Ugh, weeknights, right? They can turn trying to feed the family into a genuine chore. When I’m juggling testing recipes and actual life, I need something reliable that tastes like I spent all afternoon fussing over it but actually only took ten minutes to assemble. That’s exactly what this recipe is!
I’m Emily, and as someone who coordinates testing for Recipes by Betty, I approve this recipe 100% for maximum flavor with minimum fuss. When I tested this recipe, my favorite part was lifting the slow-cooker lid to that irresistible honey-garlic aroma. My family kept asking what I was making long before dinner was ready, which is a good sign every time.
If you want tender chicken coated in a sticky, glossy sauce without even turning on your stovetop, you absolutely have to try the Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken. It’s proof that the best Crockpot Dishes really are the simplest ones!
Why This Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe Works for Busy Nights
It’s all about maximizing flavor while minimizing effort, which is why this recipe is such a winner for weeknights. Honestly, if something takes too many steps, I usually save it for the weekend. This Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken skips the sautéing and delivers amazing results!
- Simple Prep Time for Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken: We’re talking about 10 minutes of work, tops! This is the definition of Dump And Go Crockpot Dinners. You literally throw it in and walk away until dinner time.
- Slow Cook Recipes for Maximum Flavor: Slow cooking isn’t just easy, it’s magic for texture. Low and slow cooking guarantees that chicken becomes fall-apart tender, while the honey and garlic meld together beautifully. These truly are the best Slow Cook Recipes.
Gathering Ingredients for Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
You won’t need a huge grocery list for this, thankfully! For the Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken, we divide things into three simple categories that all go straight into the cooker (mostly). Remember, we aren’t doing any complicated chopping, just simple measuring.
Chicken Selection for Your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
For perfect results in the Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken, I really prefer chicken thighs because they stay so juicy. You need about six of them, boneless and skinless usually works best for these recipes. But hey, don’t worry if you’ve only got breasts on hand; they work just fine too, just keep an eye on the cooking time!
Creating the Signature Honey Garlic Sauce
This is where the flavor magic lives! You need to grab your mixing bowl and measure everything carefully here. We use four minced garlic cloves—yes, use fresh minced garlic, it matters! Then whisk in low sodium ketchup and low sodium soy sauce. Make sure you’re getting those low sodium versions if you can, trust me on that one. We finish the sauce mix with honey for sweetness and a little dried oregano for depth. When weighing seasonings, remember that the type of salt matters when balancing flavors, which is why I always remind people to check out my thoughts on Kosher Salt vs. Sea Salt.
Garnish Ingredients
These are just for making the dish look as good as it smells when you serve it up. You just need a little fresh parsley, chopped up, and some toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle right on top before serving.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
I love that these steps are so simple! It’s really about setting up the cooker and letting time do the heavy lifting for us. I always manage to get my evening cleanup done while this is cooking—it’s one of those true Lazy Dinners that gives you your time back!
Preparing the Chicken Base
First things first, get your chicken thighs arranged right on the bottom of the slow cooker. Make sure they’re in a single layer if they fit nicely—this helps everything cook more evenly. You don’t have to do anything else to them yet, just let them sit there waiting for their delicious bath.
Mixing the Honey Garlic Sauce
Now we make the sauce! Grab that mixing bowl we talked about earlier. Put in your minced garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and oregano. Whisk it all together really well. I stress whisking because if you just dump it in, the honey and ketchup love to clump up together and don’t mix smoothly into the soy sauce right away. We want a perfectly unified glaze for our Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken, so take a minute to get rid of those stubborn pockets!
Cooking Time for Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Pour that glorious sauce right over the chicken pieces. Put the lid on tight. Now you have two options for cooking your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken: set it on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or if you start it later in the day, put it on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Seriously, check out how they tackle similar chicken recipes over at Allrecipes if you need more timing guidance, but these times are generally spot-on!
Finishing and Serving
Once the chicken is fork-tender, take the lid off—enjoy that amazing smell! Carefully move the chicken pieces over to a serving plate. Then, take a big spoon and just spoon that thick, sticky sauce right over the top of the chicken on the plate. Don’t waste any of that sauce! Finally, hit it with those fresh parsley flakes and the toasted sesame seeds. You can read a bit about prepping aromatics before adding meat, just in case you were wondering if you should have sautéed that garlic, over on my other post!
Tips for Perfect Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Even the easiest recipes can sometimes need a little nudge to be absolutely perfect, right? As part of my testing coordinator role, I always want you to have guaranteed success with your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken. Usually, the sauce is fantastic, but if you’re feeling ambitious or just need a different thickness, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve!
Adjusting Consistency for Your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Sauce
If after cooking, you find the sauce is a little too watery for your liking—which can happen depending on how much liquid your raw chicken releases—don’t panic! The classic fix is moving that sauce into a small pot on the stove. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. If you need it thicker fast, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then whisk it into the simmering sauce until it glows glossy. For more general tips on getting moisture right in baked goods, check out my notes on the secret to moist bread!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Remember I mentioned thighs are my favorite for this Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken? If you absolutely have to use chicken breasts, just pull them out 30 minutes earlier than the suggested cook time, or they can get a bit stringy. Also, that soy sauce brings a lot of salt! If you’re watching your sodium intake, feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce, but you might want to skip adding any extra salt later. For tons of slow cooker ideas, you can always browse the options BBC Good Food has for slow cooker chicken recipes!
Serving Suggestions for Crockpot Recipes For Dinner
Now that the hard part—cooking the chicken—is done, the real fun begins: deciding what to eat it with! This honey garlic sauce is so good, it practically begs for something starchy nearby to soak up every last, sweet drop. When planning your plate around these excellent Crockpot Recipes For Dinner, you want things simple, so you don’t take away from the star of the show here.
Pairing with Starches
I almost always go for a big mound of steamed white rice. It’s the perfect canvas for that glossy sauce to run over. If you’re feeling a bit more comforting, especially as the weather cools down, mashed potatoes are a fantastic idea. My kids go nuts for scooping up the sauce with potatoes! If you want some ideas on how to flavor up your starch base, I wrote a little something about what you can mix with rice for a meal that might give you some quick inspiration!
Balancing Flavors with Vegetables
Because the sauce has a good amount of sweetness from the honey, we need to bring in some fresh, slightly bitter, or crisp green elements to keep the whole meal balanced. Steamed broccoli is my go-to choice—it stays bright green and slightly firm, which is a great contrast to the super tender chicken. Green beans, maybe quickly steamed with just a touch of salt, work just as well. Sometimes, if I have a bit more time, I’ll whip up a crisp, cold salad to cut through the richness, like that broccoli salad I shared a while back. For even more ideas on fantastic slow cooker chicken meals, you should definitely poke around the options over at Eatwell101!
Storage and Reheating Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
One of the best things about making these simple meals is that if you aren’t eating it all one night, you get leftovers! And trust me, this Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken tastes great the next day, too. It’s part of why I love it so much for meal prepping!
To store any leftovers, you just need an airtight container. Pop the chicken and any remaining sauce right in there and put it in the fridge. It should stay perfectly good for about three to four days. Because the sauce is so rich, it tends to gel up a bit when cold, but that’s totally normal, don’t worry!
Reheating is where you have to be a little gentle if you want that chicken to stay tender. If you try blasting it in the microwave for too long, you risk drying out the edges, even with all that sauce. I always recommend reheating in a separate small saucepan over low heat. Add just a splash of water or some extra low-sodium soy sauce to help get the sauce moving again.
If you’re using the microwave, use short 60-second bursts and stir it well between each heating time. This keeps the moisture evenly distributed throughout the chicken. This slow-cooked flavor holds up so well, making it an easy lunch straight from the fridge!
Making This Recipe Healthier: Healthy Crockpot Meals Focus
I always get questions about how to turn those super satisfying comfort meals into something a little lighter, especially when we’re talking about something sweet like this. I totally get it! We want flavor, but we also want to keep things balanced, making this one of those great go-to Healthy Dinner Recipes.
Even though the garlic and soy sauce already bring a ton of flavor to the table, recipes featuring that much honey can sometimes feel a little heavy. So, for those times you want the goodness of Healthy Crockpot Meals without the sugar spike, we can totally tweak this recipe.
Reducing Sugar in Your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
The honey is what gives this dish its incredible glossy texture and that signature stickiness, so cutting it entirely changes the game. However, if you want to bring down the sugar content for your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken, you can definitely cut back. Instead of the full 1/3 cup of honey, try using just half of that amount.
If you want to stay sweet, you can substitute the removed honey amount with a zero-calorie sweetener that bakes well, like erythritol or monk fruit blend. Be warned, though: zero-calorie sweeteners don’t offer the same viscosity, so your sauce might be a little thinner than normal. That’s when you might want to head back to the stove to thicken it up!
For other great ways to make your meals lighter and packed with good fats, you should take a peek at my thoughts on the health benefits of avocado chicken salad. It’s amazing how much healthy fat can change a dish!
Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
I know sometimes you just have little lingering thoughts after reading a recipe—especially when you are relying on a slow cooker for dinner! I’ve gathered up some of the most common questions I get asked about this dish while I’m testing things here at the kitchen HQ. Hopefully, these clear things up so you can get cooking!
Can I use frozen chicken for this Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken?
This is a classic slow cooker debate! Technically, yes, you can safely cook frozen meat in a slow cooker, but for this recipe, I really advise against it. Frozen chicken thighs take way longer to cook through, and the sauce won’t penetrate the meat as well at the start. If you absolutely must use frozen, add at least 1.5 to 2 extra hours on the LOW setting, but trust me, thawing it first gives you much better results for evenly cooked meat.
What is the best way to thicken the sauce for these Crockpot Dishes?
Ah, the sauce consistency! If you want that perfect thick glaze you see in pictures for these Crockpot Dishes, my best tip is to transfer the sauce to a small saucepan after the chicken is done cooking. Bring it up to a simmer on the stovetop for about 5 to 10 minutes until it reduces and thickens naturally. You can also use that cornstarch slurry trick for a faster, guaranteed thickener if you are in a rush!
Is this considered one of the best Fall Crockpot Recipes?
Oh, absolutely! Anything sweet, savory, and requiring minimal effort when it’s chilly outside just *has* to be a top contender in the Fall Crockpot Recipes category, in my book. The warmth of the garlic mixed with that sweet, sticky honey makes it pure cozy comfort food. It’s perfect for those rainy Sunday afternoons when nobody wants to leave the house!
And just in case you were wondering whether you should have sautéed that garlic first (you don’t need to!), I wrote a whole piece on when to cook your aromatics before adding meat. It covers all the bases!
Sharing Your Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Experience
I really hope you give this Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken a try this week! Honestly, watching this dish evolve from simple ingredients into something so glossy and flavorful is one of the most rewarding parts of cooking. Because I’m always trying to level up my testing process, I want to hear how it went for you!
Did you try the chicken thighs or go with breasts? Did you love that incredible aroma filling your kitchen while you were busy doing other things? Please take a minute to leave a star rating down below—it really helps other busy cooks decide if this is going to be their next lazy dinner hero. And if you snapped a picture of that gorgeous glaze, tag me on social media! I love seeing how you serve up these simple Crockpot Dishes.
Author Sign-off
If you have any super specific questions that I didn’t cover in the FAQ, or if you just want to send some encouragement my way, you can always reach out through my contact page. I read every single note!
By Emily Mitchell, Efficiency & Testing Coordinator at Recipes by Betty.
Easy Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- slow cooker
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs Use enough chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless, skin-on or without) to cover the bottom of your slow cooker. You can also use chicken breasts.
Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low sodium ketchup
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Garnish
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Arrange chicken thighs on the bottom of your slow cooker; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano, and parsley; whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs. Close with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours on LOW, or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH.
- Remove the lid and transfer chicken to a serving plate.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve.