No pre-searing needed for this slow-cooked chicken in a delicious sticky 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.
hit with the family.
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 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.
If you enjoyed Honey-Garlic Slow-cooker Chicken, I think you’ll love:
Slow Cooker Chicken Satay Recipe
Mexican Slow-cooked Beef Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Sour Recipe
Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
Honey-Garlic Slow-cooker Chicken
“This was so easy and super tasty! Will definitely be making on the regular.” Share Pin Recipe PrintIngredients
- 800 g (1¾ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 3 tbsp water
- 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) tamari or all-purpose soy sauce
- 115 g (⅓ cup) runny honey
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Steamed greens
Instructions
- Prep the chicken – Add the chicken thighs to a slow-cooker. (See note 1 if you'd like to cook this in a pressure cooker.)
- Add the sauce – Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cook – Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- Thicken the sauce – Add the cornflour and water mixture to the sauce for the last 30 minutes of cooking time, basting the chicken with the sauce.
- Serve – Sprinkle the chicken with the spring onion and sesame seeds and serve with steamed jasmine rice and steamed greens.
Nutrition information
Nutritional information on this site is calculated using Foodworks Professional, the nutrition analysis software trusted by dietitians, researchers and food manufacturers across Australia and New Zealand. Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
Katie says:
This recipe is so easy and tastes delicious! Perfect with rice and some veggies