This tasty slow cooker sticky chicken is the easiest meal you’ll make all week!
Good news! Ten minutes. One pot. No oil. No fussing. Get your napkins out and be ready to lick your fingers. This Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken is beyond good.
I was kind of embarrassed to admit to Denis during dinner that all I could think about was how overjoyed I was that there were LEFTOVERS for tomorrow! I get to experience this near-nirvana state all over again. I actually had to tell myself to slow down as I was eating.
Seriously, you need to make this chicken. It’s a little salty and a little sweet and a little hot and spicy and it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. It’s the easiest meal you’ll make all week.
Tamari soy sauce (or coconut aminos) Sriracha, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and onion . . . just mix and pour and let your slow cooker work its magic.
I used 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 (which are one of the few “thanks, but no thanks” things that Denis will simply not eat. It’s something about those leg veins, apparently.) Put the chicken of your choice in your slow cooker, mix up the sauce ingredients, pour them over the chicken and come back later to find dinner all made for you. Easy-peasy.
- 3 pounds meaty bone-in about 12, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos for paleo diet
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp powdered onion
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2-4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- fresh cilantro, sesame seeds
- Put fresh or thawed chicken in slow cooker.
- Mix all remaining ingredients except the cornstarch, water, and garnish.
- Pour over chicken, 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.
- 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.
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More easy dishes like this Crock-Pot Sticky Chicken
Jane Amstutz says
Looks so delicious–and I have all the ingredients for the sauce! Just need to get the chicken.
Flavour & Savour says
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! This is bound to become a favourite in our house.
tracey says
i always find that the water from the chicken makes it too runny?? but im deffo going to try this!!
Flavour & Savour says
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!
Susie says
Thank you!!!
Flavour & Savour says
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it!
Dottie says
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 says
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!
OregonLaura says
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 says
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!
Nikki Manago says
Making it right now….SMELLS DELISH SO FAR!!!!!
Flavour & Savour says
Mmmm . . . I can smell it from here! 🙂 Enjoy!
Christa Groen says
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 says
Hi Christa!
That’s so great to hear my recipe is loved on the other side of the world! Thanks so much for commenting.
Ruth says
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 says
Hi Ruth–It should be fine–the flavour will just be a little bit different. Enjoy!
Ruth says
Thank you so much! I appreciate your reply. I’ll let you know how it goes down with the hubby. 🙂
Sarah says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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.
Flavour & Savour says
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!
Coral says
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 says
Hi Coral, The nutrition info is for 1 thigh. Hope this helps! Thanks for your question.
Coral says
Thank you