Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken

Fall apart tender, juicy, and loaded with flavor, this slow cooker sweet chili chicken requires just 6 ingredients! Perfect to use in quesadillas, rice bowls, tacos and more.

One of my favorite ways to get a head start on dinner is to cook a big batch of protein in the slow cooker, then use it up in multiple meals through the week! Like my slow cooker honey lime chicken recipe, this slow cooker sweet chili chicken makes a great base recipe to use up in different meals.

Slightly sweet, savory, and full of delicious flavor, this recipe is loved by kids and grown ups alike!

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

Ingredient notes

• chicken breasts- I've used boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe; you can swap for an equal weight of boneless skinless chicken thighs, increasing the cook time to 4-5 hours on low
• sweet chili sauce- found in the Asian food aisles of most grocery stores, sweet chili sauce is sweet and slightly tangy, but not very spicy. If you can't find it, you can try making your own.
• soy sauce- I prefer using reduced sodium soy sauce, as I find regular to be too salty. Swap for tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid soy seasoning for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
• cornstarch- helps thicken the sauce at the end of the cook time; swap for arrowroot starch if desired.

Cooking this recipe

Scroll to the recipe card for ingredient measurements.

1. Getting it started

In the insert of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, stir together the sweet chili sauce, chicken stock, salt and soy sauce. Stir together until smooth, then add the chicken breasts and turn to coat in the sauce.

Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours*, and make sure not to lift the lid during the cook time.

*If you know your slow cooker cooks lower or slower, consider increasing the cook time as needed.

2. Thickening the sauce

30 minutes before serving, stir together the cornstarch and water until no lumps remain. Working quickly, remove the lid from the slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and put the lid back on the slow cooker.

Set to high and cook for another 20-30 minutes, keeping an eye on the slow cooker so the sauce does not burn. At this point, the sauce should be bubbly and thickened.

3. Shred the chicken

Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a clean bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken. You can also use an electric hand mixer (this shreds the chicken in seconds!).

If you'd prefer, you can slice or cube the chicken. Allow it to rest on a cutting board for ten minutes before slicing.

4. Toss with cooking liquid

Once chicken is shredded, you can return it to the slow cooker, or pour the cooking liquid over the chicken. I used half the sauce for the photos in this post.

Garnish the chicken with cilantro leaves and/or sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Meal prep + storage

This chicken recipe works great for meal prep! Here are two ways you can meal prep it:

1. Crock pot freezer meal

A crock pot freezer meal is assembled ahead and frozen before cooking. This way, when it's time to cook, you simply dump the ingredients into the slow cooker and skip any measuring. This is a great recipe to prepare for someone who is expecting a baby.

Here’s how you can turn this recipe into a freezer meal:

1. Assemble the boneless skinless chicken breasts plus all remaining ingredients (except for the cornstarch and water) in a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container.
2. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
3. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
4. Thaw completely, then cook as directed in the recipe card.

Find my favorite freezer containers here!

2. Cook ahead and reheat

You can cook your chicken through, cool, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Use it as a base for three meals (see below).

Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot, and enjoy!

Find my favorite meal prep containers here!

More slow cooker chicken recipes

• Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
• Crock Pot Whole Chicken
• Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas
• Sticky Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
• Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
• 7 No Sautee Slow Cooker Recipes

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken

5 from 32 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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Print Rate

Fall apart tender, juicy, and loaded with flavor, this slow cooker sweet chili chicken requires just 6 ingredients! Perfect to use in quesadillas, rice bowls, tacos and more.

12

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts see note 1
• ▢ ½ cup sweet chili sauce
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce see note 2

After Cooking:

• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Garnish:

• ▢ Cilantro

Instructions 

• Stir together the sweet chili sauce, chicken stock, salt and soy sauce in the insert of a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
• Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cook on low for 2 ½-3 ½ hours.
• 30 minutes before serving, stir together the water & cornstarch. Add to the slow cooker and stir. Do this quickly and get the lid back on as soon as possible.
• Turn the slow cooker to high and cook for 20-30 minutes until slightly thickened (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn).
• Pull the chicken out of the slow cooker and shred using two forks.
• Pour as much sauce as you'd like over the shredded chicken (I used just over half), and stir to coat.
• Garnish with cilantro.

Tips:

1- this is roughly 4 large chicken breasts; swap with boneless skinless chicken thighs and increase the cook time by 1 hour.

2- I recommend using reduced sodium soy sauce. You may swap for coconut aminos, tamari or liquid soy seasoning to make it gluten-free.

Storage

Cool completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge (4 days) or the freezer (3 months).

Reheating

Heat in a frying pan over medium heat, using tongs to stir and flip the chicken until it is heated through evenly.

Crockpot Freezer Meal

This recipe works to assemble ahead and freeze (before cooking) as a crockpot freezer meal. 

1. Assemble the boneless skinless chicken breasts plus all remaining ingredients (except for the cornstarch and water) in a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container.
2. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
3. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
4. Thaw completely, then cook as directed above.

 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 113kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 569mg, Sugar: 2g

Author: Annie Holmes

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Thai

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