Slow Cooker Honey-Chipotle Chicken with a sweet and spicy sauce you’ll love on steamed rice or mashed potatoes. Only 10 minutes of prep time and the crockpot does all the work!
If you’re looking for a dinner meal that’s short on prep yet big on tastes, this is for you! This crockpot chicken recipe is so easy to make, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how incredibly moist and tasty it turns out with hardly any effort.
Most of the work involved is just searing the chicken thighs on both sides and whisking together the honey-chipotle sauce. The browned chicken and sauce are then thrown in the crockpot to slow-cook to a sweet, savory, and spicy perfection.
Ingredients for Honey-Chipotle Sauce
- honey
- ketchup
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce-You can find this in the ethnic section of most major grocery stores. The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons (less if you don’t want a lot of heat) of the thick adobo sauce the peppers are packed in.
- vinegar
The sauce is so easy to make and tastes so good, you’ll be using it for everything! In fact, I’ve used it on breaded boneless wings, ribs, pork chops, and even salmon with delicious results.
A simple tip, make sure to use a large crockpot so the chicken will be in a single layer. Arrange them skin side up OVER the sauce and not covered with sauce so the skin will crisp up.
As the chicken thighs cook low and slow in the crockpot, they absorb and get generously coated in a glorious chipotle-honey sauce that has so much depth of flavor yet comes together with only four ingredients.
How to serve
- Give this crockpot chipotle-honey chicken a try for dinner tonight and make sure to have plenty of steamed rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. You’ll need it. 🙂
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in the microwave at 2 to 3-minute intervals or until completely warm throughout,
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (4 to 6 pieces) chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 4 tablespoons sauce from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
Instructions
- Trim chicken of excess fat. Rinse and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a wide, thick-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until nicely seared.
- In a small bowl, combine honey, ketchup, adobo sauce, and vinegar. Stir well until well blended and pour into a 6.5 qt slow cooker.
- Arrange browned chicken over the sauce in a single layer skin side up.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours until chicken is cooked.
- Gently toss to coat chicken with sauce. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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