A Slow Cooker Chicken recipe is an easy way to get dinner on the table and you can't beat the fantastic hoisin sauce that flavors this crockpot recipe. 176 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken Recipe {Crockpot}
You can't beat a great slow cooker chicken recipe for an easy dinner that doesn't require much thought. Plus, it involves hoisin sauce, which is always a good thing. Actually, a friend recently asked me what hoisin sauce tasted like because she wasn't sure she had tried it. Once I got over my initial mock horror (haven't tried hoisin sauce, the best condiment ever to be siphoned into a glass jar?!), I told her that it is a thick, rich Chinese barbecue sauce with the saltiness of soy sauce and a slight sweetness.
Just good all-around.
When I pulled out my crockpot that day, I had hoisin sauce on the brain and chicken in the fridge. This slow cooker chicken recipe practically made itself from there. I love it when that happens!
Try my pressure cooker version of this recipe, Hoisin Instant Pot Chicken Breasts.
I'm not kidding when I say that it just doesn't get any easier than this recipe. Just pour the 6-ingredient sauce over the boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker, and cook for an hour and a half.
Once the chicken is cooked, all that's left to do is shred the meat and boil the sauce with some cornstarch to make it rich and thick.
So, how do you serve this slow cooker chicken?
- Serve it over rice with stir-fried veggies, such as Stir Fried Green Beans or Spicy Stir Fried Cabbage.
- Wrap it in a tortilla with vegetables for an easy lunch.
- Tuck it in corn tortillas with Spicy Asian Slaw with Carrots & Ginger Dressing for a fun take on tacos
- Toss it with cooked soba noodles and vegetables. Use the remaining sauce to coat the noodles.
Tip: Both hoisin sauce and chili-garlic sauce can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
Other healthy slow cooker recipes:
Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas {Cookin' Canuck}
Slow Cooker Turkey & Potato Soup {Cookin' Canuck}
Pineapple Chicken (Crockpot) {Well Plated}
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili {Spend with Pennies}
Printable Recipe
Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken Recipe {Crockpot}
Ingredients
- â…“ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- â…“ cup hoisin sauce
- â…“ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- ½ teaspoons chili-garlic sauce or to taste
- 2 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken broth, honey (or agave nectar), ginger and chili-garlic sauce.
- Place the trimmed chicken thighs in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cook the chicken on HIGH for 1 ½ to 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours, or until cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred with two forks or your hands.
- Pour the sauce into a small saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, then add to the sauce.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Place the shredded chicken in a bowl or into the slow cooker to keep warm, and pour ¾ cup of the sauce over top. (Reserve remaining sauce for serving over rice or stir-fried vegetables.) Toss to coat. Serve and garnish with green onions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 29, 2014, and has been updated.
Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Nancy
Love the recipe! Would love to make it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Any thoughts on cook time versus chicken thighs?
Imelda
Hi Dara, thanks for sharing this recipe! I love it. I used breast, since that’s the only chicken I have available. It was a big Hit! We like a lot of sauce, so I made it with 1/2 cup for all the ingredients that are 1/3 cup in you recipe.
Thanks again
Nicole H
This recipe is so easy, and so delicious! I've made it 3 times, to rave reviews. The 3rd time I tried it in the pressure cooker. It took 9 minutes and was PERFECT. I was concerned that the chicken would be bland, since it didn't have hours and hours to sit in the sauce. But that was not the case at all. Thought I would mention it here in case anyone else wanted to try it and needed the cook time. So, so good, thank you!
Bake Up, Little Suzy
The last time I cooked boneless, skinless chicken in the slow cooker it came out like particle board. So I was shocked (shocked!) that these chicken thighs were tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I skipped the ginger because I'm allergic, and I skipped the corn starch slurry because I'm watching my carbs, but otherwise, I made the recipe as directed.
I used the chicken in banh mi-inspired spring rolls, with pickled vegetables, cilantro, chopped peanuts, sliced jalapenos, and a sesame sriracha mayo dipping sauce.
Maria McWade
Is there a particular brand of Hoisin sauce you recommend?
Dara
Hi Maria, I typically use the Lee Kum Kee brand, which I find at my local grocery store. It can also be purchased on Amazon (affiliate link).
Grambeau
This was yummy! But I forgot the ginger! Dang. My slow cooker on low took about 25-3.0 hrs. And, instead of making the sauce, I used the pan juice to cook a packet of ramen noodles in the slow cooker, poured everything into a bowl with some of the shredded chicken, some chopped cilantro and sliced green onions. Really tasty. But I really missed the ginger.... Thanks!
Dara
I love that you made this your own with the addition of ramen and am so glad you enjoyed it! And I agree - the ginger is a must. 😉
DaveNancyH
This recipe is one of our regulars and is THE BEST when I have little time for dinner prep during the school year. Please keep the slow cooker recipes coming!
Jau
This is going down immediately. Thank you for this. Go AIR FORCE!
Kim Taylor
This is my 4th or 5th time making this recipe, so we obviously love it over here. Super easy and really tasty!
Kimberly O.
Hi, I'm curious how you calculated the SmartPoints for this recipe. I ran it through Weight Watchers' Recipe Builder and it comes to 5 SP per serving. I'm not complaining as this is still a low point meal AND it's made in the crock pot!! I'm looking forward to making this.