Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is a flavorful and tender dish made with boneless chicken thighs simmered in a rich honey garlic sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights, it requires minimal prep and offers a delicious blend of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors, served best over steamed or egg fried rice for a comforting meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 to 6 hours (depending on slow cooker setting)
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes to 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) skinless boneless chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and quartered
Seasoning and Sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (substitute with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar if needed)
- 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 Chicken to Cooker: Place the quartered chicken thigh fillets into the slow cooker, spreading them out evenly.
- Prepare Sauce Mixture: In a separate bowl, combine the cornflour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, rice vinegar, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and minced garlic. Mix thoroughly until the cornflour is fully absorbed and the mixture is well blended.
- Add Liquids and Honey: Stir in the chicken stock, small pieces of unsalted butter, and honey into the sauce mixture. Don’t worry if the butter forms lumps as they will melt during cooking.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce: Pour the honey garlic sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker. Gently stir to coat the chicken pieces evenly with the sauce.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours. For best results, stir the mixture once during the last one or two hours of cooking to help the sauce combine evenly, though this step is optional.
- Serve: Once cooked, serve the honey garlic chicken hot over boiled rice or egg fried rice. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions and sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.
Notes
- Quarter the chicken thighs to ensure even cooking and better flavor absorption.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used as substitutes.
- Stirring during cooking is optional but helps to blend the sauce more thoroughly.
- Using dark soy sauce gives the dish a richer color and deeper flavor compared to regular soy sauce.
- For a thicker sauce, you can mix an additional teaspoon of cornflour with some water and stir it in towards the end of cooking, then let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.
- This recipe pairs beautifully with egg fried rice or steamed jasmine rice.
