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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.
Mariana says
I don’t have ketchup, what can be a substitute?
Karly says
I don’t have any substitutes for ketchup on this one since it’s one of the main ingredients in the sauce.
Khristina Esqueda says
Do you have to use cornstarch? What if I don’t have any, but have flour.
Karly says
I have not tried making this with flour. The cornstarch acts as a thickener so if you leave it out, the sauce will be runny.
Sandy says
Can you dilute reg soy sauce, so not alot of sodium?
Karly says
I would just use low sodium soy sauce. Not sure if diluting the regular would offer the same flavor.
Cassie says
I never comment on blogs but I’m sitting here CRACKING UP. Literally laughing out loud because of your stories of getting startled easily. I’m the exact same way. I almost just punched a balloon that was floating in my kids’ playroom bc it scared the shit outta me when I turned around. (It’s been there for days).
I’m going to make this recipe tonight in honor of the crazy ppl out there like us who can’t handle things/people in rooms ?
Karly says
Hahahah! Hope you enjoyed the recipe. Good luck with life. We both need it.
Kierra Phillips says
Planning on making this sometime this week! My husband doesn’t like the taste of soy sauce though- I was wondering if you could actually taste it in this recipe or not? Thanks!
Karly says
It’s mixed with quite a bit of other things, so I don’t think it stands out a whole lot. It definitely does add to the flavor though.
Carolyn says
Is there more liquid you could add?
Karly says
Hi Carolyn! I guess you could add more liquid if you wanted. It’s not meant to be a soup though – it’s more of a thick sauce that coats the chicken and then served over rice.
Carolyn says
I think it needs more liquid …. any suggestions
Nicole @ Just Live It says
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!!!
Karly says
Yum! So glad you shared!
Crystal Howe says
This recipe sounds delicious! I can hardly wait to cook it for my family. To comment on your being easily startled, I’m the same exact way….(except for the screaming part) it is most annoying and my sons and husband ENJOY each time they accidentally make me jump and rare my fists up…..lol This happens everyday, I’m used to it. I don’t think you need to see a doctor, it’s just the way we’re wired. God Bless ya Karly!
Karly says
I’d hate to be formally diagnosed by a doctor as ‘being weird’ so I’ll stick with your explanation! Hahaha! Good luck with those boys of yours…mine like to startle me too.
Daniel says
Very good recipe! I added 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar to the sauce to give a little more sweetness to it and it was absolutely delicious!
Olivia Brown says
I made this yesterday and the whole family loved it! Healthy and delicious recipe, I will definitely make it again!
Karly says
So glad to hear that!
Christy says
Ha ha! Thank you for sharing your story, I laughed!! Going to make this tonight! It looks and sounds amazing!!
P.S. Maybe you should get that checked out!! ??
Penelope says
Sounds very good! I use reduced sodium soy lots, makes a difference. I have a TREMENDOUS startle reflex. My family warns me before they step in the room. But i scream anyway! Its crazy. Good to know there are others out there ?
Tania Sheff says
What a simple, yet flavorful recipe! This chicken would make the best tacos. YUM!
Kate says
this is everything I didn’t know I wanted. and more.
Karly says
Haha! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Ivory says
This dish is nothing short of all your other recipes that’s amazing. Thanks for sharing this yummy one to.
Karly says
Thanks, Ivory! <3
edith says
sounds yummy! Is 3 1/2 hours on low right? Thanks!
Karly says
It is in my slow cooker, but all of them are different and some heat faster/slower than others. You just want to cook the chicken long enough to shred it. 🙂
Sharon Kern says
Edith, it’s on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, low is 8 hours. Thought you might like to know this! ?
Ryan Edmonds says
In most newer slow cookers, cooking chicken breast for 8 hours would be overkill. 4 hours on low is plenty in mine. Temp the thickest breast prior to shredding if you’re nervous. Every single one is different.
Kristin says
Yep I made this today and set it on low for 7 hours and it’s toasted ?? Darn… definitely trying this one again though bc my house smells amazing right now haha! My 5 year old keeps telling me the house smells yummy ha!
Karly says
Oh no, I’m sorry! I just realized it said you could cook for longer in the blog post than it does in the recipe card. The recipe card is correct – low for 3-4 hours, until you can shred the chicken. I’m sorry about that. 🙁 I hope you try again, because it tastes just as good as it smells!