Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies Recipe for a Simple Dinner

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies

This slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies is the dinner I lean on when the day is already full.

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Eight bone in, skin on chicken thighs, baby red potatoes, carrots and green beans go into one pot with a sticky honey garlic sauce. Set it in the morning, walk away, and dinner is waiting when you get home.

Why you’ll love this slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies recipe

If you have ever walked in the door too tired to think about dinner, this recipe was made for you. It is a true dump and go meal. You stir the sauce, layer everything into the slow cooker, and let it work while you live your day.

Here is what makes it a keeper in my kitchen:

• No stove work. Everything cooks in one appliance, which is a gift on hot summer days when you would rather not stand over a skillet.
• Main dish and sides together. Chicken thighs plus potatoes, carrots and green beans means one pot instead of three.
• Flexible and forgiving. Use boneless skinless chicken, sweet potatoes instead of baby red potatoes, or broccoli instead of green beans.
• Set and forget friendly. Prep takes about 10 minutes, then the slow cooker does the rest.
• Big flavor, small effort. Soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic and dried herbs melt into a glossy sauce that coats every bite.

I like to start this before I leave for work. Coming home to a kitchen that already smells like dinner is a small luxury, and the chicken stays juicy while the carrots turn sweet and tender.

Because the vegetables simmer right in the sauce, they pick up that honey garlic flavor instead of tasting plain. And if you are cooking for two, the leftovers hold up beautifully, so one session at the counter gives you two easy dinners.

One thing I appreciate about this recipe is how little babysitting it needs. You are not stirring a pot or timing pasta. The slow cooker does the work, and the only hands on moment happens right at the end, when you slide the chicken under the broiler.

This is also a great recipe for busy parents and students because it is so low maintenance. You can even mix the sauce the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. Then in the morning you just pour and go.

How to make slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies

The whole thing comes together in four simple steps.

1. Mix the sauce. In a large bowl, combine reduced sodium soy sauce, honey, ketchup, minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and ground black pepper. Want more heat? Add extra red pepper flakes.
2. Load the slow cooker. Place the chicken thighs, potatoes and carrots into a 6 quart slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, basting every hour. Stir the green beans in during the last 30 minutes of cooking. For a thicker sauce, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid and add it with the green beans.
3. Crisp the skin. Preheat the oven to broil, move the chicken thighs to a baking sheet skin side up, and broil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the sheet about 6 inches from the broiler and stay nearby, because the skin can burn fast.
4. Serve. Plate the chicken with the potatoes, carrots and green beans and spoon the sauce over everything. Chopped parsley on top is a nice fresh finish.

That last step matters more than it sounds. The broiler turns soft slow cooker skin into something caramelized and crisp, and it only takes a few minutes. Serving the extra sauce over rice, quinoa or another grain means nothing goes to waste.

A quick note on basting: it sounds fussy, but it takes seconds. Spoon some of the sauce from the bottom of the pot over the chicken, close the lid, and go back to your day. It keeps the top of the chicken from drying out during those long hours.

Timing is flexible too. If your day runs long, low heat gives you a wide window, and the green beans only need the last 30 minutes, so you can add them when you walk in the door and still sit down to a hot dinner.

More slow cooker favorites

If this one earns a spot in your rotation, these slow cooker recipes are worth saving too: Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Pork Carnitas, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli. They all follow the same easy, hands off approach.

Tools For This Recipe

• 6 quart slow cooker
• Baking sheet

That is the whole list. You do not need anything fancy here.

Ingredients

• 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
• 16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved
• 16 ounces baby carrots
• 16 ounces green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, optional

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Everything here is easy to find at a regular grocery store, and the recipe makes 4 servings.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Whisk until the honey dissolves.
2. Place the chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and the soy sauce mixture into a 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, basting every hour.
3. Add the green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. If you want a thicker sauce, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid at the same time.
4. Preheat the oven to broil. Place the chicken thighs onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Serve the chicken immediately with the potatoes, carrots and green beans. Garnish with parsley if you like.

Notes

A few small choices make a big difference here, so I want to walk you through them.

Pick the right size pot. Use a 6 quart slow cooker. If the insert is too small, the chicken cooks unevenly. If it is too large, the liquid reduces too fast and the chicken and vegetables can burn.

Bone in wins. Bone in, skin on thighs give you the juiciest, most flavorful result. If you prefer boneless skinless thighs or breasts, they work too, but they need less time. Boneless thighs take about 2.5 to 3 hours, and boneless breasts take about 3 to 3.5 hours. Check that the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.

Keep the salt in check. Reduced sodium soy sauce is the move here. You get all of the flavor with less salt, which matters because the sauce cooks down and concentrates.

Thicken the sauce if you like. For a glossier, thicker sauce, stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid and add it when you add the green beans.

Swap what you have. Baby red potatoes can become sweet potatoes, and green beans can become broccoli. Both work well with the honey garlic sauce.

Broil for crispy skin. Set the oven to broil, place the thighs skin side up on a baking sheet, and put them on the top rack about 6 inches from the heat. A few minutes is all it takes. Watch closely, because skin goes from golden to burnt quickly.

Serve it over something. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro all soak up that sauce. A light salad on the side rounds out the plate.

Store leftovers right. Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat covered with aluminum foil in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven instead of blasting them in the microwave, which can make the chicken rubbery.

Think about balance. The sauce itself is a balance of salty soy, sweet honey and tangy ketchup, with garlic and dried herbs behind it. If you like a little heat, the red pepper flakes are your dial.

Keep the lid on. Every peek lets heat escape and stretches the cooking time, and a slow cooker is already in no hurry.

Remember the vegetable timing. The carrots and potatoes go in at the start because they need the full cook time, while the green beans are tender and only need the last half hour.

If you only remember one thing: 6 quart pot, bone in thighs, and green beans in the last 30 minutes.

Recipe details

This slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies makes 4 servings, with about 10 minutes of prep before the slow cooker takes over.

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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies This slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies is the dinner I lean on when the day is already full. Eight bone in, skin on chicken thighs, baby red potatoes, carrots and green beans go into one pot with a sticky honey garlic sauce.

• Total Time: 495 min
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved
16 ounces baby carrots
16 ounces green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

For the sauce
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

1-In a large bowl, combine soy sauce,: In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.
2-Place chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and soy: Place chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and soy sauce mixture into a 6-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, basting every hour. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
3-Preheat oven to broil: Preheat oven to broil. Place chicken thighs onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
4-Serve chicken immediately with potatoes, carrots and: Serve chicken immediately with potatoes, carrots and green beans, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 485 min
• Method: slow_cooker