Skip the fryer and let the slow cooker do the work! This slow cooker version uses chicken thighs, a 5-ingredient sweet and spicy homemade sauce, and just 5-minutes of prep. Serve them whole or shred for sandwiches, tacos, and bowls all week.

A hand holding a bun filled with chicken and pickles.

5 star review

“I made this today. It was very delicious. I shredded the chicken thighs and it made really good sandwiches. My husband even put some in a tortilla with the pickle slaw. Yum! PS It’s not too spicy if you’re worried.”

– Laura
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Hot Honey Chicken Thighs in the Slow Cooker!

I love a good hot honey chicken sandwich, but honestly I don’t usually want to deal with the hassle and effort of frying chicken at home. To fix that problem and to create a lighter, fresher version, I came up with this slow cooker hot honey chicken, which totally hits the hot honey spot, and can be made with just 5 ingredients! Yes, you miss the crunchy element of fried chicken, but you still get super juicy and meaty chicken covered in a craveable sweet, spicy, and sticky honey sauce. 

And if you top it off with crunchy pickles and coleslaw (I HIGHLY recommend my top-rated dill pickle slaw for such an occasion), you won’t even miss the crispy fried coating! As always, I’m all about ease, so the prep time for this recipe is only 5 minutes, annnnnd there aren’t any specialty or highly processed ingredients (no packets here).

Now, if you’re new to hot honey sauce, well let me just tell you, you’re in for a treat. The sweet and spicy combo will have you coming back for seconds. And if you are already addicted like I am, you are going to love how easy it is to have a hot honey chicken sandwich at home without very little effort.  For the my take on homemade hot honey sauce, all you need to do is whisk together regular honey, brown sugar, garlic, red chili flakes, and white vinegar into a perfectly balanced sweet-hot sauce.

This zippy sauce permeates the chicken thighs with so much flavor and tenderness while they cook in the crockpot, and then before serving you’ll brush the thighs with reserved sauce for a fresh burst of flavor. And if you want to take the hot honey chicken to the next level, pop them under the broiler so the glaze gets all caramely, in my opinion, an extra step that’s totally worth it! And for another sweet and spicy slow cooker chicken, my slow cooker buffalo chicken uses a similar hands-off method and works just as well for sandwiches and bowls.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Crockpot Hot Honey Chicken

Jump to Recipe Instructions
A person whisking a brown sauce in a glass measuring cup.
1. Whisk hot honey sauce ingredients until combined.
A person placing raw chicken thighs into a slow cooker.
2. Add chicken to slow cooker & sprinkle with salt.
Brown sauce being poured into a slow cooker with raw chicken thighs.
3. Cover chicken with half of the sauce.
A slow cooker with raw chicken thighs covered in a brown sauce, chopped garlic, and red pepper flakes.
4. Cook chicken.
A foil lined baking sheet with cooked chicken thighs.
5. For Sticky Glazed Chicken, broil chicken.

Testing Tips for Juicy Hot Honey Chicken Thighs

  • Thighs v. Breasts: Chicken thighs are truly the way to go with this recipe, but if you want to use chicken breasts, you can make shredded hot honey chicken instead. For shredded chicken, once the chicken breasts are finished cooking, take them out of the crock pot and shred, then return the meat to the cooking liquid and mix with the remaining glaze.
  • Reserve half the sauce before cooking. This is the secret to flavorful chicken in the slow cooker. Half goes in the slow cooker, half gets brushed on at the end for a fresh burst of flavor. Don’t skip this step!
  • Broil for a sticky glaze. After slow cooking, transfer thighs to a foil-lined pan, brush with reserved sauce, and broil 3-4 minutes. It takes 5 extra minutes and makes a noticeable difference.
  • Bottled hot honey works. If you have a bottle on hand, use about half a cup in place of the homemade sauce.
A slow cooker with raw chicken thighs covered in a brown sauce, chopped garlic, and red pepper flakes.
A slow cooker with raw chicken thighs covered in a brown sauce, chopped garlic, and red pepper flakes.
4.88 stars (8 ratings)

Slow Cooker Hot Honey Chicken Thighs

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 5 minutes
Easy slow cooker hot honey chicken thighs with a sweet, spicy sauce. Serve whole or shredded for sandwiches, bowls, or meal prep with just 5 ingredients.
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Ingredients

Hot Honey Sauce

  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

Instructions 

Cook the Chicken

  • Make the hot honey sauce by whisking together the honey, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
  • Add the chicken to a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon salt.
  • Pour half of the hot honey sauce (about ¼ cup) over the top of the chicken, tossing the chicken to coat evenly in sauce. Cover the remaining sauce and set aside, as you will use this at the end.
  • Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-5, or until the chicken is very tender.

Finish

  • For Sticky Glazed Hot Honey Chicken: Preheat the broiler to high. Carefully remove the cooked chicken thighs to a foil lined broiler safe pan, and discard the cooking liquid.
  • Thinly brush each thigh with the reserved hot honey sauce. Broil 3-4 minutes, until just browned, keeping a close eye to avoid burning.
  • For Shredded Hot Honey Chicken: Carefully remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Discard all but 1/4 cup cooking liquid from the slow cooker.
  • Add the shredded chicken back to the remaining cooking liquid along with the reserved hot honey sauce. Stir to warm through and serve.

Notes

  • Serving: For the perfect hoy honey chicken sandwich, I like to serve the chicken on buttered buns piled high with my dill pickle slaw. So good!
  • Mike’s Hot Honey: You can swap in any prepared hot honey, such as Mike’s Hot Honey, for the hot honey sauce in this recipe. You’ll need just over 1/2 cup, adding 1/4 cup to the chicken while it cooks, and the remaining 1/4 cup (plus a bit more) for serving. 
  • Sliders: If you’d like to make sliders with the hot honey chicken, slice a pack of Hawaiian rolls in half the long way, keeping the top and bottom connected. Pile shredded chicken onto the bottom half, drizzle with the reserved hot honey, layer with provolone, and pop under the broiler or in a 375°F oven until the cheese melts. Add pickles if that’s your think, replace the top, and slice into individual sliders for an easy weeknight dinner or wrap in foil for a to-go option.
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 255kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 144mg, Sodium: 429mg, Potassium: 391mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 61IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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