Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Chicken
Updated
Updated
Get out your crock pot! These Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Chicken drumsticks and thighs are soaked in a honey-soy sauce spiked with orange, ginger, and garlic. So easy and delicious!
Love these flavors, but don’t have a crockpot? Make our Honey Soy Baked Chicken instead.
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Easy Crockpot Honey-Soy Chicken Recipe
I don’t have a lot of slow cooker recipes in my catalog because I just find most of them, well…unimpressive. Bland. So when I make one that has great flavor and worth making again, I get so excited. This slow cooker honey-soy chicken is one of those!
You can use chicken drumsticks, thighs, or a combination of both. They’re lightly pan seared, then slow cooked in a flavor-packed Asian marinade. Serve over rice for a delicious meal.
Ingredients Needed
This easy crockpot chicken recipe calls for pretty common Asian ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Chicken – 2 1/2 pounds (8 bone-in) chicken pieces. Can be all drumsticks, all thighs, or a combination.
- Olive oil – To lightly pan sear the chicken before transferring to the slow cooker.
- Soy sauce – Opt for low sodium to avoid the dish being overly salty.
- Orange juice and zest – For a bright, citrus flavor.
- Garlic & Ginger – Fresh for best aromatics and flavor.
- Rice wine vinegar – Adds some zest and tang.
- Honey – Provides some sweetness and balances out the vinegar.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and cracked red pepper flakes.
- Toasted sesame seeds – For a lovely crunchy, nutty flavor.
- Chopped fresh parsley – For garnish
How to Make Crockpot Pot Honey-Soy Chicken
It’s super easy to make this slow cooker chicken recipe. Here’s a summary:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Pan sear chicken. Lightly pan-sear the chicken in a bit of olive oil until they have a golden crust. Transfer to a greased 6-quart slow cooker.
- Make the marinade. Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken.
- Cook. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or until chicken registers 165F in the thickest part), basting the tops halfway through if possible, so the skin doesn’t dry out
- Make sauce reduction. Transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl. Very carefully pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium skillet with a bit of cornstarch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced and slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Serve. Serve, sprinkled with parsley, over cooked white white and enjoy!
Can I Bake The Chicken Instead?
Serving Suggestions
We love this chicken served with white rice or pineapple coconut rice. It’s also great with a side of wonton soup or miso soup for a complete meal. A slice of naan to mop of the juices is great, too!
Storing Leftovers
Cool chicken completely, then store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Crockpot Chicken Recipes:
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Italian Lemon Chicken
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 & 1/2 pounds (8 bone-in) chicken pieces
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- cooked white rice, , for serving
Instructions
- Coat a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine honey, orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, vinegar, crushed red pepper, and sesame seeds.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with a little salt and pepper; sauté for about 3 minutes per side, until they have a golden crust. Transfer to the slow cooker along with the sauce mixture.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or until chicken registers 165F in the thickest part), basting the tops halfway through, so the skin doesn't dry out.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl.
- Very carefully pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium skillet with a tablespoon of cornstarch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the drumsticks and stir to coat.
- Serve, sprinkled with parsley, over cooked white white and enjoy!NOTE: You can skip the sauce reduction, if preferred, it will just be looser.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Will this recipe work with skinless, boneless breasts? If so, would I need to adjust anything?
I made this recipe, but baked it all in the oven using your variation. It was delicious – thanks!
Looks and sounds amazing!
Love this chicken!
Always looking for slow cooker meals and this was great! I served it with sesame noodles on the side.
I love that this doesn’t have any cream of canned soup or dairy!
This was dinner last night – loved it!