This Slow Cooker Honey Soy Chicken is an easy weeknight dinner recipe featuring slowly braised chicken thighs coated in a sweet and spicy sauce of pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, and sriracha.
How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Eat way too much? Have to unbutton your pants to squeeze in dessert? …or were you one of the smart ones that wore sweatpants or stretch pants to the table? And if that’s the case, you are a Thanksgiving pro. Good work.
Asheley had to work on Thanksgiving, which was a total bummer. It’s one of the “perks” of working in a hospital I guess. People don’t take off from going to the ER just because it’s a holiday unfortunately. But since she worked Thanksgiving, that means she’s going to have off Christmas Eve and Christmas. It’s a good trade-off, right?
Well, the Thanksgiving leftovers are all (sadly) gone at this point. I did a good job of making those bad boys last all weekend long. And although I totally love all things Thanksgiving, I’ve now happily started rocking out to my Christmas tunes in the car and have the house (halfway) decorated for the big day.
December is going to totally fly by. I haven’t even begun Christmas shopping yet, and this month is pretty crazy for us music teachers as we prepare for our holiday performances and go to all sorts of concerts.
So a decision has to be made. Increase the amount of dinner take-out in our household or start cranking out some slow-cooker meals. I do love me some good take-out, but it kind of gets expensive. Plus, there is something so satisfying about walking in after a long day and having dinner waiting for you in that shiny little slow cooker.
Oh, and I know pineapple juice is something you probably don’t buy everyday. It typically comes in one of those big can things. Since you’ll probably have some leftover pineapple juice, you could always go ahead and make Asheley’s favorite drink, the French Martini. Just combine some pineapple juice with a bit of Chambord (raspberry liqueur) and vodka. It’s pretty great.
Are you into the whole slow cooker weeknight meals? I have two more I’ll be sharing with you soon. If you have a favorite slow cooker meal, would you be so kind to share it with me in the comments below? Share the love 🙂 I’m always on the look out for new slow cooker recipes that have already been tested out by people I trust. And you… I trust you.
{Slow Cooker} Honey Soy Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha (more or less depending desired level of spiciness)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Cooked brown or white rice
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Generously season chicken with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add chicken and sear until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken from skillet and add to a slow cooker coated with nonstick cooking spray. Stir pineapple juice into skillet and scrap up any browned bits stuck in the pan using a wooden spoon. Remove skillet from heat and stir in honey, soy sauce, sriracha, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for approximately 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and increase heat to high. Combine water with cornstarch in a small bowl and add to slow cooker, stirring until fully incorporated. Cook for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Return chicken to slow cooker to coat with sauce.
- Divide rice among four bowls and top with chicken thighs. Spoon sauce over chicken and top with scallions and a lime wedge.
Ashley says
December 3, 2013 at 6:55 amI agree with you on easy meals this time of the year – things are about to get even more crazy. I really need to use my crockpot more often – although I’m one of those people who is terrified to leave it on while I’m out of the house! This honey soy chicken sounds delicious – love that you used sriracha in here!
Chris says
December 4, 2013 at 7:05 amHaha I used to be the same way Ashley! I still am a little paranoid and make sure the slow cooker is like a good 5 miles clear of any possible flammable materials… just in case. No, but really, it is super safe and once I conquered my fear with leaving it on during work, it was a glorious feeling 🙂
Sriracha makes everything better, doesn’t it?!
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
December 3, 2013 at 2:05 pmThis looks awesome Chris! I’m always looking for new ways to cook chicken and slow cooking it is an added bonus. Thank you for this lovely recipe. Have a stellar week!
Chris says
December 4, 2013 at 7:03 amThanks s omuch Anne! I agree, new chicken recipes are always a plus in my book… I’m always on the hunt for new ones also!
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
December 3, 2013 at 2:24 pmDecember is seriously going to fly by. Can you believe that Christmas is only three weeks away?! Yikes! We are crazy crazy busy too, so slow-cookers on the weekdays are becoming part of your daily life. Love love this!
Chris says
December 4, 2013 at 7:03 amWhen I just read “Christmas is only three weeks away”, I had a mini panic attack! So much to do in so little time! Christmas cookie baking, shopping for gifts, wrapping said gifts, ahhhhh! I have to get moving on this!
Susan Nohner says
December 3, 2013 at 4:20 pmI found a smashed potatoe soup recipe for the slow cooker that I added ham and more cheese too. My husband and 6 yr old LOVE it and it’s super easy. Pinned it from recipe.com
Chris says
December 4, 2013 at 7:02 amSusan that sounds so good! Perfect for the cold months ahead! I’ll have to try making a smashed potato soup recipe! Thanks!
Rachel says
December 9, 2013 at 8:04 pmCan you use chicken breast instead? And what would the cooking time be if you can?
Chris says
December 9, 2013 at 8:38 pmYes, you sure can substitue boneless, skinless chicken breast instead. I would think cooking time would be around the same… can’t tell for sure since I never tried it. Let me know how it goes! Thanks Rachel!
Melanie says
December 12, 2013 at 9:32 amMmmm. Drooling over here. Looks delish. Adding to the meal plan.
Chris says
December 13, 2013 at 2:05 pmThanks Melanie! Loving your blog… taking a look right now 🙂