Slow Cooker Honey Soy Chicken

4.79 from 14 votes

Slow Cooker Honey Soy Chicken

This cozy, sweet-savory chicken dish is the perfect set-it-and-forget-it dinner. Tender chicken thighs simmer in a honey soy sauce that’s just the right balance of salty, tangy, and sweet.

Course Main

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword honey soy chicken, slow cooker honey soy chicken, soy chicken recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Servings servings

Calories 467

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more as needed
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 green onions sliced into rounds (reserve some for garnish if desired)
¼ cup honey
¼ cup light soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup dark soy sauce adds color and depth, not saltiness
½ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock or water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the chicken in a bowl and toss with the cornstarch until evenly coated. Shake off any excess.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate if needed.
Add the remaining oil to the pan if it looks dry. Add the garlic and green onions and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Return the chicken to the pan and stir to combine.
Stir in the honey, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and black pepper. Add the chicken stock and brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a gentle simmer until slightly glossy.
Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender.
Taste and season to taste before serving. If needed, simmer the sauce on the stovetop for a few minutes to thicken.
Serve over rice and garnish with reserved green onions.

Method 2: Dump-and-Go

Add the cubed chicken directly to the slow cooker and sprinkle over the cornstarch. Toss to coat as evenly as possible.
Add the garlic, green onions, honey, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, and chicken stock. Stir well to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Stir well before serving and taste for seasoning. If you’d like a thicker sauce, cook uncovered on high for 15 to 20 minutes or transfer the sauce to a saucepan and simmer until reduced.
Serve over rice and garnish with reserved green onions.

Notes

The sauce came out quite thick when I added it to the slow cooker and I worried it would burn. But my slow cooker builds up a lot of condensation that drips into the food as it cooks, thinning the sauce. If your slow cooker doesn’t do that, I would suggest saving the thickening until the end so it doesn’t burn around the sides.

Nutrition