Juicy Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken thighs with the best sauce, you will want to drink it straight out of the bowl!
What better way to come home to a delicious home cooked meal ready for you in a crock pot? Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken without weird ingredients, just fall apart-tender, bone-in and skinless chicken thighs cooked in plenty of sauce with crispy, charred, sticky edges!
A dinner the whole family will love time and time again!
SLOW COOKER HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
After publishing our Pork Loin Roast with an irresistible honey garlic sauce, our readers have been asking non stop for this recipe — THE chicken of all chicken versions. When you ask, we listen!
Apart from the tender, melt in your mouth chicken, the sauce is truly memorable — a dinner that you will be thinking about long after the leftovers have disappeared.
A simple ‘no-stress’ slow cooker recipe impressive enough to feed your family — skinless bone-in chicken thighs beg for this delicious sauce to go with those dark meat flavours. Cooking them in a rich Honey Garlic Butter Sauce is PERFECT and gives you the ideal sauce to serve them with.
SLOW COOKING BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS
Slow cooked chicken thighs need a bit of love before cooking to give you an incredible tasting meal:
- SEASON: Seasoned in a delicious rub with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar to help caramelize those edges and an optional pinch of cayenne pepper. Pat them dry with paper towel first so that the seasoning sticks and absorbs better.
- OPTIONAL SEAR: While chicken usually goes into a slow cooker raw, searing thighs first in those seasonings for just 2 minutes each side helps lock in juices. It doesn’t necessarily speed up cook time when we’re searing for such a short amount of time, but it does create DEEPER flavours on your chicken AND in your sauce! However, this is optional. You don’t have to do this step if time doesn’t allow for it, or if you just don’t want to. Chicken still tastes INCREDIBLE without searing.
- COOK: For the purposes of making the best chicken of your life, you’re going to flip them in the sauce half way through cooking time, basting them in all of those important flavours. Then cover and continue on cooking. I know the general rule is never to uncover your slow cooker in the middle of cooking, but this recipe works perfectly! (Just don’t take too long!)
HOW LONG DOES CHICKEN NEED TO COOK IN THE CROCKPOT?
For our crock pot recipe, cook chicken thighs with the suggested times:
LOW SETTING: 5-6 hours
HIGH SETTING: 2-3 hours
To check if they’re done, make sure they are fork-tender and register an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C).
SAUCE FOR CHICKEN
Honey, butter, soy sauce (make sure you use low sodium), rice vinegar (or cider vinegar), and a good kick of garlic is all you need. The added bonus is chicken releasing juices while slow cooking, which mixes through the honey garlic sauce to create incredible flavours!
This recipe makes SO MUCH SAUCE to drizzle all over rice, noodles, veggies and potatoes.
While chicken is resting: pour juices from the slow cooker bowl into a pot. Bring to a simmer and whisk in a cornstarch slurry to thicken it to a beautiful, velvety syrup.
CRIPY EDGES ON SLOW COOKED CHICKEN? YES!
If you want those charred, crispy edges, broil thighs for a couple of minutes each side! You’ll need a lined baking sheet; baste chicken with some of the thickened sauce and broil until nicely charred. It doesn’t need long thanks to the brown sugar and honey in the sauce!
MAKE AHEAD OF TIME
Chicken and sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead:
- Pour sauce over seared/browned chicken (store in your slow cooker bowl, baking pan or a large, shallow dish).
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Keep the sauce in separate dish.
- Slow cook as per recipe.
Don’t have a slow cooker? No problem! Try our stove top/oven recipe here.
LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate with the sauce for up to 3 days, or freeze for 3 months. The sauce soaks through the chicken while stored and tastes even better the next day!
SERVING SUGGESTION
Serve over steamed or plain rice with buttery sautéed green beans or roasted cauliflower, mashed potatoes, cauliflower mash or noddles!
MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES
Barbecue Ribs
Beef Stew
Chicken Cacciatore
Spaghetti Bolognese
Chili
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 6 large chicken thighs, skinless and bone-in (2 1/2 pounds or just over 1 kg)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
RUB:
- 1 teaspoon paprika (mild or smoked)
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black cracked pepper
HONEY GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup (6-oz | 170 g) honey
- 1/2 cup (125 g | 4-oz) unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chppped or minced
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, (or cider vinegar)
- Good pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
ADDITIONAL:
- 1/4 cup water, or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
Instructions
CHICKEN:
- Pat dry boneless, skinless chicken thighs with paper towel. Combine 1/2 tablespoon of oil with rub ingredients. Season chicken, rubbing the mixture into the chicken.
- OPTIONAL SEAR: Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken for 2 minutes each side to get a nice sear. (Do not cook chicken all the way through, this step is purely for flavour.)Transfer chicken thighs to a 6-qt (litre) slow cooker bowl.
SAUCE:
- Melt butter in the same pan the chicken was in, scraping up any leftover browned bits in the pan. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients; bring to a rapid simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
SLOW COOK:
- Pour sauce over chicken in slow cooker bowl, flipping thighs in the sauce to evenly coat. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH heat setting for 2-3 hours, or LOW heat setting for 5-6 hours. Baste with sauce half way through cooking.
- Transfer chicken onto serving dish and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- While chicken is resting: pour juices from the slow cooker bowl into a pot large enough to fit the liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Whisk 1/4 cup water (or broth) with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch/cornflour into a lumpfree slurry. Whisk into sauce and let simmer for a good 2-3 minutes, or until thickend into a syrup-like consistency. (Please note: sauce will thicken as it cools). For a thicker sauce, repeat this step with 1 teaspoon extra cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water. Add into sauce and cook until thickened. Continue this step until reaching your desired consistency.
BROIL:
- Place slow cooked chicken thighs on a lined baking sheet. Baste chicken with some of the thickened sauce, about 2 tablespoons per thigh. Broil briefly for 1-2 minutes each side to char the edges.
- Slice chicken and serve drizzled with Honey Garlic Butter Sauce.
Renell Farley says
I followed this recipe almost exactly as written except I add seasoning salt to my chicken instead of plain salt. I used the tip to thicken the sauce with cornstarch. I served it with mashed potatoes. The sauce made a delicious gravy. Total hit! This is definitely going to be a new fav!
Joy says
Many have asked this question. Can this be made with Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts? If so, would there be any changes to the recipe?
Thank you.
Karina says
Hi Joy, I only cook this recipe with skinless bone-in chicken thighs. If using breasts, you will need to alter the cooking time as breasts cook faster. Without testing I can’t say how they will turn out, but a few commenters have had success using chicken breasts!
Kim Goins says
Has anyone had success with Boneless chicken breasts and this recipe? Any modifications needed?
Thanks for your insight!
Deborah Young says
Truly delicious, simple to make – I did brown the chicken first. When finished cooking I took the chicken out of the slow cooker, drained the sauce to reduce on the stove. I returned the chicken and sauce back to the slow cooker to reheat. As I browned first, there was no need to put under the grill.
Julie says
I’m wanting to make some freezer meals for my friend who just had a baby. Is it possible to freeze this?
Karina says
Yes it should be fine.
Kelly says
Can chicken breasts (skinless, boneless) be used as a replacement for thighs? Modifications if so?
Jessica cordero says
So good! It kind of reminds me of east coast mall Chinese food. Like bourbon chicken maybe?
I doubled the sauce and used umami instead of soy. I used low sodium salt and cracked pepper.
My sister used this sauce for her breaded cauliflower too!
Thank you for sharing!
The Jordan Family says
I have made this recipe once before and used boneless skinless chicken breasts & thighs. My family enjoyed it so much I’m making again tonight. Absolutely Amazing recipe. I will keep this one in my recipe book from now on. Thank you Cafe Delites.
Meg says
This was so easy to make, and it was utterly delicious!!!
Martina says
If i dont have low sodium soy sauce and will use regular one, should I just put half of the soy sauce?
Matt says
I made this tonight but substituted maple syrup for the honey and it was fantastic.
Marie Bailey says
Delicious I Added some Star annise and removed it before thickening. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you
Simone says
I love doing this recipe and chopping up some green onion as a garnish for this dish! That little bit of crunch just adds so much
LEA BANKS says
Phenomenal. Just enough left over for tomorrow. I don’t do this often (I’m embarrassed to admit) but I followed to the recipe to a T (and thought all good of myself,) but totally forgot the brown sugar. 😉 It was sweet and warmly spicy without it. The chicken fell off the bone and that’s how the husbAnd like his chicken. Home run!!
Amy says
This was insanely delicious and was a huge hit. I served it with stir fried vegetables and brown rice. I just pulled up the recipe to make it again for my family.
Rachel says
I am in the process of making this right now for dinner however it doesn’t say what to set the boiler at. Anyone know?
Thank you
Tony says
I’m guessing high since it’s only a minute or two.
Me says
I am so glad I’ve come across this treasure trove of cooking inspiration. How does one pronounce “delites” btw?
Tammy says
‘delites’ are pronounced dee – light.
Mary Hampton says
Dee-lights
Bad Kitty says
The same way as “delights.”
San says
Dee lights
It’s just an ‘alt’ way of spelling delights
Jaya says
Hi. I intend to try this recipe today. I will be starting to make it at 12pm PST, so if you could please respond, that would be of great help.
The recipe ingredient list says it’s preferable to use, skinless BONE IN chicken thighs. So that’s what I bought. However, I just seen that in the notes it says to use skinless, BONELESS chicken thighs. Which one is preferred?
Jaya says
Nevermind, I just seen that this question was answered in the comments. I can’t wait to try it!
Lura says
I made this tonight for dinner. It was amazing! My alterations – I used boneless skinless thighs and I am not a fan of slow cookers so I did it in my oven Dutch oven pot. I have a large family so I tripled the recipe. My cooking method was 1 hour @400° then I rotated the chicken in the pot and returned to oven for another hour at 275°.
Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. They were so tender they fell apart, which made it no need to cut up for putting over rice.
I think this would also be a great recipe for pulled chicken sandwiches.
Yummy! Thanks
Andrea says
What size slow cooker did you use?
Morgan says
Do you have to flip the chicken halfway? I want to make this overnight — is that possible?
Thanks!
Morgan
Cheri says
Sounds amazing, but I have a question … All the description of the recipe says to use “boneless, skinless chicken thighs.” But the recipe itself says to use “preferably skinless and bone-in chicken thighs.” Should they be boneless or bone-in for the amount of time you say to cook them? I believe the cook time will be different for bone-in chicken thighs, but I want to be sure I understand correctly. Thank you for your clarification!
Karina says
Hi Cheri, thank you for picking that up. Definitely use bone-in thighs for this recipe. The cooking time is perfect for them.
LynnNM says
I made this recipe this evening, with just a few basic alterations, and it was absolutely delicious! Instead of making it in a slow cooker, I just made it in a skillet on my cooktop. I used the same rub and sauce. Oh my gosh, we loved it! I also used skinless boneless chicken breasts, only because this is the only kind of chicken I buy. This is truly a MAJOR KEEPER of a recipe that I will make over and over again from here on out! I’m also going to try this sauce over grilled salmon. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!
Michelle says
Thank you, was looking to see if anyone swapped thigh meat for breast, it’s too all I buy. Am not a fan of thigh meat, yea sorry folks I just don’t care for it… but will make some with thigh meat for my kids as they love it. I really wish I did, it would make life easier…
Kim says
So excited to make this! Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
BJ Bigley says
Can you use boneless skinless chicken breasts
Ashley McAlpine says
I’m trying with chicken breasts today.
Faithful Subscriber says
Holy sauce! You were right the amount of sauce in the pot was ALL THE YES. We had plenty to serve over egg noodles, plus I made sure to hide a little extra for tomorrow’s lunch. Unfortunately all the chicken is gone but I do have some rotisserie chicken in the fridge. Sauce will be so good on that with rice! I’ve never been excited over leftovers but I am now. Also I agree with searing the chicken first. Never done that before in a slow cooker recipe but I think it made all the difference. Next time I’m going to make a double batch with two pots going because this disappeared in no time. THANK YOU. You make me look like I know what I’m doing!
Denise says
Absolutely delicious! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. My daughter who is a picky eater loved it as well. I will definitely make this again & again!
Jennifer says
Sounds yummy!
Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs? If so, would you need to modify anything? Thanks!
Natasha W says
WOW, is what the whole family said during dinner. My family and I love your website, thanks for sharing this incredible chicken recipe!
Alyssa Rivera says
Honey garlic chicken… Those are my looooooooove languages! Made this last night and the chicken is so tender and juicy! Thank you so much Karina for this amazing recipe!
Caico McCarthy says
This was so easy to make and delicious. Thank you Cafe Delites for creating the BEST recipes, my kids love your food!
Capri Mendoza says
Best chicken recipe I’ve had in a while. That sauce is so good, we ended up saving the extra for tomorrows dinner. Sure is a family favorite now, thank you for creating something my kids actually like!
Katri says
Hi,
This sounds (and looks) absolutely divine. Unfortunately I don’t own a slow cooker.. is there any other way to prepare this dish or should I simply forget it for now?
Karina says
This recipe is similar https://cafedelites.com/easy-honey-garlic-chicken/
Katri says
Thank you so much. Is the amount of sauce the same in both recipes (I’m a true sauce person 😁)?