 5 1/2.
I too hate anything with vinegar in it, so I always substitute tomato paste with a little apple juice to thin it out to the right consistency to sub for the ketchup in any recipe. (Apple juice also works to tenderize the meat in much the same way vinegar works.) It apple juice thins sauces out too much for you simply use unsweetened applesauce instead. This sub also works well for pulled pork BBQ or sloppy joes, etc…
Can you do more than 4 thighs at a time? How many can you do at a time? Would I just double or triple the recipe if I used more chicken?
I made this today and OMG YUMMMMMMM!!!! It is so good!! I absolutely love it and will definitely be making it again.
PS- yes I did lick the sauce off the plate
Great recipe I added chives and red pepper flakes I like it with a little kick
This was a tad sweet for my family’s tastes but otherwise, was a VERY good recipe. I used boneless, skinless thighs and on my slow cooker’s “Low” setting, the thighs were done in around 2.5 hours. Thank you for posting a great recipe to throw into my rotation!
(Side Note: Since recently trying so many of my pinned Pinterest slow cooker recipes , I have become very aware that different slow cookers’ temps vary greatly. Therefore, I now practice great caution in paying attention to the different meats and poultry, making certain not to overcook them and dry them out.)