Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs are the sweet, sticky, totally irresistible dinner. Fresh garlic, golden honey, soy sauce, and a touch of ketchup come together into a glossy sauce that soaks deep into every bite of fall-apart tender chicken.

Love More Recipes? Try My Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken or this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• That sticky, caramelized honey garlic sauce coats every piece of chicken in pure savory-sweet perfection.
• 10 minutes of prep, zero babysitting — your slow cooker does all the work while you live your life.
• Pantry ingredients only — honey, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup. That’s it.
• Serves beautifully over rice, noodles, or veggies for a complete one-dish dinner.
• Freezes and meal preps like a dream — make a double batch and thank yourself later.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts work too — check them at 4 hours on LOW so they don’t dry out)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Honey Garlic Sauce:

• 1/3 cup honey (swap with maple syrup for a slightly earthier sweetness)
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 cloves garlic, freshly minced (fresh is everything here — skip the jarred kind)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, optional
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

For Thickening (optional but recommended):

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

For Garnish:

• Sesame seeds
• Sliced green onions

Why These Ingredients Work

Honey is the backbone of this sauce. It caramelizes slowly in the heat of the slow cooker, coating the chicken in a gorgeous golden glaze that thickens and deepens over hours of cooking. The natural sugars in honey also help balance the salty savory notes in the soy sauce beautifully.

Fresh minced garlic is non-negotiable here. It softens and mellows in the slow cooker, turning from sharp and punchy into something sweet and almost nutty that threads through every bite of the finished sauce. Pre-minced jarred garlic simply does not produce the same depth of flavor.

Ketchup might surprise you, but it adds a gentle tomato tang and a touch more sweetness that rounds out the sauce without making it taste like anything but pure honey garlic chicken. It also gives the sauce a rich, glossy body that clings beautifully to the meat.

The cornstarch slurry at the end is completely optional — but if you love a thick, sticky restaurant-style sauce rather than a thinner pan juice, take the extra five minutes. You won’t regret it.

Tools Needed

• 5 or 6-quart slow cooker
• Small mixing bowl and whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Small saucepan (if thickening the sauce)
• Tongs
• Serving bowls or plates

How To Make Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Step 1: Season Your Chicken

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and black pepper. This simple step helps the sauce stick and builds a better flavor foundation before anything goes in the slow cooker.

Step 2: Mix the Honey Garlic Sauce

Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, minced garlic, ginger if using, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until everything is smooth and combined. Give it a quick taste — it should smell and taste absolutely incredible already.

Step 3: Load the Slow Cooker

Place the seasoned chicken in a single layer in the slow cooker. Pour the honey garlic sauce directly over the chicken, making sure every piece is well coated. No need to add extra liquid — the chicken and sauce create their own.

Step 4: Cook Low and Slow

Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Resist lifting the lid during cooking — every peek adds time and lets the heat escape. The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally and pulls apart easily.

Step 5: Thicken the Sauce (Optional but Worth It)

Remove the cooked chicken to a plate. Pour the remaining sauce from the slow cooker into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk cornstarch and cold water together until smooth, then stir into the sauce. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until glossy and thick. Pour it back over the chicken.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve

Pile the chicken over steamed rice or noodles, drizzle the thickened sauce generously on top, and finish with a shower of sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

You Must Know

Chicken thighs are the right cut for this recipe. They stay incredibly juicy and tender through the long slow cook because of their fat content — chicken breasts can dry out if you go past the 4-hour mark on LOW. If you only have breasts, check them early and pull them as soon as they hit 165°F.

Do not skip the fresh garlic. The sauce only has a handful of ingredients, so every single one matters. Fresh minced garlic builds a completely different flavor than the jarred paste — the slow cook transforms it into something deeply sweet and savory that makes the whole dish.

If you want that thick, glossy, takeout-style coating, take the extra five minutes to reduce the sauce on the stovetop. Slow cookers cannot evaporate liquid, so the sauce stays thinner than most people expect. The cornstarch step fixes that completely.

Amelia’s Secret: Stir a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil into the sauce right before you pour it back over the chicken. Add it off the heat — toasted sesame oil loses almost all its fragrance if it cooks too long.

Pro Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t add extra liquid — the chicken releases its own moisture and the sauce provides everything needed. More liquid = watered-down sauce.
• Always use freshly minced garlic, not the stuff from a jar. The flavor difference in this sauce is significant.
• Double the sauce and save the extra in the freezer — it’s amazing on pork, salmon, shrimp, and roasted vegetables.
• Let the sauce reduce on the stovetop after slow cooking for a thick, restaurant-quality glaze that clings to every bite.
• Don’t overcook chicken breasts — check temperature at 3.5 hours on LOW. Once they hit 165°F, pull them out immediately.

Flavor Variations

Spicy Honey Garlic: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sriracha or a generous pinch of cayenne to the sauce. The heat balances beautifully against the sweetness of the honey and creates an addictive sweet-heat combination.

Ginger Honey Garlic: Double the fresh ginger to 2 teaspoons for a brighter, more fragrant sauce with a warming spice note that feels almost like a restaurant-quality stir-fry sauce.

Citrus Honey Garlic: Add the juice and zest of one orange to the sauce mixture before cooking. The citrus brightens everything and makes the sauce taste lighter and more vibrant.

Honey Garlic with Veggies: Toss a cup of broccoli florets, snap peas, or sliced carrots into the slow cooker in the last 45 minutes. They absorb the sauce and turn this into a complete one-pot meal.

Make-Ahead & Freeze Instructions

This recipe is perfect for meal prep. Cook the full batch, cool completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavor gets even better overnight as the chicken soaks up more of that sauce.

To freeze, place the cooked chicken and sauce in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Steamed jasmine or basmati rice is the classic partner — it soaks up every drop of that gorgeous sauce and makes this feel like a complete restaurant-quality meal. Add a simple side of steamed broccoli or bok choy and dinner is done.

Serve over rice noodles or lo mein for an Asian-inspired noodle bowl that feels special enough for company but comes together on a Tuesday night. Top with extra green onions, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of chili oil for a little heat.

Stuff the shredded chicken and sauce into soft lettuce cups with shredded cabbage, sliced cucumber, and a squeeze of lime for a lighter, fresher option that still delivers every bit of that incredible honey garlic flavor.

How to Store

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The sauce thickens as it cools — add a splash of broth or water when reheating.
• Freezer: Freeze with sauce in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low, stirring occasionally, or microwave in 60-second intervals until heated through.

Allergy Info

• Contains: Soy (soy sauce), possible gluten (regular soy sauce contains wheat)
• Gluten-free: Swap soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos — same amount, zero gluten
• Soy-free: Use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce — slightly sweeter but works beautifully
• Lower sugar: Reduce honey to 3 tablespoons and add a tablespoon of apple juice to balance

FAQs

Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?

Yes! Chicken breasts work great in this recipe. Just check them at the 3.5-hour mark on LOW — they cook faster than thighs and can dry out if overcooked. Pull them out the moment they hit 165°F.

Why is my sauce so thin after slow cooking?

Slow cookers trap moisture and can’t evaporate liquid, so the sauce will always be thinner than stovetop cooking. Use the cornstarch slurry method in Step 5 — five minutes on the stovetop transforms it into a gorgeous thick glaze.

Can I cook this on HIGH to save time?

Absolutely. HIGH for 2 to 3 hours works well. Just check your chicken temperature at the 2-hour mark — thighs can be done faster on HIGH than you expect.

Can I add vegetables to the slow cooker?

Yes! Add hardy vegetables like carrots or broccoli florets in the last 45 minutes of cooking. Softer veggies like snap peas or zucchini only need the last 20 to 30 minutes so they don’t turn mushy.

Can I make this ahead for meal prep?

This is one of the best meal prep recipes out there. Cook a full or double batch on Sunday, portion it with rice into containers, and you have lunch or dinner ready for the whole week. It reheats beautifully every single time.

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