This slow cooker honey garlic chicken takes budget-friendly chicken drumsticks and cooks them in a sweet, salty, and savoury sauce until tender and juicy. This chicken is perfect served over rice for an easy and delicious dinner.
This recipe is part of my budget-friendly meal series and comes in at approximately $2.80 per serve!
Lately honey garlic has been one of my go to flavours when wanting something easy and delicious. I’ve been making this honey garlic tofu or honey garlic chicken stir fry for easy weeknight meals, and then there are these delicious crispy honey garlic chicken wings which are the perfect Friday night feed while watching the footy.
Today, I am taking that delicious and simple honey garlic sauce that is using just 4 super simple everyday pantry staple ingredients and throwing it in the slow cooker with some chicken drumsticks to create the most insanely tender and flavourful chicken.
I’ve been eating this chicken by pulling it off the bone and adding to a bowl with sushi rice, edamame, kewpie mayo, and seasoned seaweed and it’s been so simple yet tastes incredible.
But honestly, you can serve the chicken however you want, plus it makes a great dish to do for meal prep or to just feed a hungry crowd without a crazy high grocery bill. I do recommend combining the chicken with rice (or mashed potatoes would be great!) as it will soak up all of that extra sauce – it truly is the best bit!
Key Ingredients
This is a super simple recipe. You’ll need just a few everyday ingredients to create this sweet and sticky honey garlic chicken.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken drumsticks – I like to use drumsticks because they are inexpensive, very forgiving when slow cooked, and are full of flavour. You could also use bone-in chicken thighs if you preferred.
- Honey – for the key sweetness and flavour of the chicken.
- Soy sauce – adds that salty flavour that balances the sweet and gives that classic flavour combination. You can use tamari to make this recipe gluten free.
- Garlic – our key flavour for the sauce. I use 4 cloves but please measure this with your heart.
- Cornflour – also known as corn starch in the US, this is an optional ingredient. I like to add a little to the sauce to thicken it at the end.
For more recipes using chicken drumsticks, make sure to also try these oven-baked honey soy chicken drumsticks.
Equipment and Tools
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Slow Cooker / Multi Cooker – I replaced my slow cooker with the Philips All In One as it also functions as a pressure cooker so I get a lot more use out of it.
Step-By-Step Instructions
While I am usually all for a dump and go slow cooker recipe, I am going to recommend that you take the time to do step one of this recipe which is first browning the chicken.
Chicken drumsticks do have a lot of skin and this can get a little rubbery / slimy in my experience, but I find through the process of just first browning the chicken, the skin becomes super flavourful and yum.
This is where having a muti-cooker with a sauté function comes in handy as you can do it all in the one pot, but if you have a regular slow cooker, simply do the browning process in a frying pan instead.
Once the chicken is browned (you may need to do this in batches) add the chicken back into the slow cooker.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and crushed garlic. Pour the sauce over the chicken and give it a gentle mix to ensure all the chicken is coated.
Place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6–7 hours, until the chicken is tender and starting to fall apart.
This step is optional if you want to thicken the sauce. You can carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker and set it aside. Keep the slow cooker on high or switch back to sauté if you have a multi-cooker.
Mix the cornflour with some water and add to the sauce. Let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly. Return the chicken to the sauce and toss gently to coat.
From here, you can serve the drumsticks with extra sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion if you like.
Storage Instructions
This is a great recipe for meal prep as it makes a good amount with little effort. To store the chicken, start by allowing it to cool at room temperature before transferring the drumsticks and sauce to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the chicken if you want to keep it for longer. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container or zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, it’s best to thaw the chicken first, before heating on the stovetop in a covered pan over low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Recipe FAQs
I highly recommend the step of searing as it adds extra flavour and improves the texture of the chicken skin which I think makes it more enjoyable to eat. However, if you’re really short on time you can skip this step and place the raw drumsticks straight into the slow cooker.
Yes you can! Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs work well and will cook in the same amount of time. Boneless thighs can also be used, but I recommend checking for doneness earlier as they may cook slightly faster.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More slow cooker chicken recipes:
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.2–1.4 kilograms chicken drumsticks
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or use the sauté setting on your multi cooker. Sear the chicken drumsticks in batches until the skin is golden. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and crushed garlic.
- Once all the chicken is seared, place it into the base of the slow cooker or multi cooker and pour over the sauce. Toss the drumsticks to coat them evenly.
- Place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6–7 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, carefully remove the drumsticks from the slow cooker and set them aside.
- Turn the cooker to high and stir in the cornflour slurry if using. Let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Return the chicken to the thickened sauce and toss gently to coat.
- Serve the drumsticks with extra sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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