Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is a flavorful and effortless dish featuring tender chicken thighs simmered in a delicious honey garlic sauce. Perfect for a comforting dinner, this recipe utilizes a slow cooker for set-it-and-forget-it convenience, resulting in juicy, savory chicken with a sweet and tangy glaze. Serve it over steamed rice or egg fried rice with a sprinkle of fresh spring onions and sesame seeds for an easy Chinese-American meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 - 6 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) skinless boneless chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and quartered
Honey Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (can substitute with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
- 165 ml (½ cup) honey
To Serve
- Boiled rice or egg fried rice
- Chopped spring onions (scallions)
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the Chicken: Place the skinless boneless chicken thigh fillets into the slow cooker, ensuring they are evenly spread out for even cooking.
- Prepare the Sauce Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine cornflour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, rice vinegar, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and minced garlic. Stir until the cornflour is fully absorbed and the mixture is homogenous.
- Add Liquid Ingredients: Stir in chicken stock, chopped butter, and honey into the sauce mixture. It’s okay if the butter appears in lumps as it will melt during cooking.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce: Pour the honey garlic sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir gently to coat all the pieces in the sauce.
- Cook: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. If possible, stir the mixture once during the last hour or two to help the sauce combine evenly, but if not, stir well at the end of the cooking time.
- Serve: Serve the honey garlic chicken hot over boiled rice or egg fried rice. Garnish with chopped spring onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate and calculated per serving, assuming the recipe yields 4 servings.
- Chicken thighs yield more tender results compared to chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Stirring during cooking helps thicken the sauce and improve flavor distribution but is optional.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free soy sauce and ensure cornstarch is gluten-free certified.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
