Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Name: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 4 medium-sized chicken thighs with skin and bone in (you can use boneless chicken thighs too); 1/4 cup soy sauce; ¼ cup water; ¼ cup ketchup (can sub with passata or tomato sauce but will be missing the sugar from ketchup); 3 heaping teaspoons of garlic (minced or grated, pressed); ¼ cup liquid honey; 1 heaping teaspoon of ginger (grated); 3 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water (to make a slurry); Sesame seeds and green onion/scallions for serving

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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are tender and juicy in a sweet and sticky sauce. These flavorful chicken thighs with sauce are perfect for serving over fluffy white rice and garnished with chopped green onions and sesame seeds for a midweek dish alongside your favorite sides for a balanced and satisfying family favorite meal.

shredded slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs

⭐ Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try our Taco Soup, Chicken Chili, or Massaman Beef Curry next time.

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Why It's Yummy
Ingredients
Instructions
Recommended Equipment
Tips
Leftover Chicken Thighs
Serving Suggestions
Chicken Breast VS Thigshs
Freezing And Storing Instructions
FAQs
Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
Recipe
Comments

Why It's Yummy

Delicious complex flavors. This yummy combination of sweet and savory flavors, including honey and garlic, work very well when paired together with the chicken. It's rich, flavorful Asian Inspired recipe.
Cooked low and slow. Slow cooker chicken thighs are easy to prepare and the result is extremely juicy and ultra-tender. This is something that you won't achieve with any other cooking method. Essentially, chicken thighs are known to be the most moist and tender part of the chicken, and cooking them slowly and evenly will only maximize the tender texture even more.
Easy recipe. Combine all ingredients in the morning, just set it, and forget it. Our favorite ''dump'' dinner option where the dinner is ready after returning from work. Serve with freshly cooked or precooked garnish such as rice, mash or noodles.

Ingredients

My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!

The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.

slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs ingredients

Chicken thighs - Medium-sized with skin and bone in. You can use boneless instead.
Soy sauce - Use low-sodium soy sauce if you want to reduce your sodium intake.
Ketchup - Passata or tomato sauce can be used instead but the sugar from the ketchup will be missing.
Garlic - Minced, grated, or pressed. Use fresh whenever possible, I don't recommend garlic powder as it will simply lack of flavor and the end result will be quite different.
Ginger - Fresh and grated.
Cornstarch slurry - You’ll need 3 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water.
Garnish - Sesame seeds and green onion/scallions.

Instructions

Spray a 4 quart slow cooker/crock pot (you can use larger too) with olive oil and place all the ingredients except cornstarch + water.

slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs ingredients in slow cooker

Cook 2-3 hours on HIGH or LOW for 4-5 hours. Check the chicken for doneness, kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken should register 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

honey garlic chicken thighs on a plate after cooking

Remove the chicken thighs and leave the honey garlic sauce in the slow cooker. At this point you can either shred the chicken with two forks or leave them as they are.

Make cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water).

Slowly pour into cooker and whisk until incorporated into the sauce. Let cook for 10-15 minutes on HIGH setting until the sauce is thickened nicely.

Carefully return the chicken and baste with the sauce. Serve with sesame seeds, green onions.

For added smoky flavor and extra heat. sprinkle red pepper flakes when serving.

Recommended Equipment

Tips

While it’s not a necessary step in this recipe, you can brown the chicken thighs first before cooking in the slow cooker, adding a delicious caramelized crust to the chicken skin to lock-in flavor.
Powdered garlic and ginger can be used instead of fresh garlic and fresh ginger, although I’ve found that fresh ingredients always produce the best flavor in this dish.
Low-sodium soy sauce is best to avoid making this recipe too salty. For gluten free you can use Coconut Aminos.
Add vegetables like carrots, broccoli, or bell peppers for a wholesome and balanced meal. Chop these medium thick.
Be careful not to overdo it with the honey. Too much will make this dish overly sweet. You can also skip the ketchup and use high quality passata (no sugar added) and add only little honey.
This dish can either be cooked on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, depending on your needs.
I’ve added a cornstarch slurry to the sauce towards the end of the recipe to thicken it. Another way to thicken the sauce is to remove the lid of the slow cooker and allow the sauce mixture to continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
Garnishing the honey garlic chicken thighs with chopped green onions and sesame seeds adds flavor and texture and makes for a more visually appealing dish.
Serve these chicken thighs with fluffy white rice or a side of vegetables for a complete meal. For time saving, make the rice in rice cooker if you have one.
Flavor: savory (lots of sodium comes from the soy sauce, you can make it less salty by using low sodium soy sauce or mixing low one with water 1:1) + sweetness from honey + pungent ick from garlicky ginger. Sweet and sour but sweeter I’d say.

📋 JULIA'S TIP In theory, you can sneak in one or two smaller chicken thighs as there should be enough sauce for these as well. However the sauce will be quite thick on the next day and I usually like to have extra sauce to pour over chicken and rice when serving.

Leftover Chicken Thighs

Shred the chicken thighs and use them in sandwiches, wraps, and tacos.
Make a shredded chicken salad with lots of lettuce or cabbage, vegetables, and light dressing.
Use the leftovers in stir-fries, and pasta, and serve with the same style of sauce.
Make a simple vegetable soup or stew and add the chicken.

Serving Suggestions

As these chicken thighs have a complex flavor inspired from Asian/Chinese cuisine, we often like to serve these with something on the lighter side.

Brown or white rice, simple green salad, cabbage salad or avocado salad are amongst our favorites (and very quick to throw together).

If you have more time, I'd recommend these side dishes:

glazed carrots
baked potatoes or any potato dishes
roasted asparagus
air fryer cauliflower, cabbage or Brussels sprouts
mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes
grilled, steamed or roasted vegetables
green beans

Chicken Breast VS Thigshs

For this recipe, I prefer using thighs rather than chicken breast, but you can use both here.

Chicken thighs are a more juicy and tender cut of chicken which comes from their higher fat content. They also tend to cook better and withstand longer cooking times without becoming dry. This makes them the best chicken part for stews and slow cooker.

Chicken breasts on the other hand are leaner with a more delicate mild flavor. They can be used here as well and will remain delicious and tender in the end. however, they can be easily overcooked and become dry. Keep an eye on them and you may need to cook them for a shorter amount of time than chicken thighs.

Freezing And Storing Instructions

To Store. Let the chicken cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. The sauce will thicken and you may need to add some water or broth to return the initial consistency.
To Freeze. Follow the same steps and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
To Make Ahead. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop. Stir constantly until warmed through.

FAQs

Is chicken breast or thigh better for slow cooker?

Both chicken breast and chicken thigh meat are good choices for cooking in the slow cooker. Chicken breasts are leaner than chicken thighs which means that they can dry out more quickly. The fattier content in chicken thighs will also provide greater flavor to the cooked meat and the dish as a whole.

Can I put raw chicken in slow cooker?

Absolutely! The slow cooker is ideal for cooking raw chicken, creating an environment that kills bacteria while tenderizing the meat and locking in delicious flavor.

Do you have to brown chicken before putting in slow cooker?

No. I haven’t browned my chicken thighs before adding them to the slow cooker with the other ingredients but many people do prefer to brown the chicken first. Browning the chicken thighs will caramelize the skin and will also lock in the flavors. It’s definitely an extra step that’s well worth the time.

Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in slow cooker?

These bone-in chicken thighs can be cooked on LOW or HIGH, depending on your preference. If you only have boneless chicken for this dish then I recommend cooking on LOW as the meat can easily dry out if cooked on HIGH.

Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

For a full collection hop on to our One-Pot recipe archives.

💗I hope you'll enjoy this honey garlic chicken recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗

Happy Cooking,

Love,

Julia

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