How to Cook Chicken Thighs in a Crock Pot with Garlic and Honey Sauce

If you want to know how to cook chicken thighs in a crock pot, you’ve come to the right place. It uses succulent thigh meat and a garlic honey sauce that is just so darn good! Tonight our family enjoyed a terrific maple glazed slow cooker recipe that was out of this world. 

How to cook chicken thighs in a crock pot

This simple  slow cooker honey garlic chicken only uses 6 ingredients including maple syrup, garlic soy sauce, and salt and pepper.  Our daughter is a very picky eater. However, she loved the chicken and so did out ten-month-old little boy.  It’s comforting to know that everyone in the family can sit down and enjoy the same meal around the dinner table.

A crock pot/ Slow cooker is required

The chicken in this recipe was cooked in a crockpot on low heat. This makes the crock pot chicken thighs so tender and it will cook in its own juices. In fact, the chicken is so tender that it will fall right off the bone. The chicken is a good meal when you don’t want to spend a lot of time worrying or babysitting the meal. Since it takes several hours to cook, you just set it and forget it. It is great for working moms and working dads.  Also, it doesn’t take long to throw the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning.  It’s also great for leftovers and can be heated in no in a microwave. I would advise that you invest in a fancy crock-pot that has a timer. That way you can walk away without worry of overcooking.

Once you’ve made your slow cooker honey garlic chicken, you’ll notice the wonderful tasty flavor. If you want to go lean, you can substitute chicken breast instead of thighs. Contrary to popular belief, there really isn’t that much difference nutrition wise.  You could also use chicken wings or a combination of all three.  Our recipe uses chicken thighs with bone in but you could use boneless as well.

I love how tender the chicken is by simply slow cooking the meat. Sure you have to be patient and wait several hours but the payoff is worth it.

The chicken is low in carbs and calories.  Also, we use sugar-free maple syrup so if you are limiting your sugar intake or for those with diabetes, it won’t spike your blood sugar.  You can also add some veggies into the crock-pot to spice things up. These include carrots, celery, mushrooms, green beans or my personal favorite, sweet potatoes.

Red Lobster vs Maple crock pot chicken thighs made at home

Just for comparison’s sake, I looked up Red Lobsters Maple Glazed Chicken recipe. According to Myfitnesspal.com, 1 serving is 580 calories and 52 grams of carbohydrates. On a side note, there is 2550 mg of sodium which is extremely high.

Our slow cooker honey garlic chicken recipe comes to approximately 203 calories and about 3 grams per maple chicken thigh. This, of course, does not include any side items like carrots or mushrooms but as you might imagine the totals will still be quite low.

Print Recipe

New Instapot Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe 2019 Yum

Course

Soup

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

7-8 minutes

Passive Time

10 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 4 Stalks celery (minced)
• 4 carrots (chopped)
• 1 Red onion (sliced)
• 1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper
• 6 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1 Pound red potatoes
• 2 bay leaves (quartered)
• 1 Pint cherry or grape tomatoes (chopped)
• 2 Cups fresh arugula
• 2 Tsp fresh lime juice
• Parmesan cheese (shaved or grated)

Course Soup Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 7-8 minutes Passive Time 10 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil 3-4 garlic cloves 4 Stalks celery (minced) 4 carrots (chopped) 1 Red onion (sliced) 1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper 6 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth 1 Pound red potatoes 2 bay leaves (quartered) 1 Pint cherry or grape tomatoes (chopped) 2 Cups fresh arugula 2 Tsp fresh lime juice Parmesan cheese (shaved or grated)

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to your Instant Pot® and put it on the “Sauté” setting.
2. Add red onion, celery, carrots, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic.
3. Season with salt and pepper for more taste, then stir.
4. Sauté, occasionally stirring, until the vegetables start to develop some color for about 4-5 minutes.
5. Add broth and stir, scraping any brown bits off the bottom during the process.
6. Turn the Instant Pot® off.
7. Add potatoes, bay leaves, and chopped tomatoes to the pot.
8. Add lid and lock into place. Switch the vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” setting for 3 minutes.
9. When cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
10. Remove lid and discard the bay leaves. Stir in fresh arugula and lime juice, and season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired. Stir.
11. Serve immediately topped with freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
12. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Pro Tip: Tougher herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, can be added before cooking, while more tender options, such as basil and parsley, should be stirred in when the arugula is added. (Discard the woody stems for the more robust herbs before serving).

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