This sticky honey garlic boneless chicken is easy to make and scale from two to a crowd in a crock pot. A simple 4-ingredient honey garlic sauce of soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and garlic clings to every bite of the boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
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Featured Comment by Paul D.:
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"Fantastic recipe! My family loves it. My wife thinks I'm a genius, lol."
🧾 TL;DR Recipe Summary
What: Boneless chicken breasts or thighs cooked in a sticky 4-ingredient honey garlic sauce.
Why: Easy prep, no browning, and scales from two to a crowd in any-size crock pot.
How: Mix the sauce, add the chicken, and cook on low for 3–4 hours. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch if desired.
🐓Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken – Skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Honey garlic sauce – Soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and fresh garlic. Optional: basil and crushed red pepper flakes; cornstarch for thickening.
- For serving – Cooked rice, toasted sesame seeds, and sliced green onions
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
1. Trim skinless boneless chicken (breasts or thighs) into serving-size pieces.
2. Whisk together the honey garlic sauce and combine with the chicken in the crock pot.
3. Cook on low for 3–4 hours. Breasts are done at 165°F; thighs are best at 180°–185°F. Start checking the temperature at 2 hours.
4. Spoon over rice with extra sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
👇For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
🧂 Honey Garlic Sauce & Flavor Options
The 4-ingredient honey garlic sauce is made with soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and fresh garlic.
- Soy sauce – Use low-sodium soy sauce; use tamari for gluten-free.
- Honey – Adjust to taste for more or less sweetness.
- Ketchup – Adds flavor, sweetness, and seasoning.
- Garlic – Fresh is best. Substitute ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder per clove.
- Optional flavors – Add basil, crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh ginger. A dash of sesame oil or rice vinegar also works well.
Extra sauce: Double the sauce ingredients if you want more for serving over rice or vegetables.
Thicker sauce: Thicken with cornstarch near the end of cooking.
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↕️ Adjusting the Recipe Size
This recipe scales easily for two or a crowd. The recipe card defaults to 4 servings; use the serving slider to adjust the ingredient amounts. The instructions do not adjust.
- 2 servings: 2- to 3-quart crock pot
- 4 servings: 3- to 4-quart crock pot
- 8 servings: 6-quart or larger crock pot
Keep the crock pot no more than about 75% full. Cooking time may vary with the amount and crock pot size. Cook to internal temperature, not by the clock.
🍽️ Serving Honey Garlic Chicken
Serve the chicken over rice with extra honey garlic sauce, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds. Steamed or roasted vegetables also work well.
For shredded chicken: Shred the chicken during the last 15–30 minutes and stir it back into the sauce.
❄️ Storage & Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Reheat: Warm gently in the microwave or covered on the stovetop with some of the sauce to prevent drying.
🍚 More Chinese-Inspired Recipes
❓FAQs
Yes. Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce, and check the ketchup label to be sure it is gluten-free.
Yes. Boneless chicken thighs stay juicy and tolerate longer cooking. Boneless chicken breasts should be checked earlier and cooked to 165°F to prevent drying.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Sticky Honey Garlic Boneless Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds skinless chicken - breasts or thighs
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2–4 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- ½ teaspoon basil - optional
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- cooked rice
- toasted sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the chicken and sauce
- Trim about 1½ pounds of skinless chicken. If using boneless breasts, cut into serving-size pieces. Thighs may not need cutting
- In a medium bowl whisk together ½ cup of ketchup, ¼ cup of soy sauce (low sodium preferred), ¼ cup of honey, four cloves of crushed garlic, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), and ½ teaspoon basil (optional).
Combine in the crock pot
- Spread the chicken across the bottom of a crock pot coated with cooking spray. Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Optional: For a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to form a slurry, and stir it in during the last hour of cooking.
Cook
- Cook on low for 3–4 hours. Chicken breasts should reach a temperature of 165°F; thighs are best cooked to 180°F for better texture. Begin checking the temperature at 2 hours, as slow cookers can vary.
Serve
- Serve over rice with extra sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use low-sodium soy sauce. For gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari and check the ketchup label.
- For extra sauce to serve over rice or vegetables, double the sauce ingredients.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
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)
Originally Published January 4, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and editing to help with navigation.
Dandy Sandy says
Hi DrDan!
I appreciate your idea of not cooking from a can and "fresh" is best. My husband and I are vegetarians and we have a standing goal of becoming vegan. I have printed several of your recipes and look forward to modifying them slightly by substituting tempeh or tofu for the meats. What brought me to your site...your "Easy General Tso Chicken". I've been having a hankering for the sauce and look forward to using your recipe! Thank you for creating "101cookingfortwo.com".
DrDan says
Welcome to the site.
Thanks for the note. You're right that I try to avoid things like cans of soup or packages of unknown things.
You'll like the sauce but it is a little sweet and I like it better with the brown sugar cut back a little.
DrDan
Dandy Sandy says
Thanks for the tip! I'll post my results as I try your recipes. :)
Xiomara says
Can I make this without honey?
DrDan says
Honey is the main flavor. So leaving it out would be a big change... It would cook ok but taste change unknown. So probably not recommended.
DrDan
Caitlin says
I am making this now, and it smells delicious, but I would hardly call this recipe a healthy food choice given the amount of sodium and sugar. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to cut fat? I personally will be draining off most of the sauce before serving it to myself and my children to try to reduce that.
Megan Highfill says
I made my own ketchup to reduce sugar and sodium, used "lite" soy sauce, and raw honey (which is really good for you). One serving ended up: Calories-329, Fat-8.4 g, Fiber-3.4 g, Carbs-26.9 g, Sodium-4,465 mg, Protein-40 g (I used a pound of chicken divided into 3 servings, but the rest of the recipe I left the same). You are so right, the sodium is crazy, even with the "lite" sauce, but I still think it's okay as long as it's not a daily occurrence. Given the low calories and the high good fat, I consider this a win.
Jeph says
Made mine more Canadian by adding only half of the honey called for and replacing the rest with maple syrup. Delicious.
DrDan says
I can see that...
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Nancy says
Thanks, the chicken was tender and had a nice flavor. My husband said, let's have it again, and soon!
Scott says
My crock pot has a setting for 4hrs and 6hrs (also 8/10). Can I use the 6hr setting in lieu of 4? Looking forward to seeing how this comes out.
DrDan says
Nope, I wouldn't do that. The 4 hours was really the max on this recipe.
DrDan
Rachel says
Scott, my crock pot has the same settings, I believe. However, the two longer settings are "low" while the two shorter settings are "high". You may want to double check you aren't accidentally putting it on high for 4 hours. Just a thought. :-)
scott says
thanks rachel...made the dish last night on 4hrs and it came out perfect. nice dish. now in our rotation.
Cerwyn says
I only have traditional soy sauce not reduced sodium what should I do to make sure this isn't a salt lick? Yes, I will switch over to low sodium but I must've picked the wrong bottle and I won't waste it. 😁
Also is this ok with bone in thighs?
DrDan says
Hi Cerwyn,
First the soy sauce, cut it in half or it will be way salty with this recipe. Just sub in water for the volume.
The bone in thighs would be fine. I would take off the skin.
Dan
Mary Ann says
Oh my heavens! Apparently I looked at the ingredients askance, and mixed honey and soy sauce to get hot sauce! Oops! Thank you for being so nice about it. ? I'm definitely making this for dinner tonight. My internist has given me some instructions, too! Thanks again!
Mary Ann says
Hi DrDan!
This sounds delicious! I don't typically have hot sauce on hand, but I do have red pepper flakes & ground cayenne. Do you think a substitution of some kind would work? I'm afraid I'm a real novice when it comes to substitution.
Thanks so much!
Mary Ann
DrDan says
Hi Mary Ann, I think you miss read something, there is no hot sauce. I generally use cayenne or red pepper flakes if I want a little heat. I have a bottle of hot sauce but I'm not the biggest fan of the taste and don't think I have published a recipe with it...
DrDan
Dave says
This was soooo good, here is the changes and additions I made. Cut a sweet onion in half then diced, 2 stalks of celery, diced, 1/2 of a red pepper, diced, put these in the bottom of the crock pot. Took the frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer, weighed out 2 lbs while my skillet was heating the 2 Tbls of oil, then seared the chicken, after they were seared cut up into bite size pieces, added to crock pot.
Poured the liquid over the top, I left out the garlic and basil because I used 14.5 oz of can of tomatoes, diced with garlic, oregano & basil, which I added to the crock pot. I also added a 4 oz can of diced green chilies. Then for a veggie I added a cup of frozen corn.
Added 1 cup of chicken broth, 1/3 cup of long grain rice ( long grain rice will not clump up like white rice does when cooking in a crock pot) added a 2 tsp of pepper. Set the crock pot on low for 8 hours.
Seems I always have to add something to the recipes I find online, just me I guess. Sorry.
DrDan says
Hi Dave, Thanks so much for the suggestions. Recipes are only guidelines and should always be modified to taste.
Thanks again for the note and rating
Dan
UPDATE: Dave has contacted me and believes the rice didn't cook well and suggests cooking the rice separately.
Chris Dryman says
Do you have nutritional information for this recipe?
Christina Dryman says
Thanks so much! Lilly and Molly are gorgeous by the way ;)
Taylor says
I am the worst cook, while my husband use to be a chef. So he does most of the cooking around here, but I decided to try my hand at something simple. This was SO easy and SO good. Thanks for sharing!
Megann says
Glad I have come across your cooking blog! I whipped this up at lunch and it is in the slow cooker for supper tonight! Cannot wait to try many of your recipes!
Megann says
This turned out very good! next time I might tone back the garlic a smidge just for our tastes, but if you are a garlic lover definitely put all 4 cloves in!
DrDan says
My wife is a garlic hound so it was just enough for her.
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Mary D says
I made this last night. It was good, but the sauce didn't get thicker as I'd hoped.
susie Cop says
just made it for dinner tonight also the sauce was not thick like the picture.
Nichole says
Was your chicken totally defrosted?
Jan says
Lovely Friday night supper with family, doubled the ingredience, added half glass of white wine, tsp chinese five spice in place of basil and red onion to add natural sweetness, result - a tasty meal which I will do again. Oh, as no slow cooker, seared the chicken, mixed everything together and let the whole lot marinate for a couple of hours then cooked for 1hr in oven @ 150 degrees. Perfect. A great basic recipe that you can experiment with and change to your own tastes.
Jess says
I think you just made a new recipe. LOL
Becky says
Dan, do you think this will freeze well if a big batch is made at once? Thanks, looks great!
DrDan says
It should freeze well.
DrDan
Barbara says
Tried this recipe today. It was easy to make, delious and easy to clean up! Thank you!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Denise says
Is there something I can put in to make it less salty?
DrDan says
The salt is mostly the soy sauce and some from the ketchup. So use low sodium versions of both. Cut back both be 25% and make it up with water or chicken broth. Also adding frozen veggies near the end will spread it out some.