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This crock pot honey garlic chicken turns a few pantry staples into a sweet and garlicky shredded chicken dinner with just 5 minutes of hands-on prep. Serve it over rice with steamed veggies, or pile it onto a sandwich roll with coleslaw for something different.
Weeknight Win: Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
Big fan of Asian flavors around here, and while this particular recipe isn’t anything authentic, it really packs a flavor punch.
Shredded honey garlic chicken that’s coated in a sweet, sticky, garlicky sauce is a major favorite in my house. The family loves the bold flavors and I love that it literally takes 5 minutes of prep and uses pantry staples!
We’re real big on bowls these days and make a little honey garlic chicken bowl with this one – Instant Pot jasmine rice, a pile of steamed broccoli, tender shreddy chicken, and maybeeee a little drizzle of sriracha mayo.
Serve this just as it is, or pair with my fav air fryer egg rolls or a side of Asian cucumber salad. The perfect combo, if you ask me!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Just 5 minutes of prep. Dump everything in the slow cooker and let it do the work.
- Works two ways. Serve it over rice for dinner or pile it onto a sandwich roll for something different.
- Freezer friendly. Make a double batch and freeze half for a night you don’t want to cook at all.
Ingredients, Swaps, & Tips:
Chicken thighs work great in place of chicken breasts, no other changes needed.
Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce makes this dish too salty.
Adjust the red pepper flakes to taste, or skip them completely if you’re feeding picky eaters.
Making this for dinner tonight? Double the recipe and freeze half in a zip-top bag for a night you don’t want to cook. Dump it straight into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
What Readers are Saying!
“This chicken was delicious and is officially a new staple in my house!! I shredded it and then served it in Boston lettuce leaves, topped with cole slaw and slivered almonds. These ‘Asian lettuce wraps’ were fabulous!!! Then I used the leftover chicken the next day, served on hamburger buns (and again topped with cole slaw). Sooooo GOOD!!!” – Nicole
How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken:
Mix the sauce: Whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Slow cook: Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily shreds.
Shred: Remove the chicken and shred with two forks, or use a hand mixer for a quick shortcut.
Thicken and finish: Whisk the cornstarch and water together, stir into the sauce, then return the chicken to the slow cooker on high for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the sauce thickens.
Helpful Tip!
Soy sauce and red pepper flakes…
- Do be sure to use reduced sodium soy sauce or your chicken will come out quite salty! I love salty flavors, but it’s too much to use the regular soy sauce.
- If you’re worried about spice, you can reduce the red pepper flakes. They do add a kick to this dish, but we don’t find it to be overly spicy at all.
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 5,000 reviews on Amazon!
Serving Ideas
- Over rice with a side of steamed broccoli
- Piled onto a sandwich roll with coleslaw
- Wrapped in lettuce leaves with slivered almonds for a lighter option
- Topped with sesame seeds for a little crunch
Freezer Hack!
Making this for dinner tonight? Make double and put one half into a zip top freezer bag and freeze for another night. When ready to cook, just dump the bag into the slow cooker on cook low for 8 hours.
FAQs:
You can keep the honey garlic chicken breasts and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can reheat this recipe in the microwave.
Nope! You’ll just add it to the slow cooker and let it work its magic until the chicken is perfectly tender and shreddable.
If you’re starting with frozen chicken breasts, you’ll want to increase the cook time until your chicken easily shreds apart with a fork. Otherwise follow the recipe as written.
MORE ASIAN INSPIRED RECIPES!
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps: If you’re watching carbs, these lettuce wraps are keto friendly!
- Spam Fried Rice: I’m not much of a Spam person, but even I have to admit that it’s delicious in fried rice!
- Korean BBQ Sauce: Slather this Korean BBQ sauce on pork chops and grill ’em up!
- Pork Stir Fry: Such an easy recipe for busy nights and it sure beats take-out!
- Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice: Another low carb favorite in our house – skip the rice and use cauliflower crumbles!
- Asian Brussels Sprouts: An easy air fryer recipe and a great side dish!
- Keto Chicken Stir Fry: Enjoy your favorite stir fry without the carbs!
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a 5 quart slow cooker.
- Add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes to a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is cooked through and easily shreds.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred the meat with a fork.
- Stir together the water and cornstarch and whisk into the sauce. Set slow cooker to high and return the chicken to the sauce.
- Continue cooking for 30 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
Sam says
Doesn’t taste like honey or garlic just ketchup
Karly Campbell says
Sorry to hear this one wasn’t to your tastes.
Ky says
I’ve made this so many times over the years and decided I should really leave a comment! I recently started adding minced ginger and a smidgen of sesame oil and we like it even better! I always cook it in the Instant Pot so it’s quick as well as easy & delish!!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Kara says
Good idea! How long do u cook in the Instapot?
Kim Flick says
Just got it all in the crockpot. Very easy instructions and we’re looking to a very nice meal tonight????
Karly Campbell says
Hope you love it!
Judy says
Can’t wait to try it. It sounds yummy.
Karly Campbell says
Hope you love it!
nickie says
Could I use this with salmon or pork instead of chicken?
Karly says
I’m sure you could use pork. I’ve never done salmon in the crockpot.
Elaura G says
So excited to try this! I love your recipes and have been following you for a long time 🙂
Karly says
Thanks, Elaura! Hope you love it!
Janice Mooneyham says
I love the recipe but can I substitutethe ketchup with something else, I use worchestershire sauce for soy sauce and need to be able to sub ketchup with something else, and am on low sodium diet.
Karly says
Hi Janice! I’ve only tested this recipe with ketchup. I’m not sure what else would make a good sub. You could try tomato sauce, but you’ll probably want to adjust the sugar and spices used.