Do you feel like cooking after a long, exhausting day at work? Not really. Don’t think you’re the only one. Research shows that 80% of people in the U.S. are too tired to cook after work.
Takeout is a convenient option. But the food is not the healthiest. Most restaurant meals contain extra calories, sodium, and fat. Plus, by the time it reaches your table, it’s never as warm, fresh, and comforting as a home-cooked meal.
So, what do you do on days when you want to enjoy a hearty, flavorful dinner? You cook slow cooker honey garlic chicken. Sweet, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this dish is the kind of comfort food that makes everyone happy. Here’s how you can cook it.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Prepare Honey Garlic Chicken
This recipe starts with simple ingredients, and they are as follows:
- Chicken thighs or breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are ideal because they stay juicy and tender (But chicken breasts work just fine if that’s what you have)
- Honey: Lends natural sweetness that balances the salty flavor of the soy sauce
- Soy sauce: Adds a salty, umami flavor that ties everything together
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is best, but pre-minced works too if you’re short on time
- Ketchup: Gives a slight tang and body to the sauce
- Optional extras: A pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, sesame seeds for garnish, or chopped green onions for freshness.
You can add other ingredients like potato, chopped onion, ground ginger, or fresh chopped green onion to enhance its flavor.
How to Prepare: Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe is simple to make. It only takes a few minutes of prep time, and the slow cooker does the rest of the work.
Here are the steps you must follow to cook delicious honey garlic chicken:
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ketchup until the mixture is smooth.
- Add chicken to the slow cooker: Place the chicken in an even layer at the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce: Drizzle the sauce over the chicken, making sure to coat every piece.
- Cook low and slow: Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4 hours. While chicken thighs won’t dry out, chicken breasts will if you cook at a high setting. Keep the setting at a low setting to keep the latter moist.
When the cooking time is almost up, you can finish the dish.
- Twenty minutes before serving, add the green beans.
- For a thicker sauce, mix cornstarch with cold water in a separate cup. Stir this slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. It will thicken as it cooks.
- Replace the lid and cook for another fifteen to twenty minutes. The sauce will thicken, and the green beans will become tender.
What to Serve With Honey Garlic Chicken
This honey garlic chicken is amazing all by itself. But you can make it a full dinner with a few side dishes.
A classic choice is to serve it over a bed of fluffy rice. You can use white rice, brown rice, or even quinoa.
For something different, roasted potatoes are a great choice; they get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Then, you can drizzle the extra honey garlic sauce on them.
Steamed or roasted vegetables are also a great choice. Broccoli, green beans, or carrots work wonderfully. You can roast them in the same pan for a one-pan meal.
Do not be afraid to get creative with your side dishes. You can use other grains like farro or couscous. A simple green salad on the side can also be perfect.
Tips for Cooking Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Using a slow cooker is easy. But a few simple tricks can make your meal even better. They are as follows:
1. Sear the Chicken Before Putting it in the Cooker
This step is optional. If you have a few extra minutes, sear the chicken in a hot skillet with a splash of oil before adding it to the slow cooker. This gives it a delicious golden-brown crust. Even searing just one side can make a significant difference.
Browning the chicken caramelizes the surface. This process adds a deeper, richer flavor and a more appealing color that the slow cooker alone cannot achieve.
2. Don’t Overfill the Cooker
It might be tempting to pack the pot full of chicken and veggies, but resist the urge. Overfilling can cause uneven cooking and make the food watery instead of rich and flavorful.
Be careful not to overfill the cooker, as this can be a safety hazard. Packing the cooker too full can block the steam vents. People often wonder, can a pressure cooker explode? Yes, in rare cases of blocked vents and excess pressure, it can. They have exploded, in fact.
According to TorHoerman Law, pressure cooker explosions have resulted in severe burns, lacerations, and traumatic brain injury. For your safety, don't fill your slow cooker more than two-thirds full. This gives the heat room to circulate and cook everything evenly.
3. Avoid Opening the Lid Too Early
We get it—the smell is incredible, and you want a sneak peek. But every time you lift that lid, you let out a ton of heat and steam. If you do it more often than not, it will take longer for your meal to cook.
When you lose that heat, the cooker has to work overtime to get back to the right temperature.
How much time does one little peek cost you? Believe it or not, each lift can add up to 30 extra minutes to your cooking time. That’s half an hour standing between you and tender, juicy chicken.
If you absolutely must check, do it quickly and only toward the end of the cooking time.
Slow cooker honey garlic chicken is the ultimate weeknight or weekend savior. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll come back to again and again because it checks every box: simple, tasty, and soul-satisfying.
So, the next time you crave something sweet and savory, try this recipe. Trust us; one bite of this sweet, garlicky goodness will have you hooked.
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