Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken – chicken thighs are slow cooked in an easy honey garlic sauce, then served over rice. This proves that dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to be good!
Want this recipe faster? Try my Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken.
I have admitted in the past that I’m not always the biggest fan of slow cooker meals. I love the concept, but the results are usually hit or miss for me.
I think that slow cooking sometimes gives meat a strange texture, everything gets watery, and a lot of times, the flavor comes out pretty muted for me. But this recipe, right here, made me fall in love with the slow cooker all over again!!
I actually took a tip that I learned from Rachael Ray to adapt this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken just a little bit. The original recipe called for dried basil, and for some reason, I never have dried basil among my spices and herbs. But I remember a few months back, Rachael Ray did a slow cooker week on her talk show.
The biggest tip I came away with after watching those episodes is to add something fresh to a slow cooker meal before serving to brighten things up a bit.
So I scratched the dried basil, and I added on some fresh basil before serving. To me, it totally made a huge difference.
I also reduced down the sauce to thicken it up a bit. This makes it so that the sauce is a little more potent, so remember that a small amount goes a long way.
But really, this recipe is so easy, and so packed with flavor – it is one of the best things that I have made lately. If all of the recipes from this book are this good, bring on the slow cooker!!
Check out these other slow cooker chicken recipes:
Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- Fresh basil shredded, for topping
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, ketchup, honey and garlic. Pour over the top of the chicken.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-4 hours.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Transfer the liquid from the slow cooker to a pot and place over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Stir into the liquid in the pot. Cook until the liquid slightly thickens.
- Place the chicken and the sauce back into the slow cooker and stir to coat the chicken. Serve immediately, or leave the slow cooker on warm or low to keep warm.
- Serve on top of rice and top with fresh basil.
Mary says
I made this tonight with drum sticks (what we had in the freezer) and it was so good. I cooked on high for 3 hours and next time I will plan better and cook on low all day. I think this would be really good with a side of steamed broccoli.
It was super easy to make and will be a regular in our rotation. THANK YOU!
Mbreedlove says
Was wondering if you could do this with breasts instead of thighs…and what the change in cook time would be?
Deborah says
@Mbreedlove, I haven’t tried it with breasts, but you’ll probably need to decrease the time just a bit. I think the breasts get a funny texture in the slow cooker if they are in there too long (that might just be me, though!!)
Marisa says
I don’t know what I did wrong… my chicken is flaky, dry, and dark brown. The sauce is bitter…i’m throwing this out and making some chicken strips quickly to go with the rice and vegetables. Any suggestions or thoughts on what could have gone so terribly wrong would be most appreciated.
Deborah says
@Marisa, I’m not sure what went wrong. This is the first time I have heard of this happening – so I’m not sure what to tell you!
Encore says
I knocked this one out a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful! So much so that it’s going into regular rotation and that I had to share it with my legions of adoring fans (read: 2 faithful readers). I linked back to you of course, because proper credit is do for this flavorful recipe! Thanks and cheers!
Tina says
I made this tonight and it was so yummy! I used a curry ketchup and I’m sure that gave it a unique flavor, but probably not far off from the original taste. I baked my bone in thighs in the oven rather than the crock pot for about 45 minutes at 400…devine! Thank you very much for a recipe I’m sure I’ll use often!
Tina
Sarah says
Making this tonight! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Leslie says
It was really good! My only complaint is that it was a little salty–even with low sodium soy sauce. Maybe try a low sodium ketchup?
Lisa/MommyMo says
I made this today and it was awesome, with each of my three kids wanting seconds! Once the chicken was done, I shredded it. For the sides- I stir fried red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, onion and made wheat spaghetti. I tossed the veggies, the spaghetti, the chicken and enough sauce to make coat everything- so freakin’ delicious! Served up steamed broccoli on the side- I cannot wait to make this again!
Jessica says
I’ve used this recipe twice now and I am in love. I love crock pot recipes and this has been one of the best I’ve come across so far for chicken. Thank you for sharing!
Kate says
can you suggest a side for this? i can’t figure out what to serve to compliment the flavors!
Deborah says
@Kate, sorry I missed your comment earlier! I’m horrible about side dishes, so I really don’t know!! I would suggest maybe some steamed broccoli, or maybe even adding some Asian flavors, like soy sauce to the vegetable. Sorry I’m not much help – I wish I had someone cooking with me to choose my side dishes!! (which is why we don’t even always have sides…)
Allene says
@Kate, just made this tonight (next time I’ll double it!) and I just threw together a side salad (romaine, tomato, carrot, and a pair of shiitake mushrooms) with some sesame dressing and it worked really well. Hope that’s helpful!
paleo diet says
Thanks for the great recipe. Simple ingredients but the honey really ties it together and takes some of the bite away from the vinegar in the ketchup. Simple and delicious, one of my new favorites.
Kim says
I tried your recipe yesterday, and our house still smells delicious! It’s absolutely freezing cold here in New Zealand, and this was a great comfort food for a winter evening on the couch under blankets. I will be adding this to our family favourites list, thanks very much for posting it.
Laura says
I’m looking for new slow cooker meals for the start of the school year. This one’s going at the top of the list. I also think I have all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for sharing!
branny says
I am going to try this this week. Thanks.
Sharla says
I just checked my fridge & whaddaya know, I have all the ingredients, AND chicken that was thawed out yesterday that needed to be cooked. It is now in my crock pot, slowly cooking 🙂 Smells divine already. Absolutely cannot WAIT to enjoy this!
Lindsey @ Why Just Eat says
This looks absolutely delicious – I can’t wait to try it!