Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies

When you’re looking for something simple to feed the whole family, or a meal you can make up for yourself and then eat leftovers for a few days, you can’t go wrong with a Crockpot/ instant pot recipe. There are so many of them out there, you might not know where to begin if you’re new, however. Some of my favorite dishes involve chicken and the same is true for instant pot meals. There are tons of things you can do with the chicken and it’s super easy to cook it in an instant pot. It cooks evenly and since it’s slow cooked, it preserves the juices and the flavor and it doesn’t come out dry or hard.

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I have many recipes for slow cooker chicken with veggies and the beauty of it is that there are so many options. You really can’t go wrong with some chicken and the vegetables of your choice. For this recipe, I’m going to show you how I make a slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies that all five of my kids will actually eat.

The side are pretty self-explanatory. I chose peas and white potatoes this time because it’s what I had in the pantry. This recipe also does well with carrots, green beans or red potatoes. You can mix and match any way you want, depending on the veggies your family likes, or what you have on hand at the time. I made the sauce myself this time and I’ll tell you how below. Sometimes I use a pre-made sauce or a plain olive oil with seasoning mixture. Again, it’s so versatile, don’t be afraid to experiment with what you have handy.

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.
2. Place chicken thighs, potatoes, peas (or other veggie, like carrots) and soy sauce mixture into a 6-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, basting every hour. Add green beans or softer veggies during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
3. OPTIONAL: Preheat oven to broil. Place chicken thighs onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until crisp, about 3-4 minutes. This is great if you like your chicken crispy. My kids prefer it soft and I save time doing it all in the slow cooker.
4. Serve chicken immediately with potatoes and other veggies, garnished with parsley, if desired.

OPTIONAL: I also made a plain white rice pot for the bed of this dish. My kids love rice and it fills them up more, but this is option. The dish is fine to serve right out of the crock pot without the additional rice. I used instant rice so it was ready in about 15 minutes on the side. You can substitute brown rice or rice pilaf if you prefer. Super easy!

And that’s it! It really is that easy. I make this dish or a variation of it at least once a month and it always gets finished off. I also don’t feel like I’ve slaved in the kitchen all day to accomplish it.