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Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

Crockpot honey garlic chicken thighs with a thick, glossy honey-garlic sauce made in the slow cooker. Bone-in or boneless thighs cook until very tender, then the sauce is thickened with a quick cornstarch slurry and finished on High.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 5 chicken thighs Use bone-in or boneless (4–6 thighs).
Honey garlic sauce
  • 0.5 cup honey
  • 0.33 cup soy sauce
  • 6 garlic Minced (about 6 cloves).
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Cornstarch slurry
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
Garnish
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 green onions Sliced for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the honey garlic sauce
  1. Whisk honey, soy sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until the mixture looks evenly blended and glossy.
  2. Add the butter to the sauce and whisk again until it starts to melt and the sauce becomes smoother.
Slow cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the honey garlic sauce over top, making sure the chicken is coated.
  2. Cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours (or on High for 2 to 2.5 hours) until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart.
Thicken and finish
  1. Remove the chicken and stir the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch plus water) into the sauce until no lumps remain.
  2. Cook on High for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
  3. Return the chicken to the sauce and stir or spoon to coat each piece well, letting it sit briefly in the hot sauce to re-glaze.
Garnish and serve
  1. Top with sesame seeds and green onions so the garnish stays fresh-looking and bright.

Notes

For the glossiest sauce, stir in the cornstarch slurry promptly after removing the chicken and keep the lid on between stirs while it thickens. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3–4 days; freeze the cooked chicken and sauce up to 2 months. For a lower-sodium option, use low-sodium soy sauce (the sauce will still thicken the same way).