Go Back

Sweet Garlic Crockpot Chicken

Sweet garlic crockpot chicken made with whole roasted garlic cloves and a sticky sweet-savory sauce. Slow-cooked chicken thighs turn tender in the pot, then the sauce is thickened with a cornstarch slurry for glossy coating over rice.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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
  

Boneless chicken thighs
  • 5 boneless chicken thighs
Sweet and savory sauce
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 0.5 tsp ginger, grated
  • 1 garlic, whole head cloves peeled and left whole
Thickener and serving
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water to make slurry
  • 1 steamed rice for serving
  • 1 fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Make the sweet garlic sauce
  1. Whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and grated ginger until smooth.
  2. Add the peeled whole garlic head cloves to the bowl of sauce so they’re coated.
Slow-cook
  1. Place boneless chicken thighs and the whole garlic cloves in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over top.
  2. Cover and cook on Low for 4-5 hours, or on High for 2-2.5 hours, until the chicken is tender and the garlic is soft.
Mash garlic, thicken, and serve
  1. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and mash some of the garlic cloves into the sauce for extra flavor.
  2. Stir cornstarch into water to make a slurry, then pour it into the sauce and cook on High for 15 minutes until thick.
  3. Return the chicken to the sauce, then serve over steamed rice with fresh parsley.

Notes

For maximum flavor, keep the garlic cloves whole while cooking, then mash only a portion into the sauce so you get both texture and sweetness. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave until hot. Freezing is yes—freeze portions of chicken and sauce up to 2 months, then thaw and reheat thoroughly. For a lower-sugar option, use a brown-sugar substitute measured 1:1 and keep the cornstarch slurry step the same.