These Crock Pot Chicken Thighs with Honey Balsamic glaze are sweet and sticky with just the right amount of tang and spice! A melt in your mouth tender, crockpot dump meal that the whole family will love!
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I’m busting the crockpot back out for these easy Crock Pot Chicken Thighs, and let’s be honest — no one is mad about it.
They are so juicy and tender, and covered in the most flavorful sweet and sticky sauce.
We are no stranger to the amazing honey balsamic combo here — this Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork is our all time favorite, and this Honey Balsamic Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe has such incredible flavor (as does it’s sister this Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew).
Just a bit of balsamic vinegar adds a fun punch of tangy, acidic flavor that balances out everything else we’ve got going on in here.
The sauce is perfect over rice, but these slow cooker chicken thighs are just as good on their own with a side salad and steamed veggies.
And for those of you who are running out the door — to work, to drop off or pick up kids, or on your way to extra curricular activities, meetings or the gym — these are a dump and go crockpot meal, meaning you don’t have to worry about chopping or shredding or browning.
Who has time for that anyway?
How to cook Crock Pot Chicken Thighs:
- Throw your chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
- Stir together your sauce
- Dump your sauce over your chicken
- Turn it on
- Go to work, the soccer game, or have a dance party, because your dinner is basically cooking itself.
What type of chicken thighs are best in the slow cooker?
You can cook any kind of chicken thighs in the crock pot, and we have our favorite for our own reasons.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
These are our preferred chicken thighs, just because they are so easy to cook and eat.
They stay moist and juicy (more so than chicken breasts), and yet we’re not dealing with eating around the skin and bones — which we don’t enjoy anyway.
Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
You can absolutely use bone-in, skinless chicken thighs as well.
Bone-in meat typically takes longer to cook, so I would add an hour to the cook times below and double check your internal temperature with a meat thermometer (safe to eat is 165 degrees F).
Bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
Because we’re not browning or broiling the chicken thighs before or after slow cooking, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the skin on, unless you enjoy soggy chicken skin.
If you cook the chicken thighs with the skin on but then remove it to eat, you won’t get as much of the sauce seeping into the meat as it cooks and it won’t be as flavorful.
Can I use chicken breasts in this recipe?
Yes!
You can absolutely use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs, and you likely won’t need to change the cook time at all.
Be sure to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer before serving — 165 degrees F is what you’re looking for!
What to serve with these Honey Balsamic Crock pot Chicken Thighs:
We love these over plain rice or noodles, but if you want to go all out, here are a few more ideas:
More crockpot chicken recipes you’ll love:
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken (Crockpot)
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles recipe
- Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken (Slow Cooker)
Honey Balsamic Crockpot Chicken Thighs
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup tomato ketchup
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup liquid honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a 2.5-4 quart crockpot.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, corn starch, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken in crockpot.
- Put the lid on and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours.
- Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or as you like!
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Rachel Daniell says
We tried this a few weeks ago and it was so good that they are requesting it again! Thank you! I don’t have thighs on hand so going to use breasts. Hope it tastes just as wonderful:-)
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rachel! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Nikki says
If I wanted to add baby carrots and diced potatoes to cook in the sauce at the same time, would I just dump them in at the beginning?
Jay G says
Followed instructions – this was pretty terrible. Sauce did stick to the chicken, but the sauce itself was pretty bland. Needed additional seasoning after the cook to make it palatable.
Renette says
This is on heavy rotation at my house. Love this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Renette!
Rose McLaughlin says
Can you substitute barbecue sauce for ketchup/? my family does not like ketchup
Ashley Fehr says
You likely could, but I haven’t tried and it will give a different flavor
Mariah says
Can I cook 8 hrs on low instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I wouldn’t recommend it as the chicken could be dry after such a long cook time
Kelly says
Making these for dinner tonight. Can’t wait to try it. Hope it tastes as good as the pics look.
Ashley Fehr says
thanks Kelly! I hope you enjoyed them!
Karen Kim says
It looks great! What chicken thighs size is best for this recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
This recipe is really flexible and would work well with any size!
Lindsay says
Could you use frozen chicken thighs and if so, how would this adjust the cooking time?
Ashley Fehr says
You could! You’ll want to cook them longer but I’m not sure exactly how much longer — I would probably start with 6 hours on low, maybe up to 8. The frozen chicken will also release more moisture so you may want to omit the broth or just add more corn starch at the end to thicken as the sauce will probably be a little thinner.
CC says
Mine too! Must be a secret ingredient leftout lol. My crockpot normally does good with recipes
Janet says
This was amazing except sauce was watery despite using a ton of corn starch. Any help as to make it look like it does in the picture? Thanks!!
Ashley Fehr says
How long did the corn starch cook in the slow cooker before serving? Sometimes if your slow cooker is lower in heat it will take a little longer to thicken, and I would be sure to turn it tot high. I hope that helps!
pless12@verizon.net says
Delicious recipe. I only had balsamic vinegarette dressing and it still turned our delightful. One hint: I took the juice out and reduced to a thicker consistency as I thinks it easier than trying to thicken in the slow cooker. It only took a couple minutes 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Vkt says
Could I use chicken breast instead of thigh?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely!
Stephanie says
I can’t wait to try this!!!
Sara says
Can you do this in the instant pot? I don’t have a crock pot unfortunately.
Ashley Fehr says
You could, but you’d likely want to cook them chicken first in broth and then add the sauce on saute, as thick sauces can burn to the bottom
Cynthia Taffet says
I just made this recipe and was so excited. I don’t understand why my sauce did not stick to the thighs. Any advice.
Ashley Fehr says
Did you add the corn starch at the end? If it’s not as thick as you’d like it, you can double the corn starch and that should help.
Katie says
The honey with the balsamic is so good. We all loved these!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Katie! I’m so glad to hear that!
Julie Blanner says
Yum! This looks so full and flavor and easy to make. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie!
Noelle says
I love finding new crock pot recipes, this one was great! Delicious flavor all around
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Noelle!
Sara Welch says
What a savory dish! Adding this to my dinner line up for the week! Love slow cooker meals on busy weeknights!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sara! We love them too!
Kristyn says
I could eat these weekly! They are so delicious & juicy with that glaze!
Ashley Fehr says
Me too! One of my favorites!
Samantha says
We love the tang the balsamic adds to the sauce – it creates the perfect balance for a dump and go weeknight meal.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! I love the sweet and tangy combo
Natalie says
This chicken looks so juicy!! Mmm…wish I had some right now. The honey balsamic glaze sounds amazing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Natalie!