Cooking during busy schedules is all about having a few recipes in your arsenal that are so easy you can shut your brain off and still end up with an amazing dinner on the table. This is one of those dump-it, set-it, forget-it slow cooker recipes (aka the best kind).
It takes about 5 minutes to whisk together the sauce, then everything goes straight into the crockpot (or Instant Pot) to do its thing. The result? Tender, juicy chicken coated in a sticky-sweet, savory honey garlic sauce that you’ll want to spoon over everything.
Make it in the morning before work, or prep it on a Sunday and enjoy it all week long. It’s SO good, you might just eat all your meal prep in one sitting, not like I know from experience or anything 😉
What to Serve With Honey Garlic Chicken
This dish is super versatile and pairs well with simple, fresh sides:
- White jasmine rice or bone broth rice is my preferred pairing here for soaking up extra sauce. For bone broth rice, just substitute the water for bone broth
- Cucumber salad adds a crisp and refreshing contrast to the sweet & savoriness of the chicken.
- Toss sliced cucumbers with rice vinegar, sesame oil, a tiny splash of soy sauce and a little honey. Salt to taste.
- Roasted or sauteed vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or bok choy
Meal Prep Tips
What makes this recipe so great is HOW well it works for meal prep. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 4–5 days and reheats beautifully.
Store chicken and rice separately from any other veggie components you make to keep everything from getting soggy.
Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions
- Chicken thighs: Boneless skinless chicken breasts technically work, but they do have a tendency to dry out. Reduce slow cook time to 2-3 hours on low to avoid drying out.
- Honey & Hoisin Sauce: These two are the flavor bases of the recipe, so I don’t recommend skipping these!
- Oyster sauce: Use vegetarian oyster sauce or a combination of extra hoisin and soy sauce if needed.
- Soy sauce: Coconut aminos or tamari are great alternatives.
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot starch can be used 1:1 for thickening.
Honey Garlic Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
This easy dump-and-go honey garlic chicken is the ultimate busy weeknight dinner—just whisk the sauce, let the slow cooker or InstantPot do the work, and come back to tender, sticky-sweet chicken perfect for meal prep and rice bowls all week long.
Ingredients
For the Honey Garlic Chicken:
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsps oyster sauce
- 2 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsps rice vinegar
- 4 tsp minced ginger (about a 2” knob fresh)
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsps cornstarch
For Serving:
- White rice
- Cucumber salad or roasted vegetables (broccoli, green beans, or bok choy)
- Sesame seeds & chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions
For the Honey Garlic Chicken:
- Add chicken thighs to the base of an InstantPot or Slow Cooker*. In a bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the honey, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and chicken broth. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss until coated.
- If using an InstantPot, set to high pressure for 13 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. If using a Slow Cooker, set on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours, or until very tender but still holding its shape.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken and set aside to shred with two forks.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tbsps of cold water to make a slurry. If using a crockpot, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and switch the crockpot to high for 10 minutes or until thickened. If using an InstantPot, set it to the saute function and whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
- When the sauce has thickened, toss the shredded chicken back into the sauce and keep warm until serving.
- Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Serve a cucumber salad or roasted vegetables on the side if desired.
Notes
*If you want to make this stovetop, add chicken and sauce to a pot with a tight fitting lid and heat to medium. Once you see it start to bubble, stir, cover, and reduce to low and cook for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is super tender.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: InstantPot