Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken. Slow cooked chicken breasts tossed in a sweet and tangy Asian inspired sauce. An easy weeknight meal the whole family will love!
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
This Honey Garlic Chicken takes only 10 minutes of prep time to throw everything together and is so delicious! Plus its way healthier than takeout! I love making Asian inspired recipes at home in order to control the saltiness. All you have to do is mix up the sauce ingredients, chop up your garlic, ginger and green onions and throw it all in the slow cooker along with the chicken.
The chicken turns out incredibly juicy and tender by cooking it on low for 2-3 hours.
I made lots of sauce to go over the chicken with extra to serve over rice. It is sweet from the honey and tangy from the soy sauce. It also is loaded with tons of garlic and has a little kick from some Sriracha. The sauce is made up of equal parts soy sauce and honey. I also add in sesame oil, hoisin sauce and rice wine vinegar. (These can all be found in the Asian or International section in your grocery store.)
After everything gets tossed into the slow cooker cook on low for 2-3 hours. I suggest checking it at 2 hours. (Mine took exactly 2 1/2 hours). It also depends on the size of chicken breast you are using. (Mine were pretty small)
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts. Both work great and produce tender and juicy chicken.
- Soy Sauce: I like to use low sodium soy sauce. You can also substitute coconut aminos or gluten free tamari to make this recipe gluten free.
- Honey: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the sauce. Adjust honey to taste. You can also substitute brown sugar if you do not have honey on hand.
- Hoisin Sauce: Is a thick savory sauce that can be found in the international or asian section of your grocery store. If you don’t have any hoisin sauce you can make your own at home.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Can be found in the International or Asian section in the grocery store. I don’t like to substitute other vinegars in place of this one. I find that rice wine vinegar works the best. However if you are gluten free you can substitute apple cider vinegar.
- Sesame Oil: Adds a nice nuttiness to the sauce. A little goes a long way!
- Ginger & Garlic: I love adding fresh ginger and garlic to the sauce. It makes all the difference! If you are short on time or out of fresh ginger and garlic powdered ginger and garlic can be substituted.
- Sriracha: Is used for a little kick. You can omit if you don’t care for too much spice. I typically double the amount or add to taste.
How to make Honey Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cook: Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker along with the sauce ingredients. Cook for 2-3 hours on low. (Cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken. My chicken breasts were pretty small and took 2 1/2 hours.)
- Shred chicken: Remove the chicken from the liquid and place on a plate or cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes and then shred with two forks or slice it up with a knife.
- Thicken up sauce: Transfer the liquid from the slow cooker to a small saucepan. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce. Cook on high until bubbly and thickened, whisking constantly. Pour the sauce back in the slow cooker along with the shredded chicken and toss to coat.
- Serve: Warm with sesame seeds and green onions for garnish if desired!
- Store: Leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the chicken simply place in a small saucepan with a splash of water or broth if needed. You can also reheat in the microwave until warm.
Can this be frozen?
Yes! This shredded honey garlic chicken makes a great freezer meal. Simply cook as directed and freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Alternatively you can place all of the sauce ingredients along with the chicken in a ziplock bag and freeze uncooked for up to 3 months as well. The chicken can go in the slow cooker frozen just make sure to add an extra hour or two! If you are short on time the chicken can also be cooked straight from the freezer in the Instant pot!
Can this be made in the Instant Pot?
Yes! Simply add the chicken and all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and water to the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes and allow the steam to naturally release. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and shred. Meanwhile whisk 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and cook until bubbly and thickened, whisking constantly (about 4-5 minutes). Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and toss to coat.
What to serve with this Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
- White or brown rice. For a low carb option try cauliflower rice or quinoa.
- Steamed vegetables
- Chow mein noodles
- Lo mein
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- Asian Chicken Dumplings
Here are more Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes to try!
- Easy Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
- Easy Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
- Super Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Watch how to make this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken video below:
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken. Slow cooked chicken in a sweet and tangy Asian inspired sauce.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha (depending on how spicy you would like this)
- 2 scallions (sliced thin, divided (white parts for cooking, green for serving))
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstrach
- sesame seeds for garnish (if desired)
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl whisk together soy sauce, honey, hoisin, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sriracha and the white parts only of the scallions.
- Pour the sauce mixture ontop of the chicken and cook for 2-3 hours on low. (Cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken. My chicken breasts were pretty small and took 2 1/2 hours.)
- Remove the chicken from the liquid and place on a plate or cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes and then shred with two forks or slice it up with a knife.
- Transfer the liquid from the slow cooker to a small saucepan.
- Whisk 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce.
- Cook on high until bubbly and thickened, whisking constantly. Pour the sauce back in the slow cooker along with the shredded chicken and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with sesame seeds and green onions for garnish.
Adapted from Spend With Pennies
Originally published Jan 5, 2017
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