Honey Soy Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

By: Merritt Allen

The combination of sweet and salty is always delicious. Particularly honey and soy sauce makes for a sticky and rich broth that goes with so much! This recipe for honey soy slow cooker chicken thighs is perfect for any time of the year. It can be a cozy winter crock pot dish or an easy summer make-ahead meal that works greats as meal prep for your week. The use of the slow cooker makes it great for either season! Either way this easy honey soy chicken will be a family favorite, that you will want to make again and again.

The honey, soy sauce, and ketchup combination for these chicken thighs, is sweet, salty, and perfectly savory. It is great reduced down after the chicken comes out of the slow cooker and then poured over rice and topped with green onion and flaky salt. My favorite way to enjoy is straight out of the slow cooker, with the juice spooned over a fresh bowl of rice. This chicken is also great in a salad, with fried rice, or even pasta. I hope you give this recipe for slow cooker chicken thighs try!

Notes and Tips for Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs:

• Skin on, bone-in chicken thighs are the best option for this recipe. They cook down with so much added flavor, are the cheapest option and are easy to gauge when done cooking as the meat will start to fall off the bone.

• The cooking time will vary based on crock pot size, crock pot settings, and amount of chicken, I cook my chicken on the high setting for about 5 hours. I recommend the high setting, making sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, and checking that the chicken is starting to pull away from the bone easily.

• You can also cook the chicken on the low setting for about 7 to 8 hours. It will still be done when it pulls away from the bone,

• Honey Soy sauce is a wonderful combination and definitely my preference. If you do not have honey, a good substitute is agave syrup or maple syrup. Make sure these are not flavored and your sauce will still turn out great.

• The garlic is a crucial ingredient. The more fresh garlic, the better! I use 5 to 6 cloves of garlic for this recipe. This gives so much flavor to your chicken and makes your sauce a honey garlic soy delight!.

• To increase the garlic flavor, lightly chop or crush your garlic before placing it in the crock pot. This helps release the oils and infuse it into your food.

• I recommend adding salt and pepper to taste at the end. The soy sauce contains quite a bit of sodium and, without taste tests, it can be easy to over salt. By waiting until the end, you have more control over final salt levels and taste!

• The measurements for this recipe are easy to change. If you like your chicken a little sweeter, add a little extra honey. If you like it a little saltier, add a little extra soy. This recipe is really hard to make mess up so feel free to experiment!

Common Questions For Slow Cooker Chicken:

Do I need To Brown Chicken Thighs Before Adding them to the Slow Cooker?

• You do not need to brown the chicken thighs before adding them to the slow cooker. Browning meat before going into the slow cooker can help hold moisture and add flavor but it is unnecessary for this recipe.

• When using bone-in, skin on chicken thighs there will naturally be a ton of flavor from the bone and the skin cooking with the chicken! You can sear the chicken before placing it in the slow cooker! This will brown the skin and definitely add flavor, but as mentioned, it is an optional step.

• If you are using boneless, skinless chicken thighs you can still skip the browning process. Boneless thighs usually finish cooking faster but are still super delicious.

• Not browning your meat also saves time and dishes! That is why I love this recipe, it is such an easy, one pot meal.

Do I need To Remove the Skin On Chicken Thighs?

• You do not need to remove the skin prior to cooking. The skin actually adds moisture and fat while the chicken is cooking. This means it adds flavor!

• The skin will easily separate from the chicken once cooked and I recommend discarding before eating. It will get really slimy in the slow cooker.

Does The Chicken Need to Be Covered In Liquid in the Slow Cooker?

• The chicken does not need to be covered in liquid for the cooking process. There will be a lot of moisture in the slow cooker especially since its covered.

• I recommend flip your chicken about halfway through the cooking process. This helps make sure all the chicken gets well seasoned and helps cook the chicken evenly.

Recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken:

• 5-6 lb bone in-skin on chicken thighs You can use boneless too!
• 1/4 cup honey You can use maple syrup, agave, or even brown sugar too.
• 1/3 cup soy sauce Any type of soy sauce works here.
• 1/3 cup Ketchup Ketchup adds tomato flavor, along with some extra sugar. You can also used jarred pasta sauce for this step but it will not be as sticky or sweet at the end.
• 5 cloves of garlic, lightly chopped. The Garlic adds flavor and you can add in as many cloves as you want.
• 1/2 white onion, chopped. The white onion will slow cook with the chicken and caramelize. It will be so good over rice.
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil The oil helps combine everything into a suacy mixture by adding a little fat to the slow cooker.
• 1 Tbs dried thyme You can use fresh thyme too!
• 1 Tbs Dried oregano Oregano adds savory flavor. You can dried other spices too like rosemary.
• 1/2 Tbs dried mustard seed Mustard seed is a savory and earther spice. It will add depth of flavor to your dish.
• salt and pepper to taste

How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs with Honey Soy Sauce:

1. Prepare the Marinade:

2. Lightly chop the garlic and onion and add to a medium bowl.

3. To the same bowl, add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup and mix

4. Add the thyme, oregano, mustard seed and olive oil. Mix until all combined

2. Cook the Chicken Thighs:

1. To a slow cooker add the chicken thighs and marinade. Massage the marinade in until all the chicken is well coated.

2. Cook on high for about 5 hours or until the meat is beginning to pull away from the bone.

3. Serve with rice, green onion, salt and pepper!

Print

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Easy Honey Soy Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Yield: 8

Author: Merritt Allen

Prep time: 10 MinSlow Cook Time: 5 HourTotal time: 5 H & 10 M

This delicious and easy slow cooker chicken recipe is so tasty with a honey soy sauce that is so flavorful with notes of garlic and thyme!

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade

• 5-6 lb bone in-skin on chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup Ketchup
• 5 cloves of garlic, lightly chopped
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 Tbs dried thyme
• 1 Tbs Dried oregano
• 1/2 Tbs dried mustard seed
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook and Shred

1. Lightly chop the garlic and onion and add to a medium bowl.
2. To the same bowl, add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup and mix
3. Add the thyme, oregano, mustard seed and olive oil. Mix until all combined
4. To a slow cooker add the chicken thighs and marinade. Massage the marinade in until all the chicken is well coated.
5. Cook on high for about 5 hours or until the meat is beginning to pull away from the bone.
6. Serve with rice, green onion, salt and pepper!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

670

Fat

48 g

Sat. Fat

12 g

Carbs

15 g

Sugar

11 g

Protein

45 g

Cholesterol

260 mg

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

14 g

NOTE: Calories calculated using chicken skin, I remove my skin for a lower calorie meal.

https://itsbetterwithbutter.com/dinner-delights/honey-soy-chicken

slow cooker chicken, soy sauce, honey soy chicken, crock pot chicken

Dinner

American

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Why I Love This Recipe and You Will To:

Having easy meals to make at home is a great way to keep you and your family healthy! Slow cooker meals are a great, economical options for larger families or small ones looking to save time and make a lot of food at once. If you want to read more about other ways to save money and time, check out this post all about Depression Era household tips that are actually so easy! I have been learning about canning and making sourdough and even though I am not very good at it, building these little kitchen skills is so rewarding in the end.