Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

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Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
Published February 28, 2022. Updated February 12, 2025

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Easy saucy Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs – boneless thighs are covered in a sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauce and cooked low and slow until perfectly tender and infused with flavor. It’s an easy weeknight dish that’s sure to please!

Crock Pot Chicken Thighs

Chicken gets a boost of flavor and a tasty balance of salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy with the ingredients used here.

On busy weekdays you’ll really appreciate this recipe for its simplicity and hands-off cooking.

And since the chicken thighs are cooked in the crock pot they have plenty of time to marinate and soak up the flavors of this simple sauce.

To keep simplicity going pair them with cooked white rice or brown rice and steamed broccoli, green beans, potatoes, or asparagus. It will make a comforting home-cooked meal without much hassle.

If you are having a hard time finding boneless thighs these days you can buy bone-in thighs and remove the skin and bone from each quite easily (it will just take a bit more prep time). Here’s a helpful how-to.

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs Recipe Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed (about 2.5 lbs)
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sriracha
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water
• Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

How to Make Slow Cooker Thighs

• Place chicken thighs in a slow cooker (5 to 7 quart).
• Mix sauce ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together ketchup, honey, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
• Pour mixture evenly over chicken thighs in slow cooker.

How Long to Cook Chicken Thighs in Crock Pot

• Cover and cook boneless chicken thighs in a crock pot on low heat until cooked through and tender, about 3 to 4 hours. The center of the thighs should register 165°F.
• Transfer chicken to a serving plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Thickening the Sauce for Chicken Thighs

• Pour juices from the slow cooker into a medium saucepan (you should have 2 cups liquid), and add vinegar. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
• Thicken with cornstarch slurry: Meanwhile in a small mixing bowl whisk together cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water until well blended. Pour mixture into sauce in skillet.
• Simmer sauce, whisking constantly for 1 minute.
• Pour thickened sauce over chicken (or baste over chicken) and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Helpful Tips and Variations

• Using bone-in chicken thighs: This recipe can also be made using bone-in chicken thighs if that’s what you have and you don’t want to remove bones. You’ll still want to use 8 thighs. Just remove the skin from any skin-on cuts before adding it to the slow cooker, and increase cook time by about 30 minutes.
• Using chicken breasts: White meat breasts aren’t quite as good with this recipe, but they’ll work too. Cut into cubes and watch the cooking time to be sure they don’t over-bake.
• Honey substitute: In a pinch if you are out of honey you can try brown sugar.
• Make sauce tangier: For a more sour tangy flavor, you can add more vinegar to taste.
• Make spicy or mild: The amount of sriracha can be adjusted to make them mild or more spicy.
• Cook time: Note that every slow cooker brand/model cooks a bit differently. Some cook lower and some cook quite hot. It should take about 3 to 4 hours on low heat but if your slow cooker cooks very low you may need to increase time slightly.
• Be careful not to overcook too much or thighs will just fall apart and shred. But on the other hand, cook at least to 165 °F in the center for food safety.
• Don’t skip thickening sauce: Yes it’s an extra step we all want to skip but simmering and thickening the sauce on the stovetop with cornstarch is a must. It wouldn’t thicken properly in the slow cooker.
• Freezer meal prep: Add the marinade to the chicken in an airtight container and store it in your refrigerator or freeze it for cooking another day.

More Tasty Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes to Try

• Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken
• Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Slow Cooker Rotisserie Style Chicken