Sticky slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs are simple to throw together and have a deliciously sticky sweet and savory sauce that is perfect for spooning over rice and vegetables. Great as a weeknight dinner or meal prep recipe.
The slow cooker can be such a dinner lifesaver! When it comes to chicken, we have crock pot teriyaki chicken and crock pot BBQ chicken on repeat- they are simple 'dump' recipes that are flavorful and kid-friendly.
This sticky slow cooker honey garlic chicken is another meal that is on repeat. It is loved by all, and we can also make it in the oven or in the Instant Pot.
Serve this recipe up with Instant Pot broccoli and turmeric yellow rice for a delicious, healthy meal.
Reasons youโll โก slow cooker honey garlic chicken
- no sautรฉing means you can get the ingredients into the slow cooker quickly
- it has a delicious, sticky sauce that you can spoon over everything
- you can meal prep it in 2 different ways (details below)
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how simple it is to throw this recipe together. Itโs so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Ingredients you'll need
- chicken thighs- I recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs as they won't release much fat into the sauce as they cook. You may swap for boneless skinless chicken breasts and reduce the cook time to 3-4 hours on low.
- honey- adds the sweetness to this sauce; in a pinch you could swap for maple syrup
- soy sauce- I prefer reduced sodium soy sauce as it is not so salty; for gluten-free use tamari or coconut aminos
- garlic- adds flavor and dimension to the sauce
- apple cider vinegar- brings out a subtle tanginess; swap for rice vinegar if you don't have apple cider vinegar
- worcestershire sauce- adds umami and enhances all the flavors in the sauce- do not skip!
- sesame oil- adds a subtle layer of flavor
- cornstarch- to thicken the sauce at the end of cook time
Cooking this recipe
The beauty of this slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs recipe is that there is no saute step. This means you can get the recipe into the slow cooker and ready to cook in under 10 minutes!
To cook the recipe, assemble the honey, soy sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce and sesame oil in the base of the slow cooker. Stir to combine, then add the chicken thighs. Turn to coat, then cook the recipe on low for 3-4 hours.
Thickening the sauce
During the last hour of cook time, we will thicken the sauce by making a cornstarch slurry. Combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cold water, mix to combine, and stir into the slow cooker.
Place the lid back onto the slow cooker quickly- you do not want to leave the lid off for extended amounts of time as this will mean it takes longer for the slow cooker to come back up to temperature.
Set the slow cooker to 'high' and cook for 30 min- 1 hour more. Sauce should bubble and thicken.
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Adding vegetables to the sauce
You have the option of adding vegetables to the slow cooker when you add the cornstarch slurry. Make sure you fully mix the cornstarch into the sauce, then scatter vegetables over top. Do not stir in.
Our favorite vegetables to add in are broccoli and cauliflower florets, as well as green beans. Note that if you add in frozen vegetables, your sauce may take longer to thicken.
Halving the recipe
You may cut this recipe in half, however I highly recommend using a smaller slow cooker if you do so. Otherwise you run the risk of the sauce over-reducing and burning. Also, your chicken will not be as immersed in the sauce and may end up dryer.
If you are looking for a smaller crockpot, we love this 2.5 quart slow cooker and use it all the time!
Meal prep
This is a great recipe for meal prep, and you have two options to prep it ahead:
1. Cook ahead and reheat
You can cook this recipe all the way through, portion out with rice and vegetables in meal prep containers, and store in the fridge (4 days) or freezer (3 months).
Reheat in the microwave until steaming hot, and enjoy!
Find my favorite meal prep containers here!
2. Freezer crockpot meals
This kind of meal is assembled ahead but not cooked. Then when you go to cook, simply dump the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook as directed (no measuring required!)
- Assemble the boneless skinless chicken thighs and all other ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag, meal prep container or reusable silicone bag.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
Find my favorite freezer containers here!
More slow cooker chicken recipes
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Crockpot Tacos
- 7 No Sautee Chicken Breast Recipes
- Crockpot Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Lime Shredded Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Sticky Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs roughly 10
- โ cup honey
- โ cup soy sauce reduced sodium
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
after cooking:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3-4 tablespoons water
- green onion to garnish
Instructions
- Place all ingredients not marked 'after cooking' into the base of a slow cooker.ย
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours
- Mix together the water & cornstarch, then stir into the slow cooker. Turn the heat to high and cook for 30-60 more minutes, or until thickened. see note 1
- Serve over rice, spooning the sauce over everything. Garnish with green onions.
To assemble ahead and freeze:
- Place all ingredients not marked 'after cooking' into a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- To cook, thaw completely before cooking according to directions above.
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Video
Nutrition Information
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Melissa says
Delicious! Made these over the weekend and I halved the recipe to be sure I would like it. Not a huge sesame oil fan, but this was yummy! Can't wait to make them for my boyfriend.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Melissa! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to report back, I really appreciate it! <3
Cathy says
Hi,
Have you tried this with bone in chicken thighs? Skin removed.
Thanks
Denise Bustard says
Hi Cathy! I have not tried, but I think it would be a very similar cook time. You could add an extra hour on to be safe. Hope you enjoy!
Candy says
Iโd love to know how to modify this recipe to trust it not to burn in a regular sized/6 quart crock pot if you have any tips!
Denise says
Hi Candy! I haven't tried this in the Instant Pot but I think it would work (even though it's just shy of the 1 cup requirement). I would do 10 minutes (for chicken thighs) with a quick pressure release. Then I would remove the chicken and add the cornstarch + water, select 'sautee' on the IP and sautee until thickened. Hope you enjoy!
Keith Ross says
This is listed in kcal's and I thought a kcal is equal to 1,000 calories?
Denise says
Hi Keith! I need to change the calorie settings on my card. It's 201 calories for this recipe. Hope this helps!
Adriane Coutermarsh says
I made this last night and it is very good--however, when I calculated the calories in the recipe using MyFitnessPal, the count is significantly higher than 201 calories, 469 per serving to be exact but without the green onions since I didn't have any.
Denise says
Hi Adriane! I just put this back through MyFitnessPal, and I do see the 469 calorie count, however I believe that it is pulling the wrong amount of calories for 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you select any other brand of chicken thighs, it is half of what the original one says.
Amie Kitch says
This turned out wonderful, and was a definite hit with the whole family. It is definitely going on the meal rotation ๐ Thank you so much for sharing.
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them Amie! Thanks so much for reporting back ๐
Dalton says
i followed this to a T and the sauce definitely wasnt thick or sticky. it was kind of just something to give the chicken flavor. it was still good but didnt come out as advertised. i added a green and red pepper, yellow onion, and asparagus about an hour before it was done and that was a good addition to the recipe imo.
Denise says
Hi Dalton! Did you add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cornstarch? I recommend 3 if you want it really thick.
Catherine says
I made this recipe exactly as stated. My sauce didnโt thicken at all and the liquid was no good anyways. I ended up eating the chicken plain with rice and I thought it was an OK recipe.
Denise says
Hi Catherine, I just retested this recipe a few weeks ago and my whole family enjoyed it, including my picky 5 year old, so I don't really get your review. If your sauce didn't thicken, sounds like you didn't leave it on high for long enough.
Sara says
This is a staple in our house! We absolutely love it! Even my picky kids will clean their plate. Thank you for the recipe!
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Sara! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Mark Andreasen says
I'm about to try this, but you say about 1.5 pounds of chicken thighs or 10 of them. You must have skinny chickens, four of mine weight 1.8 pounds. Let's hope for the best.
Denise says
Hi Mark! Yes, they are boneless and skinless, so they're pretty small! Hope you enjoyed!
Jodi says
My sauce didn't thicken up as much as I would have liked and wasn't really as flavorful as I expected.
Erin says
I feel the same way. Not what I was hoping for at all.
Denise says
Thanks so much for your feedback, ladies! We are retesting this recipe as we speak ๐
Denise says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Jodi & Erin! I have updated the recipe to address the sauce thickening issue and to increase the flavor. My 5 year old had seconds he loved it so much!
lisa says
This was terrific and fast! Made it in a crock pot and followed directions as written. My non-chicken liking teenager devoured it and asked for the leftovers to be put in a quesadilla today. Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe that I could whip together and get into the crock pot in about 15 minutes. can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Denise says
I'm so happy you and your son enjoyed! Thanks so much for your review, Lisa!
Jac says
Hi! This recipe sounds amazing! I am out of corn starch. Is there a substitute for it?
Denise says
Hi Jac! So sorry for my late reply. You can swap for arrowroot starch if you have some? I like to use about half of what I'd use for cornstarch so 1/2 tablespoon
Rick says
Most of the other recipes call for 1/2 cup of Ketchup. Would adding this help, or hurt your recipe?
Denise says
Hi Rick, I really can't say because I have only tried as written.
Kathleen Rizzuto says
Can I cook this on high in my crockpot?
Denise says
Hi Kathleen! So for this recipe I haven't tried, I *think* it would be OK on high for 3 or so hours, my only concern is that the honey may burn, so I'd keep an eye on it. Let me know if you try it!
Kathleen says
I'm out of apple cider vinegar. Is this a deal breaker. I have plenty of other wine vinegars. Is there a substitute?
Denise says
Hi Kathleen! It should be OK without it, just adds a little bit of tangy flavor. You might be able to do rice vinegar, but I haven't actually tried this.
Amber Luchi says
In crock now, added extra water, brown sugar and broccoli! Will let you know how it turns out! Did in a bigger crock than 2.5 and I am cooking on high for 4 hours at least until I see I need to add water or something.
Denise says
Hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turns out for you, Amber ๐
The Grey says
It's in the crockpot and I doubled the recipe. Will follow up with the results
Denise says
I hope you enjoyed!
Carike Steyn says
I made this chicken tonight and my children even asked for seconds and they are NOT good eaters. My husband raved about this dish and all the pots are empty.
I made it in a pot on the stove and cooked the chicken for about 1.5 hours on kind of a low/medium heat. Then grilled the chicken to brown it a little bit on the skin.
This is definitely in my favourites recipes.
This was DELICIOUS!!!
Denise says
Wow, I am SO happy reading your comment, Carike! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such an amazing review ๐
Brittany Audra says
Always love a new crock pot recipe! YUM
Denise says
I have been a bit of an Instant Pot addict lately but I can't quit my slow cooker ๐
Cassie says
I want to try this in my Instant Pot... I'm just trying to figure out the cook time!
Denise says
Hi Cassie! I'd try 10 minutes for boneless skinless chicken thighs and 8 min if you use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Hope you enjoy!