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This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken cooks in a sweet and savory sauce with honey, soy sauce, garlic, and a little kick from chili garlic sauce. Prep takes about 10 minutes, and the slow cooker does the rest. Serve it over rice for an easy weeknight dinner that tastes like takeout.
More Slow Cooker Takeout Favorites: Slow Cooker Orange Chicken | Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken | Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Drumsticks
Before You Get Started
This recipe is mostly hands-off, but a few details decide whether you get juicy chicken in a thick, glossy sauce or dry chicken in a thin one.
- Check the chicken early — Boneless breasts dry out if they cook too long. Start checking at 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW, and stop once they hit 165°F.
- Thicken the sauce on HIGH — The cornstarch needs steady heat to thicken. On LOW, the sauce can stay thin no matter how long you wait.
- Use low-sodium soy sauce — The sauce gets more concentrated as it thickens. If you only have regular, start with 3 tablespoons and add more to taste.
RECIPE overview
How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
You’ll spend about 10 minutes on prep and a few minutes at the end thickening the sauce. The slow cooker handles everything in between.
Step 1: Add the Chicken
Lightly spray the insert of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray, then add the chicken breasts in a single layer.
Leave them whole. Whole breasts stay juicier than pieces, and you’ll break them up at the end anyway.
Step 2: Whisk and Pour the Sauce
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar. Keep whisking until the honey dissolves. Otherwise it sinks to the bottom and can scorch around the edges.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and turn each piece to coat.
- I use Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce. It adds gentle heat and a lot of flavor without being too spicy. Use a little less for a milder sauce, or add more if your family likes it hot.
Step 3: Slow Cook until Tender
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 5 to 6 hours. The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F in the thickest part and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Every slow cooker runs a little differently, so check at the low end of the time range the first time you make it.
Short on time? My Honey Garlic Chicken cooks on the stovetop in about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Thicken the Sauce
Whisk the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until completely smooth, then stir the slurry into the slow cooker. If it was on LOW, switch it to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Don’t worry if the sauce looks cloudy at first. It turns glossy as it thickens. It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
- Stovetop Shortcut: If the sauce is still too thin, or you want dinner on the table faster, move the sauce to the stove. Pour it into a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and stir in the slurry. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring, until it thickens. Then pour it back over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Step 5: Break Up the Chicken and Serve
Use two forks or tongs to break the chicken into bite-size chunks, then stir so every piece gets coated in sauce.
Taste and adjust. A little more chili garlic sauce adds heat, and a splash of soy sauce adds salt.
Spoon it over rice and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
My Easy Hands-Off Dinners collection has more low-effort meals for busy nights, like slow cooker pot roast, sheet pan dinners, and dump-and-bake casseroles.
What to Serve Alongside
Rice is the classic choice here since it soaks up all that extra sauce. White rice keeps it simple, and coconut rice adds a little sweetness that works well with the honey. Add a green vegetable like steamed broccoli or snow peas to round out the meal.
For a full takeout night at home, add a plate of Vegetable Egg Rolls.
A few other great options to serve with:
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat. The sauce thickens in the fridge, so add a splash of water or broth to loosen it.
Freezer: Freeze the cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Leftover ideas: Spoon it over rice with some steamed vegetables for easy lunch bowls, or tuck it into lettuce cups for a lighter meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great and stay extra juicy. They cook in about the same time as breasts, so start checking at the low end of the time range. Thighs are also more forgiving, so they’re a good choice if you’ll be gone longer than planned.
Why is my sauce still thin?
The most common reason is that the slow cooker was on LOW when the slurry went in. Cornstarch needs steady heat to thicken, so switch to HIGH and give it another 10 to 15 minutes. Lifting the lid often also lets out heat and slows things down. If it’s still thin, use the stovetop shortcut and boil the sauce with the slurry for 2 minutes.
Can I put frozen chicken in the slow cooker?
For food safety, I recommend thawing the chicken first. Frozen chicken takes too long to heat up in a slow cooker and can sit at an unsafe temperature for hours. It also releases extra water, which thins out the sauce. Thaw it overnight in the fridge so it’s ready to go in the morning.
Can I add vegetables right in the slow cooker?
Yes, but add them at the end so they don’t turn mushy. Stir broccoli florets or snow peas in with the cornstarch slurry, and they’ll be tender-crisp by the time the sauce thickens. For brighter color and a firmer bite, steam them separately and stir them in just before serving.
More Asian-Inspired Chicken Dinners
- Honey Chicken
- Cashew Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Chinese Lemon Chicken
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Sesame Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
For serving (optional)
- Cooked white rice
- Sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep the slow cooker: Lightly spray the insert of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the chicken in a single layer.
- Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar until the honey dissolves. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cook: Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F. Start checking at the low end of the range.
- Thicken the sauce: Whisk the cornstarch and water until smooth, then stir the slurry into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon.
- Break up and serve: Break the chicken into bite-size chunks and stir to coat in the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve over rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Faster thickening: Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and boil for 2 minutes, then return the sauce to the slow cooker with the chicken.
- Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs work well and stay extra juicy. Cook them for about the same time as breasts.
- Frozen chicken: For food safety, thaw the chicken in the fridge before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Heat level: Chili garlic sauce has mild heat. Use less for a milder sauce, or add more (or a little sriracha) for extra heat.
- Soy sauce: If you only have regular soy sauce, start with 3 tablespoons and add more to taste.
- Ginger swap: Use ½ teaspoon ground ginger if you don’t have fresh.
- Vegetables: Stir broccoli florets or snow peas in with the slurry, or serve them steamed on the side.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce is too thick.
- Freezing: Freeze the cooled chicken and sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
