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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Juicy shredded chicken thighs cooked low and slow in a sticky sweet and savory honey garlic soy sauce. An easy hands-off crockpot dinner made with simple pantry ingredients.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian-Inspired
Calories: 329
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts thighs recommended for juiciest result
  • 0.33 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 0.33 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste do not skip - adds richness and depth
  • 2 tsp chili paste sambal oelek, sriracha, or hot sauce of choice
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch for thickening sauce after cooking
  • brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice for serving
  • toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions for garnish

Equipment

  • 6-quart or larger slow cooker
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Two forks for shredding
  • Instant read meat thermometer

Method
 

  1. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, chili paste, minced garlic, and rice vinegar until smooth. Pour evenly over the chicken.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Flip the chicken halfway through if available.
  3. Remove chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Whisk cornstarch into the hot cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 to 30 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. For faster thickening, transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Shred the chicken with two forks. Return it to the slow cooker and stir to coat fully in the thickened sauce.
  5. Serve over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. Top with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Notes

Always use thawed chicken in the slow cooker. Do not cook from frozen. For gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and swap rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar. Leftovers keep in the fridge up to 4 days and freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.