Slow Cooker Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken
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Easy, Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken smothered in a sweet and spicy Asian garlic sauce that’ll have you licking your fingers!
After enjoying this recipe, try these other slow cooker recipes! Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken, Slow Cooker Kalua Pork, Chipotle Barbacoa Beef, and Best Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs.
I have been craving all things sweet and spicy ever since we got home from our graduation/babymoon cruise.
Okay… I guess I always crave sweet and spicy food so…. this is kind of no different than every other day of my life.
Correction: I’ve been craving all things sweet and spicy even more than usual ever since the cruise.
We had so many amazing meals on our trip, several of which I intend to recreate and share here on the blog very very soon. I got my Indian food fix every single day at a restaurant on board the ship called Tandoor. Naan and mint chutney were a daily thing.
But I was craving Asian-Chinese-ish food when I got home and as you know, we don’t do takeout very often, I prefer to whip it up at home. After making this homemade honey garlic chicken…. ah, I just don’t know how any restaurant version will ever suffice now.
This sauce is so to-die-for yummy. Sweet from the honey, with a lot of garlic, and a hint of heat. If you don’t care for spicy food, leave out the sriracha (or crushed re pepper flakes). I swear it doesn’t make this dish a “spicy” one, but if you’re truly heat-averse, just leave it out for peace of mind and I promise the sauce will still have you licking your fingers.
Just look at it! So thick and sweet and sticky…..
This recipe only has 6 ingredients but the flavor is so amazing, you’d think it called for 60. Just 15 minutes of prep and a few hours in your trusty slow cooker will deliver thee best honey garlic chicken of your live!
What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
“Just made this for dinner. Incredibly delicious. The sauce is perfect, and tastes better than my favorite takeout Chinese restaurant.” – Jo
“Been so excited to try this for 2 days now, left the chicken marinating in the sauce overnight and put in the slow cooker this morning before work and it was definitely worth the wait, it tasted amazing!! 
I put noodles in when the sauce was thickening. Thanks so much for the recipe, I look forward to trying out more!” – Natasha
“THE BEST! Thanks Tiffany! this is my ‘go to’ recipe when i need something delicious for the whole family!” – Caroline
“I’ve made this two times now – once for my daughter and her family and once for me and my husband. It was delicious both times! My picky son-in-law even loved it. Will definitely be making again but I think I will double the sauce next time. While it was perfect when eating it right out of the crock pot, it gets a little dry when eating it as leftovers the next day. I think more sauce will help with that and make it even more perfect. Thank you for a delicious recipe!” – Terri
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce , (found in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
- 2 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha sauce*, (found in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- optional: chopped green onions, cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes – for garnish
Instructions
- Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl whisk together honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, and sriracha sauce (or crushed red pepper flakes). Pour sauce into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to a large bowl, then shred with two forks. Cover bowl with foil or a towel to keep heat in. Transfer sauce from the slow cooker to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Stir together cold water and corn starch in a small bowl until dissolved, then add to sauce pan and stir until thickened. Remove pan from heat and pour sauce over chicken.
- Serve with cooked rice if desired and top with sesame seeds, green onions, and/or cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Just a Taste.
Hi Tiffany,
I’ve noticed that for a couple of the Asian dishes that have sauce you end up adding corn starch near the end. What’s the point of adding it?
I usually make your broccoli and beef and thus far have left out the corn starch because I portion it out and freeze the meal and didn’t know how to incorporate the starch. I’m planning on trying this dish now and I’m debating whether to include the starch. I’ll be freezing again for the week.
Thanks again for all your recipes. I usually just come to your website and choose my meals from here. They’re super easy to make and as a graduate student it’s hard to cook everyday so I can make batches of your recipes and have food for the week. Thank you so much!!
Hi Loren, Yes I often add a “corn starch slurry” to the end of sauces – it acts as a thickener! I like my sauces thicker and adding a corn starch slurry will make it nice and thick so it really sticks to the meat. 🙂
This looks delish and I can’t wait to make it tomorrow!!! Do you throw your chicken in frozen or does it need to be thawed????
You could do frozen or thawed! You’ll need an extra hour or so if they’re frozen though 🙂
Been so excited to try this for 2 days now, left the chicken marinating in the sauce overnight and put in the slow cooker this morning before work and it was definitely worth the wait, it tasted amazing!! 😍 I put noodles in when the sauce was thickening. Thanks so much for the recipe, I look forward to trying out more!
Tried last night My family went crazy for it. It is now on the cooking rotation
Found your site by recipe hunting. Your site is so captivating with its great photos, your cute and funny comments and of course, really great recipes. I don’t know what to try first. I think you are truly gifted and have a really good website. I hope more people find it as I can practically TASTE each recipe just looking at those great photos!
Thank you so much Mary!! Your sweet comment just made my day 🙂 Happy Holidays to you!! 🙂 🙂
This looks delicious! Can the hoisin sauce be left out or perhaps substituted with anything else if I don’t have it handy?
Hi Rachel – I have only tried this recipe with hoisin sauce, but I did a quick google search and found this recipe: for substituting hoisin sauce. I can’t guarantee the results but it might be worth a try?!
Just made this for dinner. Incredibly delicious. The sauce is perfect, and tastes better than my favorite takeout Chinese restaurant.
Isn’t it delish??? I like to make extra and pour it over rice all week long. So glad you liked it!!
I’ve made this two times now – once for my daughter and her family and once for me and my husband. It was delicious both times! My picky son-in-law even loved it. Will definitely be making again but I think I will double the sauce next time. While it was perfect when eating it right out of the crock pot, it gets a little dry when eating it as leftovers the next day. I think more sauce will help with that and make it even more perfect. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Hi Terri! Oh I am a HUGE fan of doubling sauces – you can never ever have too much sauce!!!
This looks amazing,Tiffany! The sauce is luscious! It’s definitely my kink of meal.
Thanks Thao! The sauce is definitely the star here!
Tiffany – OMG im totally making this…ive been looking at your site for a while and drooling – ive made a few of your recipes and they were so good, but for some reason this one right here is like food porn! thanks for sharing!
Ha thanks so much! This one is definitely at the top of my favorites list right now – the sauce is finger-licking good!!
TIFFANY! ok so i actually DID make this last weekend and it was SO. EFFING. DELICIOUS! so thank you thank you…