Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

Coming home to this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken is great after a long day! You only need 10 minutes of prep time in the morning to throw together this slow cooker chicken recipe. It has only 5 main ingredients, is easy to make, tasty, kid-friendly, and very budget-friendly!

This recipe can also be made gluten-free with a simple substitution.

One of the best things that can greet you at home after a tiring day (besides your family, of course) is a delicious dinner ready to eat.

More easy slow cooker dinners: Crock Pot Pot Roast

We love this recipe because:

• It has 5 main ingredients.
• It takes 10 minutes of hands-on time, and then you can walk away for several hours or for the day!
• It makes for AMAZING meal prep - so many ways to eat this, such as over rice or quinoa, in sandwiches, in quesadillas, or in lettuce wraps.
• Much healthier than takeout.
• Tastes AMAZING!! The honey garlic ginger flavor in this chicken recipe is so delicious.

More savory recipes with honey: Hot Honey Shrimp

Related recipe: Slow Cooker Cassoulet

Here is the short list of ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs chicken – a combination of drumsticks, skin-less thighs, and breasts is best!
• salt and pepper
• oil for browning chicken (or use sesame oil for extra flavor!)
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated

Tip: you can double the sauce ingredients (soy sauce through ginger), if you want more sauce or a bolder flavor!

Related recipe: Easy Bourbon Chicken

A few notes about the ingredients:

→ Soy sauce: The soy sauce balances out the sweetness of the honey. I prefer using a reduced-sodium soy sauce to avoid a too-salty dish. 

→ To make this gluten-free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce, such as this one from Kikkoman, or substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce!

→ Honey: Honey adds a mild sweet taste without having to use refined sugar. You can use any honey you have! As much as I like fancy-pants local honey, I always recommend getting an inexpensive honey for cooking, since it will be cooked so much that it really doesn’t matter what kind you use. This is a great inexpensive honey for cooking!

→ Garlic:  You can also substitute fresh garlic with 1 teaspoon garlic powder… but fresh garlic is best! I’ve used this garlic press for over a decade and I love it, but you can also use a microplane zester to grate the honey, since you'll be grating the ginger anyway.

→ Ginger: It adds a warm spicy taste. I would not recommend substituting for powdered ginger here, the fresh stuff really adds a great flavor! If you hate grating ginger, you can get pre-grated squeezable ginger, such as the one here.

Related recipe: Ethiopian Chicken Stew

How to make Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

Step 1: Pat the chicken dry and season lightly with salt and pepper on all sides.

Step 2: Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the oil. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet (in batches if it doesn’t fit) and brown them on both sides. You are not trying to cook them, but sear the outside to keep the flavor and juices in.

Step 3: At the bottom of the slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. Stir together to incorporate the honey.

More sweet and tangy recipes: Peach Glazed Meatballs

Step 4: Add the chicken to the sauce and stir it around.

Step 5: Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Step 6: Shred, cut up, or leave whole, and serve over rice, spooning extra sauce over the rice.

That’s it!

Trust me, the combination of honey and soy sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and salty. The plates will be licked, literally!

Related recipe: Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Got leftovers?

This juicy, tender, melt-in-the-mouth chicken tastes GREAT the next day! Just remove any bones (they should slide right out, since the chicken will be tender), and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month.

This honey chicken makes a great freezer meal or quick lunch the next day served over rice or quinoa, or in sandwiches or lettuce wraps.

Related recipe: Honey Rum Chicken

Need side dish ideas for this chicken dinner?

My family and I like the combination of chicken and rice the most with a side of salad, but feel free to experiment with other side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice, or quinoa.

Hearty side dishes ideas:

• Quinoa with bell peppers
• Brown rice salad with dried fruit
• Vegan rice pilaf (it might not make sense to serve a vegan side dish with chicken, but this pilaf has so much flavor and goes perfectly with chicken!)

Veggie side dishes:

• Daikon carrot salad
• Spiralized zucchini salad with sesame ginger dressing
• Coleslaw orzo salad
• Warm bell pepper salad
• Bacon roasted vegetables

Looking for other easy chicken recipes?

• Honey ginger garlic chicken wings (made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot)
• Slow cooker chicken and gravy
• Best Instant Pot BBQ chicken
• Oven baked BBQ chicken
• Roasted honey mustard chicken thighs
• Sun-dried tomato chicken thighs
• Instant Pot creamy sun dried tomato chicken
• Instant Pot creamy Buffalo chicken

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!