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    Home » Food

    Crock Pot Sweet Honey Garlic Chicken

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    Jump to Recipe

    Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is an easy chicken thigh recipe infused with honey, garlic, and soy sauce.

    honey garlic chicken topped with sesame seeds over rice and green beans

    This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to purchase through my link, I may earn a very small commission at no additional cost to you.

    The Best Honey Garlic Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

    Does your family feel like they’re always eating soup or stew when it comes to the crockpot? This recipe will completely change their minds. These chicken thighs are cooked in a sweet, sticky glaze.

    Serve it over rice with broccoli or green beans and it’ll be a new go-to family favorite. Your family will be requesting this for dinner.

    Ingredients for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

    see below for substitutions

    • Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
    • Honey
    • Low Sodium Soy Sauce
    • Ketchup
    • Avocado Oil
    • Minced Garlic
    • Red Pepper Flakes
    • Salt and Pepper
    ingredients for honey garlic chicken

    How to Make Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

    Detailed instructions and measurements to make crock pot honey garlic chicken are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

    1. Trim the majority of the fat from the thighs and place them in the crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
    2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, avocado oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Mix until well combined. 
    3. Pour the mix over the chicken thighs. 
    4. Cook on LOW for 3 ½ hours. Once down, be sure to turn and coat the thighs in the sauce. 
    5. *optional* To thicken the sauce, pour the it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer over medium heat until it has thickened (about 5 minutes). I personally prefer this method.
    6. Serve over rice with green beans or broccoli.
    honey in a measuring glass
    soy sauce added to the measuring glass
    ketchup added to the soy sauce in the measuring glass
    garlic added to the measuring glass
    avocado oil added to the measuring glass
    red pepper flakes added to the measuring glass
    honey garlic sauce mixed together in a measuring glass
    chicken thighs in a crockpot
    chicken thighs in a crockpot seasoned with salt and pepper
    chicken thighs covered in honey garlic sauce in a crockpot

    How to Serve Crock Pot Sweet Garlic Chicken

    Honey Garlic Chicken goes great over rice. You can use basmati rice, cauliflower rice, or even fried rice. It also pairs well with green vegetables like broccoli and green beans.

    Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Tips

    • Be sure to trim the majority of the fat from the thighs. Not only does it make a weird texture to bite into, but it will make your sauce greasy. 
    • If you’re avoiding soy or what to lower the sodium content, you can replace the soy sauce with aminos. 
    • For extra spice, add sriracha to the sauce along with the red pepper flakes.
    • For a thicker sauce, once the chicken has cooked through add it to a saucepan and simmer it until it thickens. Then pour the sauce back over the chicken.

    Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs Crock Pot FAQs

    Can I use chicken breasts for this recipe?

    You can substitute the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Be sure to trim the excess fat and adjust the cooking time.

    Why is the fat trimmed from the thighs before cooking?

    Chicken thighs naturally have excess fat on them. Biting into a large chunk of fat is extremely unpleasant. The excess fat will also cause the sauce to be greasy.

    Is garlic chicken healthy?

    Healthy is a subjective term, but the recipe doesn't contain any weird or overly processed ingredients. It's easily adjusted to most diets.

    Can you stack chicken thighs in a crock pot?

    You can stack chicken thighs in the crock pot. They may need additional cooking time.

    How long does it take to cook thighs in the crock pot?

    Chicken thighs need to be cooked on low for 4 hours or high for 2-3 hours in the crock pot.

    Can I put frozen chicken in the slow cooker?

    You can put frozen chicken in the slow cooker, but it will need longer to cook.

    Can you put raw chicken pieces in a slow cooker?

    You can cook raw chicken pieces in a slow cooker. Be sure that it is cooked until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

    How long should I cook chicken in slow cooker?

    Chicken breast should be cooked on low in a slow cooker for 4 hours.

    Does chicken get more tender the longer you cook it in crock pot?

    Chicken does not get more tender the longer you cook it in a crock pot. When chicken is overcooked in the crock pot, it will be less tender and begin to have a different texture and flavor.

    honey garlic chicken topped with sesame seeds over rice and green beans

    Garlic Honey Chicken Crock Pot Substitutions

    Chicken thighs - these can be replaced with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted

    Honey - I don’t recommend substituting or replacing this

    Low sodium soy sauce - if you’re avoiding soy or even want to just lower the sodium further, you can replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos or liquid aminos

    Ketchup - while the ketchup is going to give you the best flavor, if you really don’t want to use it, you can use tomato sauce instead. 

    Avocado oil - you can replace this with any oil you like, just be sure it’s a neutral-tasting oil

    Garlic - if you use pre-minced garlic, you may want to add a little extra because it isn’t as strong of a flavor

    Red Pepper Flakes - if you want to omit the spice entirely, you can leave these out. If you want to bump the spice up, add sriracha as well.

    how to make honey garlic chicken breast

    If you prefer to use chicken breasts instead of thighs, you'll want to trim the excess fat from the chicken breasts. Once you've trimmed the excess fat, add them to the crockpot and proceed with the recipe as written.

    When it comes to cooking time, you'll likely need to increase the overall time to 4-6 hours on LOW depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

    How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Honey Garlic Chicken

    The leftovers of this recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers on the stove, in the oven, or in the microwave.

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    honey garlic chicken topped with sesame seeds over rice and green beans

    Honey Garlic Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

    Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken is an easy chicken thigh recipe infused with honey, garlic, and soy sauce.
    4.88 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs 25 mins
    Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
    Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish, Main Dishes
    Cuisine American, Asian
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 317 kcal
    Protein 23 g

    Equipment

    • crockpot
    • silicone whisk
    • mixing bowl

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • 1 cup honey
    • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
    • ¼ cup ketchup
    • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
    • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • salt and pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Trim the majority of the fat from the thighs and place them in the crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, avocado oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Mix until well combined.
    • Pour the mix over the chicken thighs.
    • Cook on LOW for 3 ½ hours. Once down, be sure to turn and coat the thighs in the sauce.
    • *optional* To thicken the sauce, pour the it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer over medium heat until it has thickened (about 5 minutes). I personally prefer this method.
    • Serve over rice with green beans or broccoli.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Honey Garlic Chicken Crock Pot Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    317
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    8
    g
    12
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    1
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    4
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    108
    mg
    36
    %
    Sodium
     
    705
    mg
    31
    %
    Potassium
     
    370
    mg
    11
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    40
    g
    13
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    37
    g
    41
    %
    Protein
     
    23
    g
    46
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    103
    IU
    2
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    2
    mg
    2
    %
    Calcium
     
    24
    mg
    2
    %
    Iron
     
    2
    mg
    11
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Keyword crockpot, slow cooker
    Have you tried this recipe? Please let us know how it was in the comments or tag us on Instagram @sweetlysplendid!

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It should only be used for estimation purposes and is not a guarantee of any kind. Nutritional information varies widely between brands and types of ingredients used. It is recommended that you calculate the nutritional information based on your own ingredients and brands used. Sweetly Splendid, LLC makes no guarantees as to the exact nutrition information.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Diane Rumbold

      October 25, 2021 at 11:18 am

      Hi, I am trying this recipe tonight. The video makes me drool! I'm also going to try your balsamic vinaigrette can you tell me the calories on the dressing? And is it for 1 Tbs or 2?
      Thank you!
      Diane

      Reply
      • kara

        October 25, 2021 at 1:59 pm

        Thank you, Diane! For the balsamic dressing, are you referring to the one on the Autumn salad? If so, it's 43 calories per tablespoon. Hope that helps!

        Reply
        • Alison

          December 28, 2021 at 7:36 pm

          4 stars
          Made this last night and it was a very simply and delicious dinner. I checked the temperature of my chicken at the 2.5 hour mark and it was done. Thanks for the great recipe!

          Reply
          • kara

            December 28, 2021 at 7:56 pm

            So glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for leaving a comment and rating. I appreciate it so much!

            Reply
    2. Ashley

      February 25, 2022 at 1:32 pm

      I made this for my family for dinner, and it was a huge hit!! Highly recommend!

      Reply
    3. Crissy

      May 31, 2022 at 8:07 am

      5 stars
      Let me start out by saying my 6 year old daughter's favorite food was "chicken in a box" which in english is the orange chicken from costco. Since she was diagnosed with Celiac and can no longer eat gluten, she hasn't been able to have it and missed "chicken in a box" so much she would be in tears. Fast forward to Kara coming out with her honey garlic chicken recipe, we tried it and it was delicious. Best of all, my daughter LOVES it and says it's better than "chicken in a box". We literally had zero leftovers. Thank you Kara for creating this!!!

      Reply

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    Kara is a wife & mother living deep in the heart of Texas. She loves all things food and spending time with her family and dogs. She has a passion for cooking and loves making yummy, family-friendly recipes.

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