This tasty slow cooker sticky chicken is the easiest meal you'll make all week! Juicy slow cooker chicken thighs are simmered in an Asian-inspired sweet and salty sauce in your crock-pot.
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These Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken Thighs are beyond good.
Get your napkins out and be ready to lick your fingers!
I'm always overjoyed when there are leftovers of this dish, knowing that I'll get to experience this near-nirvana state all over again. This crockpot chicken thighs recipe is so easy and so tasty.
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
- Ten minutes.
- One pot.
- No oil.
- No fussing.
- Super easy recipe!
You need to make this slow cooker Sticky Chicken thigh recipe. It's a little salty and a little sweet and a little hot and spicy. The meat falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. It has an Asian-glazed sauce you'll love. It's the easiest meal you'll make all week.
And if you're pressed for time, you can use my recipe for Instant Pot Sticky Chicken, ready in about half an hour!
🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this easy slow cooker recipe for chicken thighs. Just mix the sticky chicken marinade ingredients together, pour over the chicken thighs and let your slow cooker work its magic.
- chicken parts: I use chicken thighs because I find that thighs are better in the slow cooker than chicken breasts. Thighs have more flavour, and they don't dry out and get stringy when cooked for a long time. You could also use wings or legs (drumsticks).
- This recipe is written for bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. While some people shun chicken skin, it adds a lot of flavour and it keeps the meat from drying out. If you prefer to use boneless chicken thighs, this recipe works beautifully as well. You'll have to reduce the temperature and the cook time to avoid dry and stringy meat. See notes below for cooking time.
- Tamari soy sauce (or coconut aminos for paleo diet)
- balsamic vinegar: adds a necessary acid to balance the flavours.
- Sriracha sauce: or other hot sauce, or you can substitute dried red pepper flakes
- honey and coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- aromatics: garlic, ginger and onion
👍🏼 Instructions
- Put the chicken thighs in your slow cooker.
- Combine the sauce ingredients and pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low. If you're using boneless thighs, cook for 3 to 4 hours on Low.
- Just before serving, combine ¼ cup of the sauce with a little cornstarch. Stir it back into the slow cooker and cook for 10 - 15 minutes more, or until thickened and glossy.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs results in tender, juicy chicken. However, the skin will not become crispy in this slow cooker chicken recipe. If this bothers you, simply remove the skin before eating.
You could also add an extra step to this recipe and brown the chicken parts in a skillet on the stovetop before adding to the slow cooker to help crisp the skin.
As mentioned above, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. However, you'll have to reduce the cooking time to 3 - 4 hours on Low.
🍽 Serving suggestions
This Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken is delicious over rice or pasta, or even mashed potatoes. If you'd like, you can serve it with stir-fried vegetables, or with a side of baby bok choy, broccoli, or this Easy 5-minute Sesame Asparagus.
This post was originally published in 2014. It has been updated with new information to make it more helpful to you.
When you make this slow cooker sticky chicken recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance!
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📖 Recipe Card
Crock Pot Sticky Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on (about 12 thighs)
- ⅓ cup tamari soy sauce, or coconut aminos for paleo diet
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ inch knob fresh ginger, grated or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger,
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2-4 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Garnish
- fresh cilantro, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Put fresh or thawed chicken thighs in slow cooker.
- Mix all remaining ingredients except the cornstarch, water, and garnish.
- Pour over chicken thighs, turning to coat all pieces.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low. Note: if using boneless thighs, cook 3 to 4 hours on Low.
- When cooked through and tender, mix the cornstarch with the water and a little of the sauce. Pour over the chicken, stir and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes until thickened.
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.
Deanna
Easy-peasy. Kids loved it! 5 stars.
Elaine
Thanks so much for the 5 stars, Deanna!
Sandy
Awesome recipe! Made it today. Did not change a thing. Used chicken thighs (boneless) will make again! Thx!
Flavour & Savour
That's great to hear! Thanks for the five stars, too.
Coral
So what is the serving size? 1 thigh, 2 thighs? I want to try this but the carbs are high for one thigh. Thanks!
Flavour & Savour
Hi Coral, The nutrition info is for 1 thigh. Hope this helps! Thanks for your question.
Coral
Thank you
Flavour & Savour
Hi Karen,
You could substitute sambal oelek if you have it (start with just a teaspoon) OR add a teaspoon or two of dried red pepper flakes for a little heat. I haven’t tried it with chili powder but if you don’t have these first two suggestions, you might try it. Just start with a little as you can always add more later if you like your food spicy. Thanks for your question!
Sarah
How long should 2lbs total of mixed boneless skinless thighs & bone-in wings cook? (I'm new to crockpot cooking) Making this for dinner tonight, looks delish!
Flavour & Savour
Hi Sarah,
There are lots of variables to consider, such as the size of the wings, the thickness of the thighs, the type of slow cooker you have, etc. but I would estimate that they would need 4 - 6 hours on High or 2 - 3 hours on low. Great question! Good luck.
Justin
Hope you get this soon. I was going to use boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes for this recipe. Will that change the cooking duration? I was hoping to be able to get away with cooking it for 6 to 7 hours on high.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Justin,
I'm afraid that would be much too long for boneless chicken breast cubes and they'd be overdone. You may want to cook it on low for half that time.
Ruth
All I had was chulula in the house...looked everywhere for the Sriracha as we were SURE we had it in stock! 🙂
The dish is currently cooking in the slow cooker as I type. Do you think it will turn out okay with the chulula? I hope so!
Thank you!!
Flavour & Savour
Hi Ruth--It should be fine--the flavour will just be a little bit different. Enjoy!
Ruth
Thank you so much! I appreciate your reply. I'll let you know how it goes down with the hubby. 🙂
Christa Groen
My son, who lives in Florida bought me a crockpot. So i was looking for recipes and found yours.
Today my daughter and i enjoyed your sticky chicken in the Netherlands,
Definitely gonna make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Christa!
That's so great to hear my recipe is loved on the other side of the world! Thanks so much for commenting.
Nikki Manago
Making it right now....SMELLS DELISH SO FAR!!!!!
Flavour & Savour
Mmmm . . . I can smell it from here! 🙂 Enjoy!
OregonLaura
Had this for dinner tonight and we all enjoyed it. While the flavor in this was outstanding, next time I will use more Sriracha sauce as I like more kick. I used BLSL chicken breasts cut into chunks which did get a little dry but I poked all pieces with a fork several times before adding the cornstarch and that helped rehydrate the chicken. I will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks for commenting and sharing your great idea to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. I know what you mean about wanting an extra kick--the older I get, the spicier I like my food! Glad this one will become a regular in your home!
Dottie
Hi. This looking quite tempting. But how does the thigh skin turn out ? Most of my slow cooker recipes either brown the chicken first or put it under the broiler after finished to make the skin more "edible".
Thank you.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Dottie,
Great question! I know just what you mean about chicken skin in slow cookers! The skin will not be crispy without browning it first or putting it under the broiler afterward, but in this recipe, the sauce is quite strongly flavoured and it tends to flavour the skin too. You could always remove the skin before cooking. Thanks for your question!
Susie
Thank you!!!
Flavour & Savour
You're welcome! Glad you liked it!
Jane Amstutz
Looks so delicious--and I have all the ingredients for the sauce! Just need to get the chicken.
Flavour & Savour
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! This is bound to become a favourite in our house.
tracey
i always find that the water from the chicken makes it too runny?? but im deffo going to try this!!
Flavour & Savour
Hi Tracey,
I haven't had that problem. If you mix the cornstarch and water with some of the sauce and cook it for a little longer, it thickens right up. We love this chicken dish. Thanks for commenting!