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Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Honey garlic slow cooker chicken is set-and-forget comfort: slow-cooked chicken thighs in a thick, fragrant honey-garlic sauce. After cooking until fall-apart tender, you thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry for a glossy finish.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 5 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs Use 4–6 thighs.
Honey-garlic sauce
  • 0.333 cup honey
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 6 garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Thickener and garnish
  • 2 tsp cornstarch Plus additional water per recipe instructions.
  • 2 tbsp water For slurry; mix with cornstarch.
  • 2 green onions and sesame seeds for serving Garnish at the end.

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Make the honey-garlic sauce
  1. Whisk honey, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth and well combined.
Slow cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the honey-garlic sauce over top so the chicken is coated.
  2. Cook on Low for 4–5 hours (or High for 2–3 hours) until the chicken thighs are fall-apart tender.
Thicken the sauce and finish
  1. Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker and set aside.
  2. Whisk cornstarch with water, then stir the slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker, stirring until no lumps remain.
  3. Turn the slow cooker to High and cook the sauce for 15 minutes, until noticeably thickened and glossy.
  4. Return the chicken thighs to the sauce and simmer just to coat, then serve with green onions and sesame seeds on top.

Notes

Pro tip: mince the garlic finely so it melts into the sauce, and scrape the slow cooker walls while whisking the slurry so the thickener disperses evenly. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat in the microwave or on Low in the slow cooker until hot. Freeze the cooked chicken and sauce for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free soy sauce in the same amount.