Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe – An Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipe

This Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is not only a delicious meal that your family will love, but it is also an easy crock pot recipe that is inexpensive to make. Fall apart, tender pieces of chicken flavored in a sweet and tangy sauce.

The chicken can be served as a stand alone main dish. However to make it a complete and filling meal you can serve it over rice and with some steamed broccoli.

Although, it also tastes incredible when served over pasta or with a side of mashed potatoes. It is one of those recipes that you will love because it is so versatile and can go with just about anything.

Best of all, it couldn’t be easier to make! That is because, just like our Zesty Chicken Recipe, it is an easy ‘Dump & Go Recipe’ that is made in a crock pot. Simply add your ingredients to the slow cooker, turn the power on and walk away.

Then when it is finished cooking, dinner is ready. However, there are times when the chicken is ready, and I am either not home or not ready to serve dinner.

That is one of the reasons that I use my 6 quart programmable Crock Pot which allows me to set the actual cook time. Then when the time expires, the slow cooker switches to a Keep Warm setting so that there is no worry about over cooking the chicken.

What Type Of Chicken To Make Honey Garlic Chicken

This recipe calls for boneless chicken thighs. Although I typically use boneless and skinless thighs because this is a personal preference for most of my family members.

However, you can also use bone in or skin on chicken thighs as well. And yes, you can also use chicken breasts for this honey garlic chicken recipe if you prefer.

Sear The Chicken For Best Flavor

Regardless of what type of chicken that you purchase, it is highly recommended that you sear your chicken before you add it to the slow cooker.

This process will not only add additional flavor to your recipe. More importantly, the searing process will help lock the juices inside the chicken, making it more tender when cooked.

To do this, sear each side of your chicken in a hot skillet with olive oil. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches.

Once the outside of the chicken is golden brown in color, add the chicken thighs to the slow cooker. However, if you are short on time, or truly want to make this a dump and go recipe, skip the searing process.

Easy Homemade Honey Garlic Sauce

Now that the chicken is in the crock pot, it is time to make the honey garlic sauce to pour on top. I am sure that you can guess that two of the ingredients to make the sauce include honey and garlic.

However there are a few more key ingredients that make this delicious sweet and tangy sauce.

1. Soy Sauce

Nearly all Asian recipes include soy sauce as one of the main ingredients. And this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe does as well to provide that classic umami, with a hint of saltiness and sweetness to the sauce.

However be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce, so you can control the sodium content in the recipe.

2. Ketchup

Ketchup is added to provide a little more sweetness and thickness to the sauce. However, feel free to use low-sugar ketchup because the real sweetness comes from the honey.

3. Honey

Honey provides not only a good amount of sweetness to the sauce, but it will also help thicken the sauce so that it coats the chicken perfectly. However, because honey is the star of the sauce, it is best to use pure local honey.

However, local honey can be quite expensive. So if you are on a tight budget go ahead the use the store-bought, less expensive Teddy Bear honey.

4. Garlic

Adding fresh minced garlic will give you the most flavor in this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe. However, if you don’t have cloves of garlic you can substitute jarred minced garlic or garlic powder.

• 1 clove of fresh garlic = 1 teaspoon of jarred mined garlic
• 1 clove of fresh garlic = 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

5. Ginger

Ginger is included in most Asian recipes to give the a warm and peppery taste to the sauce. I keep fresh ginger root in my freezer so that I have it on hand whenever I need it for a recipe. Then I peel it with a metal teaspoon and use a microplaner to grate it.

However if you don’t have fresh ginger you can substitute ginger powder.

• 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger = 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger

6. Sriracha Sauce

For a little extra spice and tang, Sriracha sauce is added to the honey garlic chicken sauce. Although, if you want less spice, you can decrease the amount of Sriracha sauce used.

And if you like extra heat, feel free to add more.

7. Lime Juice

To add a little freshness to the sauce the juice of 1 lime is used. This equals about 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Therefore, if you don’t have a fresh lime feel free to substitute bottled lime juice.

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs, boneless
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. freshly minced ginger
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
• Juice of 1 lime

For Serving:

• cooked white or brown rice
• green onions
• sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Working in batches season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and sear until golden on each side. Transfer the chicken to the crock pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and lime juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or on high for 2 hours. The honey garlic chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when checked with an instant read digital thermometer.

Shred the meat or serve the chicken thighs whole. Serve immediately over rice and garnish with green onions and/or sesame seeds, if desired.

Freezer Meal Recommendation

If you are wanting to make this as a freezer meal and store it to cook at a later date, start by searing the chicken. Then let it cool completely.

Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients to a resealable plastic bag. Remove the air, label the bag, and place it in the freezer.

When you are ready to cook your frozen Honey Garlic Chicken – simply put the frozen pack in the crock pot and add an additional hour to your cooking time.

Enjoy! Mary

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