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HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE
I love using my crockpot all year round because it creates the richest, complex flavor profiles and the juiciest chicken, beef or pork with hardly any effort in ONE POT. Some of my favorite Asian crockpot meals include my Mongolian Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Honey Soy Chicken and now this Honey Garlic Chicken! By cooking the chicken in the crockpot, there is no breading required, no babysitting and no oil! This means healthier and easier fakeout takeout Honey Garlic Chicken that’s fall apart tender and dripping with flavor. So, just because summer is quickly approaching, keep those crockpots front and center because you are going to want to make this Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken 365 days a year! This Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is all about the intoxicatingly sweet, savory, sticky, garlicy sauce! I actually made this recipe three times before landing on the perfect sauce. It’s an adaptation of my Asian BBQ Salmon recipe which a reader recently reminded me of when she commented, “This is THE BEST marinade [sauce] I have EVER made in my life! My entire family was scraping every last bit of it and still craving more!” To reach such epic heights, I played with different options such honey with apricot preserves, with or without pineapple juice, rice vinegar or apple vinegar, with ketchup or tomato paste, with or without hoisin and the correct ratio of each of the ingredients until the BEST Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken was born. The resulting sauce is sweet from the honey, salty from the soy, amped with sweet heat from the sweet Asian chili sauce, sweet and tangy from the hoisin and ketchup, a kick of heat from the chili sauce and of course a punch of garlicky goodness. You should have all of the ingredients to make this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken on hand if you do much Asian cooking at all, and if you don’t, they are easy to find at your grocery store. All of the ingredients get whisked together then tossed into the slow cooker so the juicy Honey Garlic Chicken can soak up the complex flavors while the house fills with the tempting aromas of tender, juicy, fakeout takeout chicken all while go about my day.
What chicken is best for slow cooker honey garlic chicken?
You have two options when it comes to what chicken you would like to use for this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe:
Boneless skinless chicken thighs: are dark meat and therefore inherently juicier and more forgiving as far as cooking time. It is hard to dry out chicken thighs. You will want to cook the chicken thighs for less time than thick chicken breasts as they are usually much thinner. I’ve included cooking times for both thighs and breasts in the directions. Boneless skinless chicken breasts: are leaner but still emerge wonderfully juicy from cooking in the bath of flavor all day. You will want to check your chicken breasts towards the earlier end of the chicken breast cooking window to make sure they don’t become overcooked. Both! Crockpot meals are a great way to use up random, miscellaneous chicken hanging out in your freezer. For these Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken photos, I actually used both chicken thighs and chicken breasts and it was fantastic! The key to cooking both chicken breasts and thighs together is to make sure they are the same thickness. You will likely need to cut your chicken breasts in half through the equator to create chicken fillets roughly the same thickness as the thighs. Bone-in chicken thighs or breasts: you can also make Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken with bone-in chicken thighs or breasts. If you choose this option, I recommend removing the skin first so that the sauce doesn’t become greasy. You will also need to extend the cook time by about 2-3 hours.
CAN I USE FROZEN CHICKEN FOR CROCKPOT CHICKEN RECIPES?
Although it is tempting to add frozen chicken directly to your crockpot, this is a big no-no. The chicken spends too long in the “danger zone” at room temperature as it thaws and can grow bacteria.
Chicken – no matter what cut – needs to be thawed before it is added to the slow cooker. It is best to thaw your chicken overnight in the refrigerator so it thaws evenly and completely. If you are in a big hurry, and needed your thawed chicken yesterday, you can use the microwave. Place chicken in a microwave safe dish and use the defrost setting, rotating the chicken occasionally. Take care not to thaw to the point the chicken starts to cook.
INGREDIENTS FOR SLOW COOKER HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
This sauce for this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is easy to make with pantry friendly ingredients. You will need:
Honey. This adds a mild sweet flowery taste without having to use additional sugar. The honey balances all of the savory, tangy, punchy flavors of the soy, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, chili sauce etc. You can use any honey you have on hand. Soy sauce. The combination of honey and soy sauce is heavenly! Please use only reduced sodium soy sauce or your Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken will be too salty. Hoisin sauce. Can be found in the Asian section of any grocery store. It tastes like a sweet, salty and tangy, thick Asian BBQ Sauce. Please use only quality hoisin sauce like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman as all hoisin sauces are not created equal – you truly can taste the difference. I use hoisin sauce all the time in my Asian recipes such as Kung Pao Shrimp, Mongolian Chicken, Orange Chicken, etc., so I promise it will not go to waste! Ketchup. Might sound like an odd ingredient but is fairly common in Chinese-American dishes such as Sesame Chicken. I promise you won’t be able to detect the ketchup! Asian sweet chili sauce. I use this Asian condiment ALL the time. It is sweet and spicy and packed with flavor. I love using it instead of extra sugar because it is sweet but also packs a flavorful punch with a slight zing. It can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Chili Sauce. You will want to add some chili sauce to cut through the sweetness and round out the flavor profile – in fact, if you feel like your Honey Garlic Chicken is missing something, it is probably heat! You can use sambal oelek or Sriracha to taste or add more to your individual serving to keep it family friendly. Apple cider vinegar. I prefer apple cider vinegar here instead of rice vinegar because it plays up the honey with its fruity, tangy acidic punch. Garlic. use 4 minced garlic cloves or even more depending on how pronounced you would like garlic flavor. You can also substitute fresh garlic with 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Garlic pro tip. Purchase the pre-bagged, already peeled garlic to save time. They are actually less expensive than whole garlic cloves (at least when I did the math). Ginger. Adds a warm spicy, almost pepper taste that cuts through the sweetness. You can use fresh ginger or ginger powder. Ginger pro tip: I like to freeze ginger so it’s always at my fingertips. To freeze ginger: grate it, spread it by the teaspoon or tablespoon on parchment paper and flash freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 6 months. You can add frozen ginger directly to your Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken. You can also grate frozen garlic if you have a quality microplaner. Cornstarch. Thickens the sauce – you can’t have gorgeously thick, glossy, sticky Honey Garlic Chicken without cornstarch!
About Honey Garlic Sauce
The Honey Garlic Sauce is extremely EASY and can be whisked together in minutes!
Quick. It probably takes 3 minutes to whisk together – that’s it! Make ahead. Honey Garlic Sauce can be whisked together ahead of time and stored in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to three days. Adaptable. While the sauce is just right for us, you can adjust it to make it just right for YOU (make it sweeter, spicier, tangier, etc.) and your family’s personal tastes. Just keep a note of your adjustments then whip out the perfect sauce every time. Thick and glossy. The sauce is removed from the crockpot at the end of cooking and simmered to luscious, gorgeously thick consistency – you cannot achieve such gorgeously thick consistency by simply cooking in the slow cooker. If you still would like a thicker sauce, then just keep simmering until it reaches desired consistency. Can I use less honey? I don’t suggest using less honey because it balances the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t have honey on hand, you can substitute with granulated sugar.
IS HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE GLUTEN FREE?
As written, this Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is not gluten free – but almost! To make it gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce or tamari. You will also want to double check that your hoisin and chili sauce are gluten free. The rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
HOW TO MAKE HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN in the Crockpot
Whisk Honey Garlic Sauce together. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, water, hoisin, ketchup, vinegar, chili sauce, sweet chili sauce, ginger and garlic together in a small bowl. Pour sauce over chicken.
Cook. Cook on low for 4-5 hours for thighs (5-7 for breasts) or on high for 2-3 hours for thighs (3-4 hours for breasts), or until chicken is tender enough to shred. The key to tender chicken is to cook it long enough. If it’s not easily shredding, it simply needs more time to tenderize. If you are available, flip the chicken over once halfway through to coat both sides, if not, don’t stress it.
Shred Chicken. Remove chicken to a cutting board to shred. For many recipes, I shred my chicken directly in the crockpot, but for this Honey Garlic Chicken, we want to remove it so we can easily add the slow cooker liquid to a skillet. Thicken Sauce. Strain any excess liquid from the slow cooker into a large nonstick skillet. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Get Saucy! Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and toss with thickened sauce. Let the Honey Garlic Chicken cook in the crockpot an additional 30 minutes on low. You will be amazed at what this one step does for your chicken! It allows the shredded chicken to absorb the sauce in every nook and cranny, and to become flavorful through and through.
HOW TO MAKE STICKY HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
The only way to make truly gorgeously thick, sticky Honey Garlic Chicken is to thicken the sauce on the stove. Adding a cornstarch slurry to the crockpot will not simmer and reduce to create a sticky sauce. It can work for thickening soups, but not for Asian Sauces. Instead, for sticky Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken, thickening the sauce on the stove is essential the only way to go. By thickening on the stove, you can also control the consistency. For a thicker sauce, simmer longer, for a thinner sauce, simmer for less time. Take care to use a large nonstick skillet to reduce the simmering time.
SLOW COOKER HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE VARIATIONS
While this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is just right for us, you can adjust it to make it just right for YOU and your family’s personal tastes.
Sweeten it up: with additional honey are adding sugar at the end. You won’t want to stir honey in at the end because it won’t easily incorporate into the sauce. Add sweet heat: with Asian sweet chili sauce. Spice it up: add additional Asian chili sauce to taste. Add herbs: such as Thai basil, coriander or cilantro. Amp up the garlic and/or ginger: for a stronger punch of flavor. Add veggies: add vegetables partly through cooking for a meal-in-one. Add crunch: with peanuts or cashews; take care to purchase raw, unsalted nuts so your Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken isn’t too salty. To elevate your cashews or peanuts, dry roast them in a skillet until toasted- YUM! Water chestnuts: are delightfully crunchy and easy to find at any grocery store. Sesame seeds: add a nutty sesame flavor. Take care to use toasted sesame seeds or toast them yourself. Fruit: pineapple, Mandarin oranges or mangos add a juicy, fresh, sweet dimension. They are the sweet ying to the umami yang– just think teriyaki chicken and pineapple. If you’re intimidated by choosing or cutting mangos, check out this post here. For the oranges, fresh oranges hold together better but canned or super convenient. Make it Gluten Free: use gluten free soy sauce or tamari. You will also want to double check that your hoisin and chili sauce are gluten free.
WHAT VEGETABLES CAN I ADD?
This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is delectable in its simplicity or you can add veggies directly to the chicken in the crockpot. Most vegetables (with the exception of carrots), will not need the full cook time in the crockpot or they will become soggy, so you’ll want to add them part way through cooking. You will also want to reduce the chicken to 1 pound to maintain the chicken to sauce ratio. Here are a few vegetable add-in ideas for Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken:
Broccoli Carrots Mushrooms Bell Peppers Snow Peas Snap Peas Zucchini Celery Asparagus Baby corn Edamame Spinach Bok choy
HOW TO SERVE SLOW COOKER HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN
To make this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe a full meal, I like to serve it with rice and veggies. The rice soaks up the flavorful sauce and offers a neutral textural component. Here are some side serving ideas:
RICE OPTIONS
Rice. You can pile your Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken on white rice (I recommend jasmine), or brown rice. You can also use microwave rice pouches if you’re making a serving for one or meal prep. Low carb. Cauliflower rice, quinoa or a blend of brown rice and any of the aforementioned options. I love keeping brown rice/quinoa packets handy so I can cook up one of those for me while my husband eats his chicken with rice. You can also pile your Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken in lettuce wraps. Noodles. Ramen, soba noodles, rice noodles or even linguine are a fun way to mix things up! You can also use low carb noodles such as zoodles or spaghetti squash.
SIDE OPTIONS
Stir Fry Veggies. You can stir fry any veggies your heart desires from broccoli, to bell peppers, to mushrooms, to carrots, etc. Shortcut Veggies. You can purchase pre-chopped veggies perfect for stir fries or use a frozen stir-fry blend or steam-in-the-bag microwavable frozen veggies. Crockpot Veggies. As previously discussed, you can add vegetables directly to the crockpot to cook with your chicken. Salad. You can swap the stir-fried veggies for a fresh, crunchy salad such as Crunchy Asian Salad, Chinese Salad, or Asian Pineapple Salad. You can even add the Honey Garlic Chicken directly to the salads. Fruit. Fresh fruit such as chopped pineapple is always an easy, welcome sweet Asian side. Grilled Pineapple, Summer Fruit Salad, Perfect Fruit Salad, Creamy Grape Salad, and Pina Colada Fruit Salad are also fantastic. Appetizers. For an Asian feast, Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken is delicious with Chinese appetizers such as Crab Rangoons, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Pineapple Cream Cheese Wontons, Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls, Sweet and Sour Chicken Egg Rolls or Chinese Chicken Wings. It is also delicious with potstickers, even though they are technically Japanese and not Chinese. Soups. Let the Chinese feast continue with soup! I love to warm up to Egg Drop Soup which is SUPER easy and always a satisfying favorite.
HOW TO STORE & REHEAT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE
This Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe makes fantastic leftovers as it reheats beautifully and stays tender, juicy and saucy for days!
How to store: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. How to reheat on the stove: heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Once hot, add the chicken, reduce to medium low and continue to cook and stir occasionally until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of water for saucier chicken. Reheating in microwave: transfer chicken to a microwave safe plate. Heated on high for 90 seconds, stir then continue to cook at 30 second intervals as needed until heated through.
CAN I FREEZE HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE?
Yes! This Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken recipe freezes very well. To freeze:
LOOKING FOR MORE FAVORITE ASIAN RECIPES?
Beef and Broccoli Chicken and Broccoli Sweet and Sour Chicken General Tso’s Chicken Cashew Chicken Mongolian Beef Kung Pao Shrimp Pineapple Ginger Chicken
HELPFUL TOOLS FOR HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN RECIPE:
Slow Cooker: is one of my most used kitchen gadgets all year round and is just SO convenient and easy for one-pot meals and makes them taste even more delicious! Nonstick Skillet: This skillet is my favorite pan in the in the WORLD! I have both the 10 and 12-inh and use them for practically everything. I’ve had this pan for forever and they’re still as good as new. I love giving this nonstick skillet for wedding gifts because it sets you up for cooking success! It is on the pricier side but it’s practically the only pan you’ll ever need! If you’re looking for a more economical nonstick skillet, this one also has good reviews – but I can’t guarantee it will last as long! Garlic press: I use this every single day! It is the ultimate garlic press- it is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean and minces garlic with one squeeze. Unlike other presses, this garlic press has beveled holes that finely cut the clove rather than bruising it, bringing out the best flavor. Zester/microplaner: cooking is made 100X easier when you have the right tools for the job! This zester is razor-sharp and makes grating everything a snap from ginger, lemons, limes, Parmesan, nutmeg and chocolate. Rice Cooker: I LOVE my rice cooker and use it all the time – it is pretty much the only way I make rice. Many instant pots have built in rice cookers these days, but if you’re not ready for that big-ticket item, then this reliable rice cooker will always get the job done without any babysitting!
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