Food

Slow Cooker Honey Soy Garlic Chicken

April 22, 2024

This slow cooker honey soy garlic chicken is packed with flavour and is the perfect ‘fakeaway’ dinner.

Serve with rice for a no-fuss family meal that takes just 20 minutes to prepare… set and forget in the slow cooker!

A white plate with a serve of slow cooker honey soy chicken and rice.

With tender juicy chicken in a rich flavour packed sauce, this honey soy slow cooker chicken is so much tastier than a takeaway meal – and cheaper too!

Slow cooker recipes are so easy and make the BEST family dinners for busy weeknights or weekends. Like my no-fuss ‘set and forget’ slow cooker butter chicken, 4 ingredient slow cooker buffalo chicken, slow cooker apricot chicken and slow cooker satay chicken, all are such convenient and tasty meals that I make a LOT!

A plate of honey soy chicken served with rice and topped with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds.

Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe

Easy recipe – there is no need to brown the chicken, just leave the slow cooker to cook the chicken until tender before reducing the sauce until rich and thick!
Family friendly – this slow cooker chicken is loved by kids and adults alike.
Great for busy weeknights – just prepare in the morning and come back to the house smelling amazing! Reduce the sauce whilst cooking the rice.
Budget friendly – made with budget friendly ingredients, this slow cooker honey soy garlic chicken makes an economical meal.
Freezer friendly – make double the batch or freeze leftovers for a quick and easy dinner later in the week.

What You Need

Slow cooker chicken in honey and soy sauce is made from basic ingredients that are all easy to find at your local supermarket, or you may already have on hand!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

Ingredients required for a family meal set out on a bench top.

Chicken thighs – I use skinless chicken thigh fillets. This recipe uses approx 6 thigh fillets, or substitute with either chicken drumsticks or chicken breasts.
Light soy sauce – this adds flavour without the colour and extra sweetness that dark soy sauce gives to a dish.
Honey – you can use any brand of runny honey you like.
Tomato paste – concentrated tomato paste adds an extra depth of flavour to the sauce.
Rice wine vinegar – helps to balance out the sweetness of the honey.
Sesame oil – adds a delicious flavour, however it is very strong tasting so be careful not to use more than the recipe states!
Ginger – you can use fresh ginger or minced garlic from a jar.
Garlic – like the ginger, you can use fresh garlic or store bought minced garlic.
Cornflour – is used to thicken the sauce.
Water.
Spring onions – also known as scallions. Finely sliced, for serving, optional.
Sesame seeds – for serving, optional.

Equipment Required

Bowl – to mix the sauce ingredients.
Slow cooker or crockpot.
Saucepan – to reduce the sauce if you don’t have a searing slow cooker.

Step By Step Instructions

This slow cooker honey garlic chicken takes just minutes to prepare – it’s easy, fuss-free cooking at its best!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

Step 1 – Place The Chicken Into The Slow Cooker

Place the chicken thigh fillets into the base of a slow cooker (crockpot).

Chicken thigh fillets in the base of a crockpot.

Step 2 – Mix The Sauce

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger and minced garlic.

Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs and turn to coat them well.

Step 3 – Cook

Cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.

Note: if possible, turn the chicken thighs over partway through cooking.

The mixed sauce poured over the chicken pieces.

Step 4 – Thicken The Sauce

Once cooked, shred the chicken into chunks using 2 forks. You can do this whilst still in the slow cooker.

Dissolve the cornflour in the water and stir through the honey soy chicken.

To thicken the sauce: If you have a searing slow cooker, place the slow cooker directly onto the stovetop over medium heat and bring to a simmer until the sauce has thickened. If you don’t have a searing slow cooker, pour the honey soy chicken into a saucepan and bring to a simmer on the stovetop. Alternatively, you can increase the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for a further 30 minutes.

The cooked chicken shredded in the dark honey soy sauce.

Step 5 – Serve

Serve honey soy chicken over rice, sprinkled with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds.

Close up of served honey chicken and rice.

Expert Tips

Chicken – chicken thigh fillets or drumsticks are the best option as they will be more tender and the meat will quite literally ‘fall-apart’ when cooked. Alternatively, you can use chicken breats. Increase the amount of chicken up to 1kg if you like.
Turning the chicken – if you have time, turning the chicken thighs over half way through the cooking time will ensure beautifully tender chicken.
Doubling – this recipe can easily be doubled for a large family or to ensure some leftovers for a second meal.
Storing – store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Freezing – stored in an airtight container, this honey garlic chicken will freeze for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Do I need to brown the chicken before putting in the slow cooker?

No, in this recipe there is no need to sear (brown) the chicken before adding to the slow cooker.

Can I freeze slow cooker honey soy chicken?

Yes! Any leftovers will freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat until piping hot all the way through.

Is it better to cook chicken at the low or high setting in a slow cooker?

Generally, cooking meat at a lower heat will ensure that the chicken is super tender and just falls apart. However if you don’t have the time, cooking it on high works perfectly too!

A fork holding a piece of honey soy chicken above a plateful.

For the easiest fuss-free dinners made in the slow cooker, here are some more of my popular slow cooker recipes:

WANT EVEN MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Facebook or Instagram. And if you love baking, then please come and join my Facebook cooking club group or subscribe to my YouTube channel.