Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are a flavorful and savory dish made using boneless or bone-in chicken thighs cooked with a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. The dish features tender chicken thighs that are seasoned with a rub, pan-seared, then finished in the slow cooker with a sauce made from honey, butter, garlic, soy sauce and cider vinegar.

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

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Honey garlic chicken thighs are a flavorful and savory dish made using boneless or bone-in chicken thighs cooked with a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce.

Author: Linda Jolly-Kilbride
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Category: Main Dish
Method: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Chicken

6 large chicken thighs skinless and bone-in*
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Rub

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper

Honey Garlic Butter Sauce

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Additional

1/4 cup water or chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

Chicken

Pat dry chicken thighs with a paper towel.
Combine 1/2 tablespoon of oil with rub ingredients. Season chicken, rubbing the mixture into the chicken.
Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken for 2 minutes each side to get a nice sear.
Transfer chicken thighs to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Sauce

Melt butter in the same pan the chicken was in, scraping up any leftover browned bits in the pan.
Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in remaining sauce ingredients; bring to a rapid simmer for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Pour sauce over chicken in slow cooker bowl, flipping thighs in the sauce to evenly coat. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. Baste with sauce halfway through cooking.
Transfer chicken onto a serving dish and tent loosely with parchment paper. Let rest for 5 minutes.
While chicken is resting, pour juices from the slow cooker bowl into a pot large enough to fit the liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Whisk 1/4 cup water (or broth) with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into a lump-free slurry. Whisk into sauce and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened into a syrup-like consistency. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
For a thicker sauce, repeat this step with 1 teaspoon extra cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water. Add into sauce and cook until thickened. Continue this step until the desired consistency is reached.
Place slow cooked chicken thighs on a lined baking sheet. Baste chicken with some of the thickened sauce, about 2 tablespoons per thigh. Broil briefly for 1 to 2 minutes on each side to char the edges.
Slice chicken and serve drizzled with Honey Garlic Butter Sauce.

Notes

* Skin on thighs are fine to use, as long as you sear the skin to render some of the fat to avoid too much fat melting into your braising liquid/sauce.

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs