Honey Garlic Chicken
Servings: 8
Calories: 311kcal
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds will work
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt*
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil avocado or olive, for searing
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 large cloves garlic (about a heaping tablespoon) finely minced
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey plus more, if you like it sweet
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or chili oil, or your favorite hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch after cooking!
- 1 tablespoon water
- green onion to garnish
- sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
Stove top and Slow Cooker Instructions
- Dry the chicken. Lay the chicken thighs out on paper towels to dry them off a bit. Dry chicken sears and browns better than wet chicken.
- Season the chicken. Add 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to a small bowl and stir.Sprinkle the seasonings all over the chicken, making sure to get all sides. Use your hands to rub the spices into the chicken thighs really well. Let the chicken sit out on the counter for about 25 minutes, if you have time. This short marinade makes a big difference in flavor!
- Sear. Place a 12 inch skillet on the stove over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Carefully add 2 or 3 chicken thighs at a time. Once they hit the oil, don't move them. Don't crowd the pan or they won't sear as well; you will have to do this in a few batches. Let the chicken sear for about 2 minutes, until browned. Use tongs to flip, then sear for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Remove the seared thighs to a plate. Continue with the remaining thighs until you've done them all. Set the plate of chicken aside.Turn the burner off and remove the pan from the heat to let it cool down (it's too hot for the butter that comes next; we don't want to scorch it).
- Prepare the Sauce. Smash and mince your 5-8 cloves of garlic...follow your heart here. See photos for a garlic tutorial!
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the same pan you seared the chicken in. Turn the heat to medium. Once the butter has melted and has started to bubble, add all the minced garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce and use the spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to get up all those golden browned bits from searing the chicken. Add 1/3 cup honey (you can be generous here if you want), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon sriracha, and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar. Stir everything together until well combined, about 2-3 more minutes. Skip to the slow cook section if you're using that method.
- Stove top instructions. To make this a super quick weeknight meal, add the chicken right back into the pan. Put a lid over the pan and turn the heat to medium low. Cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest piece of chicken reads 160 degrees F. Add water, a couple tablespoons at a time, if the liquid starts to evaporate.
- In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon cold water and 1 tablespoon corn starch. Stir until there are no lumps. Shove all the chicken over to one side of the pan, and tilt the pan so that the liquid pools on the other side. Add the cornstarch slurry to the hot liquid and stir. Lower the pan. Turn the heat up to medium high, and cook the chicken with the sauce until it starts to bubble, then remove from heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Slow Cooker Instructions. Dump the plate of chicken thighs into a slow cooker, adding any juices that have accumulated. Carefully pour the sauce in the pan over the top of the chicken. Use a fork or spatula to move the chicken around in the sauce until it's all been covered.
- Slow cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours, or on LOW for 3-4 hours. Because the chicken has already been seared, it does not need as long a cook time, so you can check at 1 hour on high and 2-3 hours on low to see if they're cooked. They should be fall-apart tender.
- Start Rice and Veggies. About 30 minutes or so before the chicken is ready, start cooking your sides so they're finished by the time the chicken is. Check out this post on How to Cook Rice on the Stove for the perfect rice tutorial, or try some Riced Cauliflower for a low carb option. We love this Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe or this Best Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe as a vegetable side!
- Prepare Sauce. Once the chicken is cooked, use tongs or a large slotted spoon to remove it to a serving dish. Keep warm. Turn the crock pot up to HIGH. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water to a small bowl. Stir until there are no lumps, then pour it into the crock pot and use a whisk to stir in the slurry. Put the lid on and let it cook until bubbly, another 20-30 minutes.**
- Serve. Once the sauce is thickened, pour the sauce over the chicken on the serving dish. You can choose whether to serve the chicken in whole pieces, or to shred the thighs prior to eating. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds! Serve with rice and vegetables.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Season the chicken. Follow the instructions above for drying and seasoning the chicken.
- Sear. Push the sauté button on your instant pot and adjust to the highest heat. Once it says it is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Carefully add 2 thighs at a time to sear. Don't crowd the pan or they won't sear as well. Let them sear for about 2 minutes, then flip and sear for another two minutes on the other side.
- Remove the seared thighs to a plate. Sear the remaining thighs using the instructions above until all are seared. Once all the chicken is seared, turn off the instant pot.
- Prepare the Sauce. Let the instant pot cool for 2-3 minutes. If you add the butter immediately, it will splatter and could even scorch. After a few minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 5 minced cloves of garlic (about 1 heaping tablespoon). Turn the heat back on and saute for about 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce and use the spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all the delicious browned bits from searing the chicken. Then, add in 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon sriracha, and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Transfer. Add the chicken thighs back to the instant pot, making sure to get all the meat juices into the pan with the sauce. Use a fork or spatula to move the chicken around in the sauce until it's all been covered.
- Cook. Put the lid on and make sure it's sealed. Press the manual button and adjust the time to 10 minutes. Because the chicken has already been seared, it does not need as long of a cook time.
- Start Rice and Veggies. Once the chicken has started in the instant pot, start cooking your sides. Check out this post on How to Cook Rice on the Stove for the perfect rice tutorial, or try some Riced Cauliflower for a low carb option! For a vegetable side, we like this Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe or this Best Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe as a vegetable side!
- Remove Chicken. When the Instant Pot finishes its cook time, turn it off and set a timer for 10 minutes. When the timer is up, manually release any remaining pressure (turn the knobby thing to "vent"). Carefully transfer just the chicken to a serving dish. Set the instant pot to sauté and adjust to high heat.
- Thicken sauce. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Mix well, then pour the slurry into the instant pot with the sauce and use a whisk to stir it in. Use the whisk to stir occasionally until the sauce comes to a boil, then turn off the instant pot. If you prefer a very thick sauce, feel free to double the slurry.
- Serve. You can serve the chicken and sauce separately, or pour the sauce back over the chicken. You can also choose whether to serve the chicken in whole pieces, or to shred the meat prior to eating.
- Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds! Serve with rice and vegetables.
Notes
*Kosher salt: If all you have is table salt, use 2 teaspoons.
**Thickening the sauce: If you are making this in the slow cooker, you can remove the cooked chicken, then transfer the sauce to a pot on the stove (or the same pan that you seared the chicken in). Turn the heat to medium high, and when the mixture is bubbly, add the cornstarch slurry as described. Cook and stir for another 2-4 minutes. This is a much faster way to thicken the sauce, but it's annoying to transfer it back to the stove. Pick your poison!
How to store leftover honey garlic chicken: Transfer any leftover chicken and sauce in a plastic or glass airtight container. Once it is no longer hot, you can put it in the refrigerator where it will last for 4-5 days. I like to package some of the chicken, rice, and vegetables into one small container for a quick lunch. (aka meal prep :) Yum! To warm, transfer the contents to a plate (or keep in the container if it is glass) and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute.
Can you freeze slow cooker honey garlic chicken?
This chicken recipe freezes beautifully! Any way you cook it (slow cooker, instant pot, or stove top) it's a great recipe to freeze leftovers.
You could even double the recipe and freeze for another family meal later down the road. To freeze, make the recipe all the way through the end, then let the chicken sit to cool to room temperature. Once cool, transfer chicken and sauce to freezer ziplock bags. If it's a whole batch for a large family, gallon size will work best. For leftovers or meal prep, quart size will be a better fit.
To use, thaw the bag of chicken overnight in the refrigerator. You can then warm larger servings in a pan on the stove over medium low heat with a lid on it, stirring occasionally til heated through. For individual servings, you can do stovetop or heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute.
Nutrition
Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Potassium: 553mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg