Published: Nov 27, 2020 · Modified: Apr 23, 2021 · By Susan

Lazy Honey Garlic Chicken Crockpot Recipe

This honey garlic crockpot chicken recipe is a delicious and easy dish. Tender, slow cooked chicken smothered in a wonderful sweet and savory sauce. Toss some broccoli into your slow cooker duirng the last minutes of cooking for a full meal.

sliced chicken placed on lightly steamed broccoli in a round black bowl topped with sesame seeds

How is it that days can go so slowly, but weeks, months and even years can seem to just slide by so smoothly you hardly notice? As the days roll into each other, some of the more repetitive tasks, like making dinner, become daunting. It seems like everytime I turn around, it is time for me to put dinner on the table - again!!

This dish was designed for those days when you have absolutely no inspiration when it comes to dinner. It is crowd pleasing and delicious. The flavor can be addicting, yet it is easy to make. Plus, the side dish options are endless.

How To Make Easy Honey Garlic Crockpot Chicken

cooked another shot of two finished breasts and two finished thighs in slow cooker

The Chicken

This dish is meant for boneless and skinless chicken pieces. Since we have both white meat and dark meat fans in our house, I generally create recipes using both to satisfy as many members of The Team as possible. Chicken breast is always drier, especially when slow cooked. Thighs are more forgiving and can be cooked longer without drying out. However, thighs (dark meat) are smaller and tend to have more connective tissue. If you don’t have a preference taste wise, thighs are the way to go. However, if you are a fan of less fatty chicken, stick with those breasts! If you do decide to use breasts and feel they are a little too dry, slicing or shredding them will help them to absorb more sauce.

Close up honey garilc chicken pieces ready to serve.

The Sauce

This dish is as easy as mixing a few ingredients for the sauce, adding it all to your slow cooker and walking away. To start you will need:

honey
garlic
soy sauce
ginger
tomato paste
chicken
sesame seeds (optional)
broccoli (optional)

Start by placing chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, soy sauce, ginger and tomato paste. Pour whisked mixture over chicken, cover and cook on low.

honey garlic chicken breast on a cutting board about to be sliced

Why Use Your Crockpot To Make This Dish?

By making the sauce for this dish yourself, you know exactly what goes into it. Absolutely nothing artificial and no preservatives here!
Using your crockpot to make a dish like this leaves more space in the oven for other things. If you already have an appetizer, a side dish and dessert going in the oven, calling on your slow cooker to help out can be lifesaving!
When cooking in your crockpot, you can use either parchment paper or a slow cooker liner leaving you with virtually zero clean up!
Using your crockpot to make this easy chicken dinner is great for when you don’t have the time to babysit a dish in the oven. Oven cooked dishes can go from done to overdone in the blink of an eye. Since crockpots are slow and steady, they are a little more forgiving of people who (like me) sometimes run late or lose track of time. If crockpot cooking time says 2 hours but you have an errand, call or meeting that runs 15 minutes over, chances are your dish will be just fine! Additionally, many slow cookers are programmable and can be set to turn down to "warm" at a predetermined time.

chicken breast sliced on a wooden cutting board

How To Serve This Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe

You can pretty much tell just from the name that you will want to enjoy every last drop of this sauce. To take advantage of as much of this delicious sauce as possible, I suggest serving with a starch (such as rice or potatoes) or a veggie (such a broccoli or cauliflower) that will be able to soak up the extra flavor. Riced cauliflower or riced broccoli would also be a great choice.

The broccoli pictured below was cooking in the crockpot right alongside the chicken. To do this, just lay a piece of foil on top of the chicken in your slow cooker 30-45 minutes prior to serving. Add fresh, cleaned broccoli florets on top of the foil, replace the cover and you are set!

finished thigh on a bed of broccoli in a black round bowl with sesame seeds sprinkled on top

Honey Garlic Chicken Hints & Hacks

This honey garlic crockpot chicken recipe works really well with both thighs and breasts. If you choose breasts, you may want to shred or slice your chicken after it is cooked to help it stay more moist by absorbing more of the sauce.
This dish is delicious served warm or cold and makes for great leftovers!
To confirm when chicken is finished cooking, I suggest a meat thermometer. Chicken that is over cooked can be dry and rubbery. According to the FDA, chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Here is my favorite meat thermometer.
Slow cooker liners are an optional but helpful hack whenever using a crockpot. They allow you to cook with little to no cleanup. I like to buy mine in bulk for a better per-piece price. Click here to see what I buy.
In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after.
To make this dish gluten free, substitute the say sauce with a natural liquid amino such as this one.