Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is a deliciously easy and flavorful meal that combines tender shredded chicken with a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights, the chicken is slow-cooked to juicy perfection and coated in a rich sauce infused with ginger, garlic, and hoisin. Serve it over rice or noodles for a comforting, crowd-pleasing dinner.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Halal
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 pounds split chicken breasts (skin removed, or 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs)
Sauce
- ½ cup less sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (or ½ small onion, finely diced)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Thickener and Garnish
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Sliced green onions (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, minced ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, onion powder, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Mix well to create a flavorful sauce base.
- Slow cook the chicken: Place the chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, ensuring it is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and place it in a bowl. Use two forks to shred the chicken, discarding any bones as needed. Cover lightly to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
- Thicken the sauce: In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch to create a slurry. Pour the remaining liquid from the slow cooker into a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry a little at a time to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency. Allow the sauce to boil for 1 minute to activate the thickener.
- Combine chicken and sauce: Pour the thickened sauce over the shredded chicken and stir well to coat the chicken evenly with the flavorful sauce.
- Serve and garnish: Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve the honey garlic chicken hot, ideally over cooked rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
- You can use either split chicken breasts with skin removed or boneless breasts/thighs—adjust cooking times slightly if using boneless.
- Less sodium soy sauce is used to control salt levels, but regular soy sauce can be substituted.
- For thicker sauce, add cornstarch slurry gradually and adjust to your preferred texture.
- Serve with steamed vegetables or in lettuce wraps for a lighter option.
- This recipe can be doubled for larger gatherings, just ensure your slow cooker is large enough.
Keywords: slow cooker chicken, honey garlic chicken, easy dinner, shredded chicken recipe, crockpot chicken, Asian slow cooker recipe
