Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken (5-Ingredients!)
The easiest, most delicious slow cooker chicken recipe yet! Slow cooker honey garlic chicken requires only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time to produce sweet, savory, and sticky chicken. A weeknight dinner staple recipe you’ll make again and again!
Visual Guide: How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Testing Notes from Robyn
If you’re looking for a high protein dinner recipe that requires less than 5 minutes of prep, no chopping, and minimal ingredients, this slow cooker honey chicken fits the bill – it’s one of the ultimate dump and go slow cooker recipes!
Now, with crockpot chicken recipes, something I hear people complain about a lot is that they lack flavor, which can totally happen when a sauce cooks for a long time.
I combat this by only using ¾ of the sauce to cook the chicken in and reserving ¼ to add at the end to give it a boost of fresh flavor.
And speaking of sauce, the star of this recipe is the honey garlic sauce, which infuses the chicken with so much flavor and creates a sweet, savory, and thick honey soy sauce.
Since the sauce is quick to make and uses ingredients you likely have on hand, this recipe comes together in no time.
And it actually cooks fairly quickly for a slow cooker since I use chicken thighs (which require less cooking time) – this crockpot honey chicken recipe only takes 2-3 hours to cook on high.
With so much flavor, keep the sides simple – steamed white or brown rice plus a cooked veggie would be the perfect additions!
Making this Recipe Ahead of Time
Similar to my cilantro lime chicken, easy slow cooker bbq chicken, and crock pot lemon chicken, this easy high protein slow cooker recipe is so versatile and is great for meal prep or for making in a big batch to freeze for later.
Cooked chicken will keep well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, in a sealed container, and because of the delicious sauce, this Asian-inspired chicken reheats super well for another dinner or easy lunch.
If you want to have another meal on hand for the future, simply double the recipe and store half in the freezer in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to 2-3 months.
Recipe Adaptations
- Make it family-friendly by leaving out the hot sauce. Or if you want an extra kick, add sriracha or chili sauce at the end, which I highly recommend.
- For a lower-sodium version, use reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari.
- This recipe works really well with chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts. They may just need to cook a bit longer.
- You can create a thicker sauce if you want, however I personally prefer it as is. But if you want to create a thicker, stickier sauce, follow steps 5 and 6. If you don’t want a thicker sauce, just skip steps 5 and 6.
More Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes:
This Recipe Is…
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
For the Honey Garlic Sauce
- ⅓ cup soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
- ⅓ cup honey
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, or boneless skinless chicken breasts
To Add at the End (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Optional Serving Suggestions
- Sliced green onions, sriracha or chili sauce, cooked rice
Equipment
Instructions
Make the Honey Garlic Sauce
- Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic and lime juice in a medium bowl until well combined.
Make the Honey Garlic Chicken
- Add the chicken to a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour over about 3/4 of the honey garlic sauce and toss to coat. Set the remaining honey garlic sauce aside while the chicken cooks.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 4-6, or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly, then shred it with two forks.
Thicken the Sauce (Optional)
- If you wish to thicken the sauce, carefully remove 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch, then add back to the slow cooker along with the remaining honey garlic sauce, whisking to combine.
- Cover and cook the sauce only on high for 15-30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add back the chicken and stir to combine and allow to warm back through. Serve with green onion and hot sauce, if desired.
Where is the 25g of fat per serving coming from? Sees really high
Jan, it’s possible the software we use was pulling nutrition info for thighs with skin. Either way, I’ve adjusted it to approximate 6oz of boneless, skinless thighs. The calories will vary depending on how much sauce you consume. And the fat will be significantly lower if you use boneless, skinless breasts. Hope that helps!