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๐Ÿ Home ยป Recipes ยป Chinese Recipes

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Published: Sep 9, 2024 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan ยท 136 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Time: 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken features tender chicken breasts or thighs coated with sticky honey garlic sauce. It's easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep time. Let your slow cooker do the work for the perfect sweet, savory, and spicy weeknight dinner.

๐Ÿ“Ingredients

Chickenโ€”skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs
Honey garlic sauceโ€”soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, basil(optional), crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Corn starchโ€”optional for thickening|
For servingโ€”rice, toasted sesame seeds, green onions

Honey garlic chicken with sauce on rice.
Jump To (scroll for more)
  • ๐Ÿ“Ingredients
  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Honey Garlic Chicken in a Crock Potโ€”Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณMake it right every time
  • ๐Ÿ“What chicken to use
  • ๐ŸฅฃHoney garlic sauceโ€”tips and variations
  • โ†•๏ธHow to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
  • ๐ŸฒSuggested crock pot sizes
  • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธServing
  • ๐ŸšChinese Recipes
  • โ„๏ธStorage of leftovers
  • โ“FAQs
  • ๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

quote mark
Featured Comment by Paul D.:
"Fantastic recipe! My family loves it. My wife thinks I'm a genius, lol."
โญโญโญโญโญ

Everybody needs more easy chicken recipes. With a sticky honey sauce, this is one of my easiest and best crock pot chicken breast recipes.

It is super easy to make with the step-by-step photo instructions. You can use almost any size slow cooker, 1 or 2-quart mini crock pots, or larger. Use either chicken breasts or thighs. And make it a complete meal by adding stir-fried vegetables and rice.

This sticky honey chicken will become a family favorite with great Asian flavor and tender chicken breasts or thighs. And it fits most healthy diets like a low-calorie or low-fat diet. And it can be made to fit a gluten-free diet.

Serve with rice, like Egg Fried Rice or Baked Rice.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Honey Garlic Chicken in a Crock Potโ€”Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Labeled ingredients for honey garlic chicken.
Chicken breasts trimmed into chunks.

1. Trim and cut chicken breasts.

Whisking sauce ingredients in a white bowl.

2. Mix the honey garlic sauce.

Pouring sauce over raw chicken in the crock pot.

3. In a smaller crock pot, stir the chicken with the sauce until coated.

Cooked chicken with sauce on a ladle.

4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, but check at 2 hours. Breasts are done at 165ยฐ and thighs at 180ยฐ-185ยฐ.

Mixing corn starch into a slurry.

5. If you want a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch slurry for the last hour of cooking.

Honey garlic chicken with rice on a white plate wide view.

6. Serve with rice and use the sauce as gravy. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณMake it right every time

Cutting the chicken breasts into smaller pieces will help them cook more quickly and evenly, resulting in serving-sized portions and allowing more sauce to flavor the chicken.

Towards the end of cooking, you can shred the chicken and mix it back into the sauce.

Cook chicken breasts to 165ยฐ and thighs, although safe at 165ยฐ, are tenderer at 180ยฐ+. Bone-in chicken takes a bit longer to cook. Remove any skin before cooking.

If you want a thicker sauce, add a slurry of cornstarch mixed in cool water until smooth before adding slowly.

Many people want more sauce for rice; adjust to the amount you wish. I usually double it.

๐Ÿ“What chicken to use

Skinless boneless chicken breasts are recommended. You may use skinless chicken thighs, which may be boneless or bone-in. The size of the thighs is thinner and smaller than the breasts, so they do not need to be cut into pieces.

๐ŸฅฃHoney garlic sauceโ€”tips and variations

Soy sauce: Regular soy sauce has lots of salt, so I suggest using low-sodium soy sauce to decrease the sodium level.

Honey: The sweetness of the sauce is from the honey. You can adjust to your taste.

Garlic: I prefer fresh crushed or minced garlic. You could use garlic powder. Use โ…› teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove of garlic.

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The basil is usually used in this recipe, but I no longer use it, so it is optional. Some will use oregano to replace the basil.

A touch of fresh ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar (some may contain gluten), or crushed red pepper flakes are good. I added red pepper as my option.

โ†•๏ธHow to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe

This is a very easy recipe to cut in half or double. As written, it makes four servings of about 1 cup and can be made in a 2-quart or larger crock pot.

  1. Use the recipe card and change the number of servings.
  2. Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructionsโ€”those do not adjust.

๐ŸฒSuggested crock pot sizes

A half recipe will fit in a 1 quart, but crock pots smaller than 2 quarts are notoriously inaccurate in cooking. So, you can use one at your own risk and watch the temperature.

For a full-size recipe, generally use a 2 to 4-quart crock pot, although bigger may be used. You can use a bigger slow cooker but watch the temperature closely. Cooking small recipes in large crock pots tends to overcook rapidly and may burn. Cook to an internal temperature and not by time.

For a double recipeโ€”use a 3-quart or larger crock pot and watch the final temperature.

๐Ÿฝ๏ธServing

Serve with rice, like Egg Fried Rice or Baked Rice. Add some stir-fry vegetables or steamed broccoli for a complete meal.

The simplest serving method is with the honey garlic sauce over rice or cauliflower rice with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and some sliced green onions.

๐ŸšChinese Recipes

Check out these other easy Chinese take-out recipes: Chinese Boneless Ribs, Beef and Broccoli, General Tso Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and Chicken Stir Fry.

โ„๏ธStorage of leftovers

Store in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze in an airtight container for 4 months.

Reheat in the microwave or a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of chicken broth or water to the sauce if needed.

โ“FAQs

How to make honey garlic chicken gluten-free.

To make honey garlic chicken gluten-free, use Tamari to replace the soy sauce. Most Tamari is gluten-free but check the label.

Can I use frozen chicken in a crock pot?

No. There are two issues with adding frozen chicken to a cooking crock pot.

First, the internal temperature of the chicken may not reach the safe final internal temperature of 165ยฐ.

Second, there have been a few reports of ceramic crock pots breaking due to temperature differentials.

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions

Honey garlic chicken with sauce on rice.

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

4.53 from 19 votes
From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken features tender chicken breasts or thighs coated with sticky honey garlic sauce. It's easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep time. Let your slow cooker do the work for the perfect sweet, savory, and spicy weeknight dinner.
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours hours
Total Time: 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings #/Adjustable :4
Print | Pin | Email share | Text share | Like and save for later Saved!

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric
  • 1 ยฝ pounds skinless chicken - breasts or thights

Honey Garlic Sauce

  • ยฝ cup ketchup
  • ยผ cup soy sauce - low sodium preferred
  • ยผ cup honey
  • 2-4 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
  • ยฝ teaspoon basil - optional
  • ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional

Optional thickening

  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

For serving

  • rice
  • toasted sesame seeds
  • sliced green onions

Step-by-Step Instructions
 

  • Trim about 1 ยฝ pounds of chicken. If using skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut them into serving-size pieces. You may use skinless chicken thighs if you wish.
    chicken breasts trimmed into chunks
  • In a medium bowl, ยฝ cup of ketchup, ยผ cup of soy sauce (low sodium preferred), ยผ cup of honey, four cloves crushed garlic, ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), and ยฝ teaspoon basil (optional) whisk together.
    whisking sauce ingredient in a white bowl
  • Spread the chicken across the bottom of a 2-quart or larger crock pot coated with PAM cooking spray. Add the sauce and mix.
    pouring sauce over raw chicken in crock pot
  • If you want a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water until smooth. Add to the crock pot and mix well during the last hour of cooking.
    mixing corn starch into a slurry
  • Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Breasts should reach 165ยฐ, or thighs should be 180ยฐ minimum when done. Check the chicken temperature at about 2 hours since crock pots vary.
    cooked chicken with sauce on a ladle
  • Serve with rice and use the sauce as gravy. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
    Honey garlic chicken with rice on a white plate.

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips:

  1. Use low-sodium soy sauce for lower sodium.
  2. It will fit nicely in a 2 qt or bigger crock pot. See the recipe post to discuss increasing or decreasing amounts and crock pot size options.
  3. If you add vegetables to the crock pot, you will also need to increase the crock pot size and increase the sauce.
  4. Cook to an internal temperature of 165ยฐ for the chicken breasts. If using thighs, you will be happier with the texture of the chicken if you cook it to 180ยฐ+.
  5. Thickening is optional, and you may want to increase the amount of sauce for serving.
  6. Good refrigerated for 4 days. Good frozen for 4 months.

Your Own Private Notes

Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.

To adjust the recipe size:

You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.

Nutrition Estimate (may vary)

Calories : 300.3 kcal (15%)Carbohydrates : 27.1 g (9%)Protein : 38 g (76%)Fat : 4.5 g (7%)Saturated Fat : 1 g (5%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.7 gMonounsaturated Fat : 1.3 gTrans Fat : 0.1 gCholesterol : 108.9 mg (36%)Sodium : 1046.3 mg (44%)Potassium : 789.3 mg (23%)Fiber : 0.3 g (1%)Sugar : 23.9 g (27%)Vitamin A : 242.8 IU (5%)Vitamin C : 3.8 mg (5%)Calcium : 22.2 mg (2%)Iron : 1.1 mg (6%)

Originally Published January 4, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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  1. Menolly says

    January 09, 2024 at 10:41 pm

    It looks yummy. Can I make and oven bake this in a dutch oven? I don't have a crock pot.

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      January 10, 2024 at 2:39 pm

      Hi Menolly,

      Not a conversion I normally do or try but I did find this with an answer. https://learn.surlatable.com/slow-cooker-dutch-oven-conversion/#:~:text=The%20low%20setting%20of%20a,equivalent%20to%20375ยฐF

      Hope that helps.

      Dan

  2. Menolly says

    March 13, 2022 at 11:56 am

    Hi! I don't own a crockpot. But I have dutch ovens of every possible size. If I were to bring this to boil and cook in a 275F - 300F oven in a cast iron dutch oven, how much chicken stock should I add, and how long should I cook it? Thank you.

    PS: are thawed but previously frozen chicken breasts acceptable? I wanted to use this on frozen chicken that I need to rotate out of the freezer. I typically thaw overnight in the fridge.

    Reply
  3. Barbara says

    February 09, 2022 at 11:23 am

    Recipe looks and sounds great. Can I start with frozen chicken breasts?

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      February 09, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      Hi Barbara,

      Welcome to the blog.

      The two problems with frozen chicken in a crockpot is first, frozen chicken has been known to break ceramic crockpots during cooking, so a safety problem if the pot is ceramic. And second, a cooking time issueโ€”be sure the chicken reaches 165ยฐ.

      Dan

  4. Paul D. says

    March 31, 2021 at 10:32 am

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe! My family loves it. My wife thinks I'm a genius, lol. I added chopped red, yellow, and orange bell pepper to the sauce and it was fantastic. I see a lot of comments about the sauce being a bit watery. My suggestion would be to use a fresh, dark honey in the recipe. The viscosity of the dark honey holds up better in the slow cooker. Just a suggestion. I'm lucky enough to live in the country, so it's readily available. If people have access to a farmer's market, you can probably find it there. My family wants me to make it again, so great job!

    Reply
  5. Sara says

    November 25, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    4 stars
    My sauce wasn't nearly as dark as the picture and I followed the directions to the T. Plenty of it and it was very flavorful, but looked more like a watered down blush colored sauce. Very wet and runny.

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      November 25, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      Hi Sara,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The color is determined by the ingredients, mainly the soy sauce and ketchup so perhaps one of those broke down some with cooking. Another possibility is the chicken releasing more fluid during cooking. This would happen if it had been previously frozen. At least the taste was good.
      Dan

  6. Jackie says

    May 12, 2020 at 12:16 am

    5 stars
    I use this for both chicken and pork. Right now I'm using it with cubed pork - just a couple of boneless chops go a long way So easy I feel like I'm cheating. I find the sauce comes out tangy - almost like sweet and sour, perhaps that is because of the vinegar in ketchup. My secret ingredient is to add sliced water chestnuts. If I have a green pepper on hand I'll throw that in. Love your recipes since I don't have to run around looking for things I don't normally have on hand. Who would have thought such a simple sauce would be so great and versatile!

    Reply
  7. Kerry Bianchi says

    March 02, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Can this recipe be made with thin chicken breasts? That's all I have in the house. Will cooking time be different?

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      March 02, 2020 at 12:17 pm

      Hi Kerry,
      Welcome to the blog.
      Go by the internal temperature of the chicken. It should be 165 degrees to be done and safe. The time will vary by the thickness of the chicken you have. It could be as little as 2 hours but go by the temperature.
      Dan

  8. Robin says

    June 03, 2019 at 10:53 pm

    Quick and easy recipes. Next time I'll add less ketchup as it was a little too tomato for me. Delicious all the same.

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      June 08, 2019 at 6:16 pm

      Hi Robin,
      Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
      Glad you enjoyed the chicken.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  9. Ji Hee Kim says

    February 16, 2019 at 5:16 am

    Thank you so much for this WONDERFUL RECIPE. This recipe is simple and very tasty. For the Maple Syrup, I've added sugar free maple syrup. When I get up very early in the morning like 3:00 a.m., I usually cook for my family or my 4 dogs. For the vegetables, I usually add whatever I can find in my Refrigerator. This morning I will probably add sesame seed at the end as someone has suggested. My four dogs go crazy smelling this food being cooked in the crock pot. Too bad that I cannot feed them this dish. Thank you again for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      February 17, 2019 at 9:45 pm

      Hi Ji Hee,
      Welcome to the blog.
      This is a very flexible recipe to just use up what you have with easy results. I generally sprinkle some sesame seeds on at the end.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  10. Katy says

    December 19, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Hi Dr. Dan, thank you for this recipe. I have made it a few times now, and love the simplicity of the ingredients and the incredible flavour. I omit the basil, but do the cornstarch/water mixture and shred the chicken after about two hours of cooking, add some shredded carrots and sliced green onion and cook for another hour or more. Served over rice it is DELICIOUS!

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      December 19, 2018 at 7:10 pm

      Hi Katy,
      Welcome to the blog.
      This is an interesting recipe. I found the taste very surprising. And it is so easy to modify as you found.
      Thanks for the note. And Happy Holidays.
      Dan

  11. Jon says

    September 22, 2018 at 11:15 am

    I came across this recipe while I was in the army. I made it and planned on having leftovers for quite some time. My squad could smell it from my barracks door and everyone quickly ate it up. It was sooooo good. I now make it for every platoon function and it's always a hit.

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      September 23, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      Hi Jon,
      Welcome to the blog.
      Glad it works well for you. It does make the house smell good for a while so I'm not surprised they found you out.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  12. Beverly Barndt says

    July 29, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    Wow, WE! Loved it all the way around. I can't believe the easiness of it all. I have tried so hard with so much that I had or didn't have and never got a GREAT FLAVOR or close to what I was trying to get. Again you are a ROCKSTAR! I feel like I have won the LOTTERY here! Thanks again so much for your time.

    Reply
  13. Elizabeth says

    July 11, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    I came across this recipe line others, Google! I'm super excited to try this for me and my daughter this coming Sunday, looks line it'll be a winner!

    Reply
  14. Glenda says

    June 04, 2018 at 9:36 am

    My daughter served this recipe using thighs last summer, I had chicken breasts intending to BBQ, but we are having a thunderstorm so looked up crock pot chicken and found your recipe, and the crock pot is cooking ... had no basil so used some thyme and oregano, no fresh garlic, but had ground garlic, was a little short on Ketchup but added a little water, hopefully it will work out...

    Reply
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DrDan imageHi, I'm DrDan.
Welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy step-by-step photo instructions.
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