Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken cooks low and slow until tender: saucy, savory, and mostly hands-off for busy weeknights.
Weeknight Sticky Chicken That Does the Work for You
Tender chicken thighs braise low and slow in a glossy honey-garlic sauce so you can come home to a saucy, comforting dinner with almost no fuss.
This is the kind of slow-cooker dinner that feels like a warm hug: chicken thighs cook for four hours in a sweet-and-savoury mix until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender and the sauce is thick and spoonable. The honey and low-sodium soy sauce deliver that satisfying sweet-salty contrast, while grated ginger and garlic keep the sauce bright and aromatic rather than cloying.
Root vegetables—carrots and baby potatoes—go straight into the pot and soak up the braising juices, turning soft and flavor-packed. Browning the thighs in a hot skillet first is optional but highly recommended: those quick golden edges add a roasted depth that lifts the whole dish. Finish with a cornstarch slurry to turn the cooking liquid into a glossy, clingy sauce that coats rice, noodles, or a hunk of crusty bread.
Little practical bits that make this recipe work: trim and pat the thighs dry, season them, and whisk together the broth, honey, soy, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger before you pour it over everything. Four hours on low gives you hands-off comfort; the slow time does all the flavor-building for you.
This holds and reheats beautifully—perfect for leftovers or a lunch bowl. If you want to prep ahead, combine the sauce and vegetables in the cooker, top with raw thighs and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or freeze components separately for a future no-fuss meal.
Ingredients
How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, pat them dry, and season both sides with half of the kosher salt.
- Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds, halve any larger baby potatoes, and cut the onion into 1/2-inch pieces; mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
- In a medium bowl whisk together chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil until smooth.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs 2–3 minutes per side until golden (this step is optional but adds flavor); transfer the thighs to the slow cooker.
- Add the prepared carrots, potatoes, and onion to the slow cooker and pour the honey-garlic-broth mixture over everything, then cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- When the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, remove the thighs to a cutting board, shred with two forks, and return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
- Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, then set to high and cook an additional 10–15 minutes until the broth thickens slightly; taste and add remaining kosher salt if needed.
- Ladle the honey garlic chicken stew into bowls and garnish with sliced green onions; serve hot (good over rice, noodles or with crusty bread).
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken cooks low and slow until tender: saucy, savory, and mostly hands-off for busy weeknights.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, pat them dry, and season both sides with half of the kosher salt.
- Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds, halve any larger baby potatoes, and cut the onion into 1/2-inch pieces; mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
- In a medium bowl whisk together chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil until smooth.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs 2–3 minutes per side until golden (this step is optional but adds flavor); transfer the thighs to the slow cooker.
- Add the prepared carrots, potatoes, and onion to the slow cooker and pour the honey-garlic-broth mixture over everything, then cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- When the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, remove the thighs to a cutting board, shred with two forks, and return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
- Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, then set to high and cook an additional 10–15 minutes until the broth thickens slightly; taste and add remaining kosher salt if needed.
- Ladle the honey garlic chicken stew into bowls and garnish with sliced green onions; serve hot (good over rice, noodles or with crusty bread).
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 51
- Saturated Fat
- 4.5
- Sodium
- 920
- Fiber
- 2.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 15
- Protein
- 42
- Fat
- 20
- Cholesterol
- 140
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 545
- Sugar
- 31