This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is one of those dinners that takes just five minutes to get into the slow cooker, then you can forget about it until everyone is hungry. Juicy chicken thighs cook in a sweet, savoury and garlicky sauce until tender enough to pull apart with a fork. It has all those sweet and sticky fakeaway flavours, with hardly any effort.
This is such a low effort slow cooker meal, and it practically makes itself. Get it cooking earlier in the day and, by dinner time, all you need to think about is some rice and something green.
The chilli is optional too, so I usually keep the main recipe mild and let everyone add extra heat at the table. It makes it a really easy family slow cooker meal without having to cook different versions.
You can serve the sauce as it is, or add a quick cornflour slurry at the end to turn it into a thicker, glossy sticky honey garlic sauce. It also freezes brilliantly and can even be prepared ahead as a slow cooker dump bag. It is such a great family meal.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 28 June 2021 and was fully retested in October 2026 to check the cooking time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
For more slow cooker chicken recipes, try our delicious slow cooker chicken fajitas, comforting slow cooker chicken casserole or our versatile slow cooker chicken curry.
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Why You'll Love It
- Just 5 minutes' prep - Mix the sauce, pour it over the chicken and let the slow cooker do the rest.
- No browning needed - Everything goes straight into the slow cooker, making this a proper dump-and-go dinner.
- Family-friendly - Sweet, savoury and garlicky without being spicy. Add chilli at the table if you want it.
- High in protein - This recipe provides around 34g of protein per portion.
- Uses cupboard staples - Soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and tomato puree make up most of the sauce.
- Freezer-friendly - Freeze the cooked leftovers or prepare it ahead as a honey garlic chicken dump bag.
- Easy to serve - Rice and broccoli make it a very simple complete dinner, but there are plenty of other options below.
Recipe Overview
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 3-4 hours on HIGH or 6-7 hours on LOW
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best for: Busy family dinners, meal prep and freezer cooking
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken thighs - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are my first choice for this recipe because they stay juicy and tender during slow cooking. Chicken breast can be used instead, but it is leaner and can dry out more easily, so check it sooner.
- Low-sodium soy sauce - There is quite a lot of soy sauce in honey garlic chicken, so I recommend a reduced-salt/low-sodium one. Tamari can be used if you need a gluten-free alternative. Dark soy sauce will give the finished dish a deeper colour and more intense flavour, but the cornflour is what gives you reliable thickness.
- Honey - This balances the saltiness of the soy sauce and gives the recipe its distinctive sweet honey flavour. Runny or set honey will both work as everything melts together as it cooks.
- Sesame oil - You only need a little, but it adds lots of nutty, toasted flavour. It can be left out if necessary.
- Tomato puree (tomato paste) - This adds body, colour and a little acidity to the sauce. You could use ketchup in a pinch, but I prefer tomato puree because ketchup makes the sauce noticeably sweeter.
- Garlic - There are five cloves because this is honey garlic chicken and I want the garlic to actually come through. Frozen crushed garlic is absolutely fine if that saves you some prep time.
- Fresh ginger - Ginger balances all the sweet and savoury flavours. Fresh, frozen or ready-prepared ginger all work.
- Cornflour (cornstarch) - Optional, but recommended if you want a thicker, glossy and properly sticky honey garlic sauce. Cornflour in the UK is called cornstarch in the US.
- Spring onions, coriander and sesame seeds - These are optional toppings, but they add freshness and a little extra texture.
How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
- Make the honey garlic sauce. Add the low-sodium soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, tomato puree, crushed garlic and ginger to a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add the chicken. Put the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into the slow cooker in as even a layer as possible.
- Pour over the sauce. Pour the honey garlic sauce over the chicken and turn the thighs so they are well coated.
- Slow cook. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for around 3-4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked, tender and pulls apart easily.
Slow cookers do vary quite a bit. If you know yours runs hot, start checking the chicken earlier rather than assuming it needs every minute of the stated cooking time.
- Thicken the sauce, if you want it sticky. For a thicker sauce, take a little of the hot cooking liquid from the slow cooker and mix it in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of cornflour (cornstarch) until completely smooth.
Stir it back into the slow cooker and leave it on HIGH for around 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking. - Shred and serve. Use two forks to gently shred the chicken, then stir it through the honey garlic sauce. You can also leave the thighs whole if you prefer.
How to Make Honey Garlic Chicken as a Slow Cooker Dump Bag
This is a brilliant recipe to prepare ahead for those weeks when dinner needs to be as easy as possible.
Put the raw chicken thighs, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, tomato puree, garlic and ginger into a suitable freezer bag or container. Seal it well, label it and freeze it flat.
The cornflour should not go into the freezer bag - add that after cooking if you want to thicken the sauce.
When you want to cook it, thaw the bag completely in the fridge first and then tip everything into the slow cooker and cook following the recipe as normal.
I love having meals like this in the freezer because the work is already done. On a really hectic day it turns dinner into "empty bag into slow cooker, cook rice later", which is about as easy as it gets.
Serving Suggestions
Our favourite way to serve slow cooker honey garlic chicken is with coconut rice, because the rice soaks up all that sticky sauce.
For more of a fakeaway-style meal, serve it with healthy egg fried rice. If your family would rather have noodles, soy sauce noodles are another easy option. I would use reduced-salt soy sauce in both recipes if serving them together.
For vegetables, try crispy air fryer broccoli or garlic green beans. I also really like something cold and crunchy alongside a rich sauce, so our Asian cucumber salad or cucumber edamame salad work really well.
On the busiest nights, there is absolutely nothing wrong with serving this with a pouch of microwave rice and some quickly steamed broccoli. That's one of the reasons I like this recipe so much - it can be a five-minute-effort dinner or you can turn it into a bigger fakeaway spread.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use low-sodium soy sauce as the default. There is enough soy in this recipe that a particularly salty brand can dominate the honey and garlic.
- Chicken thighs are more forgiving in the slow cooker than breasts and stay juicier during longer cooking.
- Remember that slow cookers vary. If yours tends to cook quickly, start checking the chicken before the end of the suggested cooking time. Using a meat thermometer is the most reliable way to check the chicken is cooked. The centre should reach 75°C/167°C for at least 30 seconds.
- Don't sprinkle cornflour straight into the slow cooker. Mix it with some liquid first so you don't end up with lumps.
- If you prefer a thinner sauce, simply leave out the cornflour step.
- Keep the chilli out of the main slow cooker if you're serving people with different spice preferences. Put sriracha, sweet chilli sauce or chilli flakes on the table instead.
- You don't have to shred the chicken. The thighs can be served whole with the sauce spooned over them.
- Spring onions, coriander or sesame seeds all add a nice bit of freshness and texture before serving.
- Don't keep lifting the slow cooker lid to check the chicken, as you lose heat each time.
- For a freezer dump bag, leave the cornflour out and make sure the chicken is fully defrosted in the fridge before slow cooking.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| My sauce is too thin | Mix 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch with a little cooking liquid until smooth. Stir it back in and cook briefly on HIGH until thickened. |
| My sauce is too salty | Use low-sodium soy sauce and don't add any extra salt. If the finished sauce is still stronger than you like, loosen it with a small splash of water and serve it with plain rice. |
| My sauce is too thick | Stir in a small splash of hot water until it reaches the consistency you want. |
| The chicken is dry | Your slow cooker may run hotter than mine. Check it earlier next time. Chicken thighs are also more forgiving than chicken breast. |
| The sauce isn't sticky | The slow cooker traps moisture, so the sauce won't reduce like it would in a frying pan. Use the optional cornflour slurry for a glossy, clingy finish. |
| The cornflour has gone lumpy | Always mix the cornflour with liquid in a separate bowl until completely smooth before adding it to the hot sauce. |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no need to brown the chicken for this recipe, which is what makes it such a useful dump-and-go slow cooker dinner. Browning can add extra flavour to some slow-cooked meat dishes, but there is plenty of flavour coming from the honey, garlic, soy and ginger here and I don't think another pan is necessary.
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used instead of thighs. Chicken breast is leaner and isn't quite as forgiving as chicken thigh, so start checking it earlier and stop cooking once it is cooked through and tender.
No. Defrost the chicken completely in the fridge before putting it into the slow cooker. This also applies if you have prepared the recipe as a freezer dump bag - thaw it thoroughly before cooking.
Chicken releases liquid while it slow cooks and there is very little evaporation inside a slow cooker, so sauces naturally stay thinner than they would on the hob. If you prefer your honey garlic chicken with a thicker, stickier sauce, use the cornflour slurry in the recipe.
The basic recipe isn't spicy. Chilli sauce and chilli flakes are completely optional. I prefer putting chilli sauces on the table so everyone can decide how much heat they want rather than making the whole batch spicy.
Yes. Swap the soy sauce for a certified gluten-free tamari and check the labels of your other ingredients.
Once cooled, put leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate within 1-2 hours. Eat within 48 hours, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Defrost frozen leftovers in the fridge first. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a small splash of water until piping hot throughout, or reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Yes, and this is one of my favourite ways to prepare this recipe ahead. Add the chicken and sauce ingredients to a freezer bag, but leave out the cornflour. Freeze, thaw completely in the fridge and then cook as directed.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
If easy chicken dinners are your thing, try these...
If you've tried this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken, let me know how you got on in the comments below.
I'd especially love to know whether you cooked it on HIGH or LOW and whether you left the chicken whole or shredded it.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy and use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 650 g (1 ½ lb) of Chicken thighs - boneless and skinless
- 100 ml (7 tablespoon) of Low sodium soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons of Honey
- 1 tablespoon of Sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons of Tomato puree - (tomato paste)
- 5 Garlic cloves - crushed
- 1 tablespoon of Fresh ginger - grated
For a thicker sauce:
- 1 tablespoon of Cornflour (corn starch)
Optional toppings:
- Fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Sesame seeds
- Spring onions (Scallions) - sliced
Instructions
- Make the honey garlic sauce. Add 100 ml of Low sodium soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of Honey, 1 tablespoon of Sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of Tomato puree, 5 Garlic cloves (crushed) and 1 tablespoon of Fresh ginger (grated) to a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add the chicken. Put 650 g of Chicken thighs into the slow cooker in as even a layer as possible.
- Pour over the sauce. Pour the honey garlic sauce over the chicken and turn the thighs so they are well coated.
- Slow cook. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for around 3-4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked, tender and pulls apart easily.
- Thicken the sauce, if you want it sticky. For a thicker sauce, take a little of the hot cooking liquid from the slow cooker and mix it in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of Cornflour (corn starch) until completely smooth.Stir it back into the slow cooker and leave it on HIGH for around 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Shred the chicken. Use two forks to gently shred the chicken, then stir it through the honey garlic sauce. You can also leave the thighs whole if you prefer.
- Serve. Serve topped with Fresh coriander (cilantro), Sesame seeds and Spring onions (Scallions) (all optional)
Recipe Notes
- Use low-sodium soy sauce so the sauce doesn't become overly salty.
- Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts during slow cooking. Chicken breast can be used, but check it earlier.
- The cornflour/cornstarch is optional. Leave it out if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- For extra heat, serve with chilli flakes, sriracha or sweet chilli sauce.
- To prepare as a freezer dump bag, freeze the raw chicken with all of the sauce ingredients except the cornflour. Defrost completely in the fridge before slow cooking.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Alice says
I made this recipe swapping the chicken thighs for chicken breast, and it was absolutely incredible. We were looking forward to it all day, and it was absolutely delicious! So easy and the house smelled amazing when I came home from work.
Laura says
Absolutely incredible flavour for minimal effort!
Kate says
So easy to make, minimal prep, MAXIMUM FLAVOUR. Everyone who has tasted it has asked for the recipe
Diane says
If you love that sweet/salty/soy flavour of Chinese restaurant sauce, then this is your recipe. The taste was amazing. I added some drops of Tabasco sauce but it didn't overpower it. I also used tamari instead of the usual soy sauce but it's quite heavy in flavour so I watered it down a little. Didn't affect the flavour at all. This is a winner in our household now. Thanks Dannii!
Lisa Austin says
I made this last night for my family and everyone loved it. Super tasty and so, so easy. I added some chilli flakes for a bit of a bite and it was awesome!
Michelle says
Love these flavors together! The sweetness and garlicky with the other Asian flavors is really good and easy to throw together.
Elizabeth says
I'm all about the slow cooker during the week. Thanks for a great recipe, my whole family loved it!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
Beth says
This chicken came out so tender and we love the sauce. Thanks for an easy delicious dinner!
Lindsay says
This was really good! I love using the slow cooker in the summer to make dinner without making it super hot inside. Kids liked this too - bonus!
Colleen says
This easy and delicious recipe is now going into my regular recipe rotation. So good!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! Turned out perfectly tender and juicy; my whole family loved it!
Amy says
I love how easy this recipe is to throw together, such a dream!
Erika says
This chicken is so flavorful and delicious! It's perfect in burrito bowls! Definitely a new family favorite.