Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
User Reviews
5
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Description
This recipe starts by patting chicken thighs dry and seasoning them with a blend of paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne (optional), salt, and pepper. An optional step sears the chicken briefly to build flavor and render some fat if skin-on thighs are used.
The honey garlic butter sauce is prepared by melting butter and sautéing garlic before adding honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt, and cracked black pepper. The sauce simmers briefly to blend flavors and is poured over the chicken in the slow cooker. The chicken cooks on high or low heat for several hours, ensuring it becomes tender and infused with the sweet, savory sauce.
After cooking, the chicken can be served plated with the sauce. The slow cooker method simplifies preparation and results in consistent moisture and flavor.
A tip is to use skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for ideal texture and to sear skin-on thighs before slow cooking to reduce excess fat in the sauce.
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 6 large chicken thighs skinless and bone-in
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
RUB:
- 1 teaspoon paprika mild or smoked
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon salt coarse
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper cracked
HONEY GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE:
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper cracked
ADDITIONAL:
- ¼ cup water or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
CHICKEN:
- Pat dry bone-in, skinless chicken thighs with paper towel. Combine ½ tablespoon of oil with rub ingredients. Season chicken, rubbing the mixture into the chicken.
- OPTIONAL SEAR: Heat remaining ½ tablespoon oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken for 2 minutes each side to get a nice sear. (Do not cook chicken all the way through, this step is purely for flavour.)Transfer chicken thighs to a 6-qt (litre) slow cooker bowl.
SAUCE:
- Melt butter in the same pan the chicken was in, scraping up any leftover browned bits in the pan. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients; bring to a rapid simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
SLOW COOK:
- Pour sauce over chicken in slow cooker bowl, flipping thighs in the sauce to evenly coat. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH heat setting for 2-3 hours, or LOW heat setting for 5-6 hours. Baste with sauce half way through cooking.
- Transfer chicken onto serving dish and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- While chicken is resting: pour juices from the slow cooker bowl into a pot large enough to fit the liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Whisk ¼ cup water (or broth) with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch/cornflour into a lumpfree slurry. Whisk into sauce and let simmer for a good 2-3 minutes, or until thickend into a syrup-like consistency. (Please note: sauce will thicken as it cools). For a thicker sauce, repeat this step with 1 teaspoon extra cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water. Add into sauce and cook until thickened. Continue this step until reaching your desired consistency.
BROIL:
- Place slow cooked chicken thighs on a lined baking sheet. Baste chicken with some of the thickened sauce, about 2 tablespoons per thigh. Broil briefly for 1-2 minutes each side to char the edges.
- Slice chicken and serve drizzled with Honey Garlic Butter Sauce.
Notes
- Skinless, bone-in chicken thighs yield tender results; skin-on thighs can be used if seared first to render excess fat.
- Searing chicken before slow cooking adds flavor but should not cook the chicken through.
- Cook the chicken on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6 hours for optimal tenderness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4- 6 serves
Amount Per Serving
Calories 568 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 568kcal | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 39g | 13% |
| Protein | 31g | 62% |
| Fat | 33g | 51% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 206mg | 69% |
| Sodium | 1.023mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 475mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 35g | 70% |
| Vitamin A | 1.021IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 40mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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