Kitchen life gets easier when the slow cooker comes out to play! You’re practically guaranteed a flavorful and juicy meal—hence the inspiration for this super easy, extra delicious slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe.
This dish is fresher and more desirable than ordering takeout. It’s easily served with any minute rice and you’ll get way more bang for your buck. Spice up the results with red pepper flakes or a hit of rooster sauce. You can even create variations of this recipe by adding choice steamed veggies like snap peas, broccoli and carrots—it’s so versatile!
Use low-sodium soy sauce to prevent this dish from becoming too salty. The other secret is to stir cornstarch into the sauce prior to heating it on the stove—this way you’ll achieve a nice, smooth sauce with no lumps!
slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe
what you'll need
- 3 - 3 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes crushed
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp water
- green onion sliced, for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
let's do it
- Place chicken in the slow cooker so pieces overlap as little as possible. In a medium mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, vinegar and sesame oil then stir until the honey is completely dissolved. Pour sauce over the chicken then cover and cook on low setting for 3½–4½ hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken from cooking liquid then transfer to a plate to cool slightly. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove bones then shred chicken into small pieces. Transfer shredded chicken to large mixing bowl then cover to keep warm.
- Next, pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan then remove pieces of bone or chicken from sauce. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water together until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce then place the pan over medium heat. Bring sauce to a bubble, whisking constantly. Once the sauce comes to a bubble, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 1 minute.
- Coat shredded chicken in the desired amount of sauce, tossing to combine. Start with half the sauce then add more as needed. Serve any leftover sauce on the side. Present chicken piled high atop fresh steamed rice, then garnish with sliced green onion and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Enjoy!
