Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Chicken

This slow cooker honey bourbon chicken is one of those recipes that sounds fancy but is actually really simple to make.

You toss chicken thighs into the slow cooker, pour a sweet and savory bourbon sauce over them, and let it do its thing for a few hours. That’s basically it.

The sauce gets thick and glossy, and it coats every piece of chicken perfectly. It’s sweet, a little tangy, and has just a hint of heat at the end.

Serve it over some steamed white rice and you’ve got a dinner that looks and tastes like it took way more effort than it actually did.

If you’ve been looking for a new slow cooker recipe that isn’t boring, this one is worth trying.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The Sauce Is Addictive – The bourbon and honey combo creates a sticky glaze that tastes like something from a restaurant.

Chicken Thighs Stay Juicy – Thighs hold up perfectly in the slow cooker without drying out like chicken breasts would.

Sweet and Spicy Balance – The honey and brown sugar bring sweetness while the red pepper flakes add just enough kick.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1/3 cup Bourbon
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Cold Water
• Sesame Seeds for garnish
• Green Onions, sliced for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the bourbon, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Pour this sauce evenly over the chicken.

Step 3

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and fully cooked.

Step 4

Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker and set them aside on a plate. Transfer the cooking liquid to a small saucepan.

Step 5

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together. Stir the slurry into the saucepan with the cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.

Step 6

Return the chicken to the slow cooker and pour the thickened sauce over the top. Gently toss to coat every piece.

Step 7

Serve over steamed white rice, garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. The sweet, savory, bourbon-laced glaze on this chicken is absolutely addictive.

Pro Tips

Don’t Skip the Saucepan Step

It might be tempting to just thicken the sauce right in the slow cooker, but transferring the liquid to a saucepan gives you way more control. You can see exactly when it thickens and adjust the heat as needed.

In the slow cooker, the cornstarch slurry won’t thicken evenly because the heat is too low and indirect. You’ll end up with a thin, watery sauce that just slides off the chicken instead of coating it.

A few extra minutes on the stove is what turns this from “chicken sitting in liquid” into chicken with an actual glaze.

Make the Cornstarch Slurry the Right Way

Always mix the cornstarch with cold water first before adding it to the hot cooking liquid. If you dump cornstarch straight into the hot saucepan, it clumps up instantly and you’ll have lumps in your sauce that won’t dissolve no matter how much you stir.

Once you add the slurry, keep stirring constantly and let it simmer for a full 3 to 4 minutes. Cornstarch needs time at a simmer to fully activate. If you pull it off the heat too early, the sauce will look thick at first but then turn thin and runny once it cools down.

Pat the Chicken Thighs Dry

Before you place the thighs in the slow cooker, pat them dry with paper towels. Chicken thighs release a lot of liquid on their own while cooking, and any extra moisture on the surface just adds to that.

Too much liquid in the slow cooker means your final sauce will be thinner and more diluted. Starting with dry chicken helps keep the sauce concentrated and flavorful so you get that rich, sticky glaze at the end.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken
• Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
• Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the alcohol in the bourbon cook off in the slow cooker?

Most of the alcohol will cook off during the long, slow cooking process, but a small amount may remain. Slow cookers don’t reach the high temperatures of stovetop cooking, so the evaporation isn’t quite as complete as it would be with a hard boil.

If you’re serving this to kids or anyone avoiding alcohol entirely, you can substitute apple juice with a splash of vanilla extract for a similar sweetness and depth of flavor.