Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken features tender chicken breasts or thighs coated with sticky honey garlic sauce. It's easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep time. Let your slow cooker do the work for the perfect sweet, savory, and spicy weeknight dinner.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs
Honey garlic sauce—soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, basil(optional), crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Corn starch—optional for thickening|
For serving—rice, toasted sesame seeds, green onions
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken in a Crock Pot—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 👨🍳Make it right every time
- 🐓What chicken to use
- 🥣Honey garlic sauce—tips and variations
- ↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
- 🍲Suggested crock pot sizes
- 🍽️Serving
- 🍚Chinese Recipes
- ❄️Storage of leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment by Paul D.:
"Fantastic recipe! My family loves it. My wife thinks I'm a genius, lol."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Everybody needs more easy chicken recipes. With a sticky honey sauce, this is one of my easiest and best crock pot chicken breast recipes.
It is super easy to make with the step-by-step photo instructions. You can use almost any size slow cooker, 1 or 2-quart mini crock pots, or larger. Use either chicken breasts or thighs. And make it a complete meal by adding stir-fried vegetables and rice.
This sticky honey chicken will become a family favorite with great Asian flavor and tender chicken breasts or thighs. And it fits most healthy diets like a low-calorie or low-fat diet. And it can be made to fit a gluten-free diet.
👨🍳How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken in a Crock Pot—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Trim and cut chicken breasts.
2. Mix the honey garlic sauce.
3. In a smaller crock pot, stir the chicken with the sauce until coated.
4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, but check at 2 hours. Breasts are done at 165° and thighs at 180°-185°.
5. If you want a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch slurry for the last hour of cooking.
6. Serve with rice and use the sauce as gravy. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
👨🍳Make it right every time
Cutting the chicken breasts into smaller pieces will help them cook more quickly and evenly, resulting in serving-sized portions and allowing more sauce to flavor the chicken.
Towards the end of cooking, you can shred the chicken and mix it back into the sauce.
Cook chicken breasts to 165° and thighs, although safe at 165°, are tenderer at 180°+. Bone-in chicken takes a bit longer to cook. Remove any skin before cooking.
If you want a thicker sauce, add a slurry of cornstarch mixed in cool water until smooth before adding slowly.
Many people want more sauce for rice; adjust to the amount you wish. I usually double it.
🐓What chicken to use
Skinless boneless chicken breasts are recommended. You may use skinless chicken thighs, which may be boneless or bone-in. The size of the thighs is thinner and smaller than the breasts, so they do not need to be cut into pieces.
🥣Honey garlic sauce—tips and variations
Soy sauce: Regular soy sauce has lots of salt, so I suggest using low-sodium soy sauce to decrease the sodium level.
Honey: The sweetness of the sauce is from the honey. You can adjust to your taste.
Garlic: I prefer fresh crushed or minced garlic. You could use garlic powder. Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove of garlic.
The basil is usually used in this recipe, but I no longer use it, so it is optional. Some will use oregano to replace the basil.
A touch of fresh ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar (some may contain gluten), or crushed red pepper flakes are good. I added red pepper as my option.
↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
This is a very easy recipe to cut in half or double. As written, it makes four servings of about 1 cup and can be made in a 2-quart or larger crock pot.
- Use the recipe card and change the number of servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
🍲Suggested crock pot sizes
A half recipe will fit in a 1 quart, but crock pots smaller than 2 quarts are notoriously inaccurate in cooking. So, you can use one at your own risk and watch the temperature.
For a full-size recipe, generally use a 2 to 4-quart crock pot, although bigger may be used. You can use a bigger slow cooker but watch the temperature closely. Cooking small recipes in large crock pots tends to overcook rapidly and may burn. Cook to an internal temperature and not by time.
For a double recipe—use a 3-quart or larger crock pot and watch the final temperature.
🍽️Serving
Serve with rice, like Plain Fried Rice or Baked Rice. Add some stir-fry vegetables or steamed broccoli for a complete meal.
The simplest serving method is with the honey garlic sauce over rice or cauliflower rice with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and some sliced green onions.
🍚Chinese Recipes
Check out these other easy Chinese take-out recipes: Chinese Boneless Ribs, Beef and Broccoli, General Tso Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and Chicken Stir Fry.
Serve with rice, like Plain Fried Rice or Baked Rice.
❄️Storage of leftovers
Store in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze in an airtight container for 4 months.
Reheat in the microwave or a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of chicken broth or water to the sauce if needed.
❓FAQs
To make honey garlic chicken gluten-free, use Tamari to replace the soy sauce. Most Tamari is gluten-free but check the label.
No. There are two issues with adding frozen chicken to a cooking crock pot.
First, the internal temperature of the chicken may not reach the safe final internal temperature of 165°.
Second, there have been a few reports of ceramic crock pots breaking due to temperature differentials.
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds skinless chicken - breasts or thights
Honey Garlic Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup soy sauce - low sodium preferred
- ¼ cup honey
- 2-4 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- ½ teaspoon basil - optional
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional
Optional thickening
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For serving
- rice
- toasted sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Trim about 1 ½ pounds of chicken. If using skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut them into serving-size pieces. You may use skinless chicken thighs if you wish.
- In a medium bowl, ½ cup of ketchup, ¼ cup of soy sauce (low sodium preferred), ¼ cup of honey, four cloves crushed garlic, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), and ½ teaspoon basil (optional) whisk together.
- Spread the chicken across the bottom of a 2-quart or larger crock pot coated with PAM cooking spray. Add the sauce and mix.
- If you want a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water until smooth. Add to the crock pot and mix well during the last hour of cooking.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Breasts should reach 165°, or thighs should be 180° minimum when done. Check the chicken temperature at about 2 hours since crock pots vary.
- Serve with rice and use the sauce as gravy. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use low-sodium soy sauce for lower sodium.
- It will fit nicely in a 2 qt or bigger crock pot. See the recipe post to discuss increasing or decreasing amounts and crock pot size options.
- If you add vegetables to the crock pot, you will also need to increase the crock pot size and increase the sauce.
- Cook to an internal temperature of 165° for the chicken breasts. If using thighs, you will be happier with the texture of the chicken if you cook it to 180°+.
- Thickening is optional, and you may want to increase the amount of sauce for serving.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days. Good frozen for 4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Adapted from Allrecipes Honey-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs.
Originally Published January 4, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Ms. Marcia says
Hi Dan! I made this recipe yesterday in the crockpot, with the intention of having it for dinner tonight. It was delicious and I think letting the flavors meld together overnight in the fridge only made it better! I pretty much followed the recipe with only a couple differences:
I was doubling the recipe so I used I used:
1 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup of dark honey, 1/4 cup of real maple syrup (on the advice above from the Canadian person), 1/4 cup of water, 1 Tbsp of crushed garlic from a jar (we love garlic) and 1 Tbsp of dry basil pulverized between my fingers before adding to sauce. I mixed this all up and let it sit for about an hour. Then poured it over about 3.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up like you said. Cooked on low for 4 hours, although 3.5 would have been been plenty. I like my sauce thin so I did not thicken it.
Served tonight over Jasmine rice with a salad. My husband said, "I hope you wrote this down". I did, and will make it again and again.
Thanks for the great recipe! 5 stars from us!!
Carol Chiasson says
I've put this in the crock pot for tonight's dinner and I've slightly amended it as others have. Instead of basil, I used Clubhouse Signature salad herbs. I also added just a bit of water because I sliced up some mini red potatoes, green onion that needed to be used up and skinny carrots and put them on the bottom of the crock pot. It smells delicious and I can hardly wait to dig in! Next time I might sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top when I serve it onto individual plates.
Shae says
I followed this exactly as written, save for I didn't have sodium reduced soy sauce, just used a tad less of regular. I had two boneless skinless chicken breasts, and cooked on low for 5 hours.
If they would have had bones in them, the meat would have been falling off them. Delicious. There was enough sauce to go on the rice, and plates were almost licked clean.
Thank you for this recipe, so easy and my husband said it was a keeper!
Lauren says
Out of soy sauce, do you think I could use Worcestershire sauce? thanks so much!
DrDan says
Hi Lauren,
Worcestershire is spicier and will change the taste profile. Having said that, some will suggest a 1 to 1 substitute or a 3/4 to 1 substitute.
I believe there is too much taste difference and would not do it in this recipe since it is a major part of the recipe.
Dan
Crystal says
Thanks for the recipe. Do you think that it could be cooked on high taking less time?
DrDan says
Hi Crystal,
I'm concerned about the sauce cooking at a higher temperature and "burning". If you do it, please report back.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
CeCe says
Made this for the fourth time today in less than a month. I love how simple the ingredients and instructions are, and it doesn’t break the bank to make. I’ve tried it with chicken breast or some boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Both seem to work out well, I just have to adjust the cooking time a smidge. I also love the slurry trick to thicken the sauce so it’ll sit on the rice and won’t sink to the plate.
I have noticed that it needs some more time to get to temp. Not sure if it’s just my crockpot being wonky or because I use a disposable liner. Whatever the case, I just keep checking with my meat thermometer so I know when it’s done.
The only modifications I’ve done are using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and minced garlic from a jar. The coconut aminos are a necessity for me because of family food allergies, but it’s got a great flavor and less sodium, so I don’t have to worry about it turning into a salt lick. The minced garlic was my goof because I didn’t do proper notes on my grocery list and was buying ingredients for 3 different recipes at the same time. My family seems to like it, and I like the convenience of using the jar method. I also put a little of the garlic juice in the recipe when measuring it out.
Another note is that I prefer using clover honey. Because I was making it so much, my little honey bear squeeze bottle was depleting rapidly, so my mom was nice enough to pick up a bottle of honey from Sam’s Club before they closed our stores. The only option was raw and unfiltered honey. I can taste a difference, but I think I’m the only one. A family member that is notoriously picky (doesn’t like meat on the bone, only likes white meat, loads of dietary restrictions, hates leftovers) ended up getting second helpings and finishing off all my leftovers. This recipe is a definite keeper and one I will happily share with others. Thanks!
Lois says
The original recipe for this with the boneless, skinless chicken thighs said it takes 6 hours on low to cook. Your version with boneless, skinless chicken breast says cook on low for 4 hours. Why the difference in cooking times?
DrDan says
Hi Lois,
I can't speak to their time. 4 hours is about the max you want or they start drying and the internal temp was 170 plus.
Hope that helps.
Dan
DrDan says
Fast second reply. Chicken thighs should be cooked to about 185. The is when they are tender. They are safe at 165 but need 185 to be tender. They can also tolerate over cooking better. So add the two an they may be their 6 hours. I think better in the morning.
Denise says
Can you make this with frozen chicken breasts?
DrDan says
Food safety recommendations are to not do frozen chicken in a crock pot. Also, ceramic pots can crack with the cold and heat going at the same time.
Dan
SassyLady says
I added my own twist as I always do to slow cooker recipes...
1. 3 frozen chicken breasts thawed, seasoned with salt and pepper and seared on both sides for flavor
2. 1/3 white onion julienned, sauteed in 1/2 packet of soy and 1/2 ounce water in same skillet chicken seared in
3. one 4 oz. can of diced green chili peppers for extra flavor (1/2 bell pepper julienned will do the same) added to sauce
4. one packet of siracha sauce added to 10 packets (= 1/2 cup) of ketchup (needed to get rid of packets)
5. increased honey to 1/3 or 1/2 a cup
6. placed half the onions on the bottom of chicken, rest on the top then added the sauce
I must say that the garlic honey soy sauce is delicious to me...not sure what else went wrong for everybody else...I don't cook with basil so I excluded it...basil is more for European dishes.
DrDan says
Hi there SassyLady,
Thanks for the note and modifications.
Something can go wrong with any recipe so I don't take it personally. If you read the comments on the major recipe sites, it gets quite entertaining. Somebody changes almost every ingredient and cooks it differently then gives a one star and bad review.
Dan
Melanie says
I didn't have enough ketchup, but used a bit of Sriracha instead. My kids and husband loved it! I can't find where to rate it, but I'll definitely be making it again.
Lisa Hymas says
Fabulous!! I needed a crock pot recipe in 15 min. Did a quick search, saw this, threw it together. I used 4 frozen chicken breasts on low for about 5 hours. I sliced the breasts into 1 inch cubes when done cooking and mixed them back into the sauce. The chicken was so tender! We served with rice and some veggies on the side. GREAT FIND! My kids all loved it too.
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. Glad it worked so well for you.
Dan
David says
If I want double. The chicken should I double everything?
DrDan says
I probably would. It will cook ok without doubling but the flavor will dilute some and there will less liquid to top the rice with at the end. You get some water out of the chicken during the cooking so the liquid at the end would be weaker. At least increase it some if you don't do double. Please note the comment about the soy sauce in the recipe box.
Debra154 says
Am I the only one who noticed that the recipe never says to add the sauce to the pot?
DrDan says
You're the first. Maybe the picture covered it but I will add the wording.
Dan
Sharon says
This was not a good recipe to me . The basil was very offsetting .weird flavour.
heather says
I've had my chicken in for two hours on low and its definitely done! Anyone else have this issue..I'm thinking because I got thin sliced chicken breast.
Jack says
I tried this recipe, it was terrible, no one would eat it. There's too much soya sauce.
DrDan says
Hi Wendy, Per the USDA ( https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf) it is not safe.
DrDan