Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
A flavorful slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe featuring tender shredded chicken thighs cooked in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce, finished with a thickened glaze and served over your choice of prepared rice or cauliflower rice. Perfect for an easy, hands-off meal with Asian-inspired flavors.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)
Sauce
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons chili paste (sambal oelek, sriracha, or hot sauce of choice)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
To Serve
- Prepared brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped green onion
Instructions
- Prepare Slow Cooker and Sauce: Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. In a medium mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, chili paste, minced garlic, and rice vinegar until well combined. Pour this sauce mixture evenly over the chicken.
- Cook the Chicken: Cover and cook the chicken on the LOW setting for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F using an instant-read thermometer. If possible, flip the chicken halfway through cooking to coat both sides in sauce, but this step is optional.
- Thicken the Sauce in Slow Cooker: Once cooked, remove the chicken to a plate and let it cool slightly. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. For a thicker sauce, extend cooking to 30 minutes or proceed to the stovetop method.
- Optional Stovetop Sauce Thickening: To quicken sauce thickening, transfer the sauce with cornstarch to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens. If your slow cooker insert is stovetop safe, you may use it directly, but only if you are certain it can handle stovetop heat safely.
- Shred and Combine: Shred the slightly cooled chicken using two forks or your fingers. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and add the thickened sauce if you used the stovetop method. Stir well to coat the chicken in the sauce.
- Serve: Serve the honey garlic shredded chicken over prepared brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions for extra flavor and texture.
Notes
- Using chicken thighs ensures juicier, more flavorful meat, but chicken breasts work fine if preferred.
- Flipping the chicken halfway through cooking promotes even coating but is optional.
- Cornstarch slurry is necessary to thicken the sauce and achieve the perfect consistency.
- If you don’t have chili paste, substitute with sriracha or another hot sauce according to your heat preference.
- For a gluten-free version, ensure your soy sauce is gluten-free tamari or substitute accordingly.
- This recipe adapts well to meal prep and leftovers reheat beautifully.
