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Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Honey garlic slow cooker chicken thighs with fall-apart tender chicken and a thick, fragrant honey-garlic sauce. The long low cook melts the thighs until they’re soft, then you thicken the sauce right in the Crockpot.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken
  • 5 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs Use 4–6 thighs; bone-in adds richer flavor, boneless cooks just as tender.
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
  • 2 tsp cornstarch Used with water to thicken the sauce.
  • 2 tbsp water Used to mix with cornstarch.
garnish
  • 1 green onions
  • 1 sesame seeds

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Make the honey-garlic sauce
  1. Whisk honey, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes until the mixture looks smooth and evenly combined.
Slow-cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the honey-garlic sauce over the top so the meat is coated.
  2. Cook on Low for 4–5 hours (or on High for 2–3 hours) until the chicken is fall-apart tender with very soft texture.
Thicken and finish
  1. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker.
  2. Whisk cornstarch with water, then stir it into the slow cooker sauce and scrape the bottom so it thickens evenly.
  3. Turn the slow cooker to High and cook the sauce for 15 minutes until visibly thick and glossy.
  4. Return the chicken thighs to the thickened sauce, coating them well, then serve garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

Pro tip: mince the garlic finely so it melts into the sauce instead of staying sharp. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat gently until warmed through. Freeze yes—freeze chicken and sauce in a sealed container for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge and reheat. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free soy sauce (keep everything else the same).