My Slow-Cooker Chicken Thighs are an economical, delicious dish that the whole family will love! The tender chicken thighs and the sweet and savory flavors of my honey garlic sauce make this dish the perfect meal for a busy weeknight or your next get-together.
Slow cooking is an easy way to get dinner on the table with minimal work, and recipes like my crockpot chicken thighs recipe will definitely be one of the more popular chicken dinners you serve your family.
This easy recipe can be made with boneless chicken thighs, but honestly, the bone and extra fat from the chicken skin add a lot of flavor to this delicious dish. Dark meat, in general, has more flavor than chicken breasts, and slow cooking gives you tender, juicy, flavorful chicken thighs every time.
Dinner time will definitely be more delicious with my Slow-Cooker Chicken Thighs. It’s one of my favorite crockpot recipes!
If you love creating delicious chicken dishes in your slow cooker, you’ll love my Slow Cooker Chicken Merlot.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- skin-on chicken thighs
- olive oil
- ketchup
- soy sauce
- honey
- fresh garlic
- onion
- dried thyme
- sweet paprika (or smoked paprika)
- dried mustard
- salt
- black pepper
Can I use different cuts of chicken to make this recipe?
You can use bone-in chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken breasts, or boneless thighs to make this recipe. You can even cut up a whole chicken and use the parts to make my slow cooker honey garlic chicken.
How to make slow cooker chicken thighs
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make slow cooker chicken thighs in your home kitchen.
- Add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, chopped onion, dried thyme, paprika, and dried mustard to a medium bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together until well blended.
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place a cast-iron pan or a large frying pan over medium-high heat with olive oil. Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan and sear until golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place it in the crock pot in a single layer, skin-side up.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high heat setting for 3 hours, or 5 hours on the low heat setting. When finished cooking, pour the sauce out of the slow cooker and skim off any excess fat. If needed, heat until thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley.
I like to serve my slow-cooker chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and green beans, but they can also be served with white or brown rice and your favorite vegetable.
Any leftover chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This dish can also be frozen and will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQ’s
Bone-in chicken thighs are one of the chicken parts that can be cooked on high heat because of the higher fat content of the dark meat and the bone. When it comes to breasts or boneless chicken, it’s best to avoid using high, intense heat.
Absolutely. Slow cookers and Crock-Pots are designed specifically to cook raw meat. The direct heat from the pot, long slow cooking time, and steam created by the covered slow cooker destroy bacteria during the cooking process. You can also put frozen chicken in a slow cooker.
No, you don’t. But searing the chicken seals in the juices, resulting in a more tender piece of chicken. Caramelizing the outside of the chicken will also add to the flavor.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on (8-9 thighs)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup onion fine dice
- 2 tablespoon fresh garlic fine mince
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Add the olive oil to a large cast-iron skillet or heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan and sear until golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place it in a single layer, skin-side up in the crock pot.
- Add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, chopped onion, dried thyme, paprika, and dried mustard to a mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until well blended.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
- When finished cooking, pour the sauce out of the slow cooker and skim off any excess fat. If needed, heat until thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and your favorite green vegetable.
Connie says
I made this recipe in my instapot pressure cooker. It was very good. I will make it again. I didn’t have any thyme so I used Italian seasoning instead.
Jess says
Would you recommend adding carrots and potatoes to the crockpot to cook with the chicken?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You can definitely add potatoes and carrots to the pot. I would add larger chunks of carrots and baby potatoes.
Lisa says
Good morning! Can I layer the boneless, skinless chicken breasts if I am doubling the recipe? Thank you for such delicious recipes!
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can. The crockpot is very forgiving.
Lisa says
Thank you! I am making it now and it smells amazing!
Alicia says
Delicious and simple to make. Family loved it!
Debbie says
I made this recipe tonight. My boyfriend is not big on chicken thighs, however, he loved this dinner as did my 27 year old son. Served them with mashed potatoes, green beans and corn.I have my chicken wings all rubbed down with Chef Dennis’ Cajun rub. Tomorrow nights dinner.
‘S
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear the chicken was a hit with your family! I hope you enjoy the wings just as much.
Anita says
Made the recipe as written except I thickened the sauce a bit with cornstarch. It was really good. Have you tried this with pork chops? I think I will! Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the chicken. I have not tried it with pork chops. the sauce would definitely go with it, but I don’t think I’ let the pork chops cook that long in a slow cooker.
Karen says
How long should I cook it when using boneless thighs and at what temp ?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Cooking time and temperature will remain the same as written for bone-in thighs.