Honey–Garlic Slow-Cooker Chicken

No pre-searing needed for this slow-cooked chicken in a delicious sticky sauce.
Chicken is slow-cooked in a deliciously sticky honey, garlic and soy sauce.

I’m pretty picky with what I make in the slow-cooker. The ingredients need to be perfectly balanced to create an intense depth of flavour that you would normally get from searing and caramelising on the stovetop or in the oven. Anytime I’ve read a recipe that claims there is “no need to sear the meat first”, I’ve been sceptical. However, you can trust that in this recipe, although there is no searing in sight, you will be left with the perfectly cooked tender chicken in the most incredible honey–garlic sauce.

What’s amazing about this recipe is that there aren’t many ingredients needed, and yet, once you taste the chicken, you’ll think a ton of exotic ingredients went into the pot to create this restaurant-quality flavour. Even better, what is required are simple items that you’re very likely to have on hand, like honey, ketchup, soy sauce and vinegar.

Being able to “set and forget” by putting the ingredients in the slow-cooker in the morning, then coming home to the aroma of a home-cooked dinner in the afternoon is wonderful. I steam whatever greens I have in the fridge and pull out some steamed rice from my freezer to serve along with the chicken. The leftovers are absolutely delicious the next day and the dish is also freezer-friendly. This is a recipe that features in my new cookbook The Simple Dinner Edit.

What can I serve with Honey–Garlic Slow-cooker Chicken?

Plain rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, steamed Asian greens, broccoli, broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), or green beans. Asian coleslaw (try my Homemade Coleslaw with 1 tablespoon each of all-purpose soy sauce and sesame oil added to the dressing).

Can I spice it up?

You could add 1–2 teaspoons of hot chilli sauce, sambal oelek or sriracha. Or you could drizzle some chilli oil (see my Homemade Chilli Oil recipe if you’d like to make your own) over your portion at the end.

What are some other delicious slow-cooked recipes with minimal prep?

If you enjoy making dishes that take minutes to prep, which you can then “set and forget” in the slow-cooker, I think you’ll love these:

Slow Cooker Chicken Satay
Mexican Slow-cooked Beef
Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly
Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Honey–Garlic Slow-Cooker Chicken

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4.7 from 3 reviews

This amazing, restaurant-quality Honey–Garlic Slow-cooker Chicken is made with just a few simple, low-cost ingredients. After just 10 minutes of prep, it all goes in the slow-cooker to “set and forget”. After a few hours, you are left with the most satisfying family meal that is great for leftovers and also freezer-friendly.

• Total Time: up to 6 hrs 10 mins
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• steamed greens, to serve

SAUCE

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) tamari or all-purpose soy sauce
• ⅓ cup (115 g) runny honey
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

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Instructions

1. Add the chicken thighs to a slow-cooker.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
3. Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
4. Add the cornflour and water mixture to the sauce for the last 30 minutes of cooking time, basting the chicken with the sauce.
5. Sprinkle the chicken with the spring onion and sesame seeds and serve with steamed jasmine rice and steamed greens.

Equipment

Chef Knife

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Tongs

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Notes

Make ahead

The sauce can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, simply add it to the slow-cooker with the chicken.

Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.

• Author: Nicole
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: up to 6 hrs
• Category: chicken
• Method: Slow cooker
• Cuisine: Asian-inspired