Slowcooker Hot Honey Chicken
Slowcooker hot honey chicken is a tender sweet and spicy shredded chicken recipe that can be used to make delicious sandwiches topped with pickles or coleslaw.

For several years now, I've been obsessed with hot honey as a condiment. One of these hot honey recipes make their way to my dinner queue every week or so.
This slowcooker hot honey chicken cooks up so easily in my Crockpot in just a few hours. I love to make it ahead in the morning and keep it ready to go in the fridge for a quick dinner at night.
We pile it up on brioche buns with coleslaw or pickles and a drizzle of hot sauce, there are rarely any leftovers!
Why This is the Best Recipe
I love to make Crockpot sandwiches for busy nights. Everything can keep warm while family comes and goes. I think this is the best slowcooker hot honey chicken recipe because:
- The Chicken Isn't Over Cooked: I hate mushy crockpot chicken. My recipe makes perfectly textured Crockpot chicken that holds shape and texture but is still tender without being dried out.
- Not Too Spicy: There's a lot of heat to this dish but it isn't overwhelming, especially if you add coleslaw on top. If you're sensitive, you can scale it back even more.
- Freezer-Friendly: You can prep the chicken during the weekend and then freeze it for an easy dinner another night.
Ingredients
This delicious recipe only needs a few pantry items:
- Chicken Breasts: This lean recipe starts with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You could use thighs if you prefer.
- Honey: I used just regular honey for this. Hot honey can be a little expensive so we infuse the chili flavor ourselves with budget-friendly honey as the chicken cooks.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Garlic Salt
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Vegetable Oil
Season the Chicken Breasts
This is such an easy way to cook chicken in a Crockpot, it doesn't even need any sauce.
Just spray the bowl of the slowcooker with cooking spray and place the chicken inside.
Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes, garlic salt, onion powder, and paprika over the top. Use a fork or pair of tongs to toss the chicken in the seasonings so every inch is coated.
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Slowcooker Cooking Instructions
Cover the lid and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 - 5 hours or until the chicken breasts are so tender they could easily fall apart when you pull at them with a fork.
Thicken the Sauce
Transfer the chicken to a dinner plate and set aside. There will be lots of liquid in the bottom of the slowcooker.
Pour the deliciously seasoned chicken juices into a saucepan.
Bring the juices to a simmer over medium-high heat and reduce it by half so that it thickens a bit.
Add the honey and the apple cider vinegar to the sauce pan and whisk it in. Cook for 1 minute or so longer.
Shred the Chicken
Shred the cooked chicken and then return it to the slowcooker bowl to toss in the hot honey sauce you just simmered.
Make Ahead and Freezer Tips
I cooked the chicken earlier in the morning when I had time and then kept it in the fridge until dinner time.
I simply reheated it in the microwave in a minute or two and served dinner.
It could keep warm on the KEEP WARM setting of your Crockpot for up to 3 hours but I didn't want to chance ruining the texture of the chicken.
To freeze the prepared hot honey chicken, let it cool completely. Then place it in freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 6 months.
Let the chicken thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat it quickly in the microwave, gently in a saucepan on the stovetop, or pop it right back into the Crockpot on the KEEP WARM setting to warm through.
Serving Suggestions
I piled up a scoop of hot honey chicken on a brioche bun and topped it with my favorite angel hair coleslaw. I added a drizzle of Texas Pete hot sauce and a sprinkle of green onions over the top. It was amazing.
You could also serve it with your favorite pickles instead of slaw. Or try my Cuban slaw, a spoonful of chow chow relish, or even this sweet and crunchy carrot apple salad with fresh cilantro.
On the side, you could serve it with any one of these easy 30 side dishes for sandwiches.
More Easy Crockpot Sandwiches
Crockpot sandwiches are so easy to prep ahead on the weekend or keep warm on a busy night. They make great potluck party entrees, too. Here are a few more of my favorites:
๐ Recipe
Slowcooker Hot Honey Chicken
Ingredients
For the Hot Honey Chicken
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For Serving:
- Coleslaw
- Hot sauce
- Fresh green onions chopped
Instructions
- Spray your slowcooker bowl with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts along the bottom.
- Drizzle the vegetable oil over the chicken. Then ad the red pepper flakes, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper over the top. Turn the chicken to coat in the seasonings with a pair of tongs or fork.
- Cover the Crockpot and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 - 5 hours. Thick chicken breasts will cook unevenly, after about 3 hours, you may want to pull apart the thickest part of the meat with a fork so it can cook a little more evenly.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate. Pour the juices from the slowcooker into a small saucepan. Simmer the liquid over medium-high heat until it reduces by half.
- Whisk together the honey and apple cider vinegar. Pour it into the saucepan and whisk it together until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Shred the chicken and return it to the slowcooker bowl. Pour the hot honey sauce over the top and toss to coat. The chicken can now be kept warm for up to 3 hours on the KEEP WARM setting or you can let it cool completely to make packets for the freezer.
Serving Suggestions:
- This easy hot honey chicken can be used to make shredded chicken sandwiches, wraps, or be used to make rice bowls with jasmine rice. It tastes delicious with a scoop of coleslaw over the top or vinegary pickles and a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce.
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