Description
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is a flavorful and easy-to-make dish featuring tender shredded chicken thighs simmered in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights, this recipe requires minimal prep and delivers a comforting Asian-inspired main course that can be served over rice or noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (optional for extra depth)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Thickening
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
- Sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker, arranging them in an even layer to ensure even cooking.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the honey, low-sodium soy sauce, ketchup, optional hoisin sauce, rice or apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes until fully combined.
- Cook the chicken: Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is tender enough to shred easily with forks.
- Shred the chicken: Once cooked, remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker and shred them using two forks.
- Thicken the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together to create a slurry. Stir this slurry into the sauce remaining in the slow cooker to help thicken it.
- Combine and finish cooking: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir well to coat with the thickened sauce. Cover and cook on high for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened to a glossy consistency.
- Serve and garnish: Serve the honey garlic chicken hot over cooked rice or noodles and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- For a crispier texture, broil the shredded chicken on a baking sheet for 5 minutes after slow cooking.
- You can substitute chicken breasts for thighs if preferred, but thighs yield a more tender result.
- To keep this dish gluten-free, ensure you use gluten-free soy sauce and hoisin sauce.
- Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and can be reheated gently on the stovetop or microwave.
