Grammy's Recipe Book Mains

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Prep
20 min
Cook
8 hr
Total
8 hr 20 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Page 40 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

[in red ink]
Honey Garlic Chicken
Slow cooker 8 hours

8 whole chicken thighs bone + skin
1 lb. baby red potatoes
1 bag baby carrots
1 lb green beans cleaned + trims
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TBSP. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic
+ spices in bowl + whisk

Place 4 thighs in bottom of cooker
and pour over 1/2 of sauce

Add potatoes + carrots rest of thighs
and pour remaining sauce

Cover + cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

30 min before cook time ends add green
beans

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

Chicken and vegetables

  • 8 whole chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
  • 1 pound baby red potatoes
  • 1 bag baby carrots
  • 1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed

Sauce

  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Method

  1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and spices in a bowl.
  2. Place 4 thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour over half the sauce.
  3. Add the potatoes, carrots and the rest of the thighs, and pour on the remaining sauce.
  4. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.
  5. Add the green beans 30 minutes before the cooking time ends.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

Chicken and vegetables

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 pound baby red potatoes, halved
  • 1 bag (1 pound) baby carrots
  • 1 pound green beans, trimmed

Sauce

  • ½ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons water, to thicken

Method

  1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and spices.
  2. Put the potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker. Lay the thighs on top, skin side up, and pour the sauce over.
  3. Cover and cook on low 6–7 hours or high 3–4 hours.
  4. Add the green beans for the last 30 minutes.
  5. Move the chicken to a foil-lined sheet and broil 3–4 minutes to crisp the skin.
  6. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and simmer 1 minute until glossy. Spoon over everything.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Boneless

    Use boneless thighs and cook on low 4–5 hours.

  • Sesame-ginger

    Add 1 tablespoon grated ginger and finish with sesame seeds and green onions.

  • Sheet pan

    Roast everything at 425°F for 35–40 minutes, brushing with the sauce halfway.

  • Over rice

    Shred the leftovers into the sauce and serve over rice for a second night.