Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken

If you love bourbon chicken from the food court at the mall, you’ll love this version of Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken that’s made right in your slow cooker!

Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken

One of my favorite things about cooking, and I’ve said this before, is having leftovers. Today, however, there was no chicken left and none of the M&M cookies.

I hate when that happens. But, it is a good indicator of how good these dishes are.

I’ve made bourbon chicken before but I really liked this crock pot rendition. This version tastes less like the food court dish but it is simple and very good. I forgot how much I’ve missed my crock pot the last few months.

Why it’s called Bourbon Chicken

Fun Fact: There’s no bourbon in this recipe, which many of you have pointed out to me (mostly rudely). The name Bourbon Chicken comes from Bourbon Street in New Orleans, which it’s named after.

✨ If it makes you happy, throw in some bourbon.

When I was in college, I used to stop at the mall that was across the street and have lunch. My favorite restaurant in the food court was one called Bourbon Street Grill. They had the best bourbon chicken.

I used to get the chicken with potatoes and rice. #carbsoncarbs

This slow cooker version makes a lot of “sauce” which is perfect for spooning over rice or potatoes or whatever you’re serving with the chicken.

Bourbon Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use thighs or tenders.
• Salt & Pepper – The essentials.
• Honey
• Soy Sauce – I like to use low sodium.
• Ketchup
• Oil – I usually use vegetable oil but you could use olive oil or canola oil.
• Garlic – Use two cloves or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.
• Onion – I usually use a yellow or white onion.
• Red Pepper Flakes – Red pepper flakes help to balance the sweetness of the honey and give the chicken a tiny kick. You can skip it if you want.

How to thicken up the sauce

It will be a thin sauce but you can make a cornstarch slurry (2 parts cold water with 1 part cornstarch) and whisk it in to thicken it up. I personally prefer it thin to spoon over my rice and veggies, but I’ve had many commenters say they’d like it thicker.

How to store leftovers

Leftovers should be stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. Or, if you have enough, you can put it back in the slow cooker to heat through.

Do you call it a slow cooker or a crock pot? I asked on Facebook and it seems most people call it a Crock Pot but that’s a brand.

Like calling tissue Kleenex.

Or inline skates Roller Blades (do people still do that?? ha).

Whatever you call it, it’s good. & really easy. I served it with brown rice and roasted zucchini.

PIN SLOW COOKER HONEY BOURBON CHICKEN FOR LATER

Can you put frozen chicken in the Crock Pot?

This is a common question I get, but the safest, best answer is no, you shouldn’t put frozen chicken in the slow cooker.

Because of the amount of time it takes a slow cooker to get meat up to a safe temperature (it’s a slow cooker, after all), bacteria could contaminate the chicken.

Meat should already be thawed when you place it in the crock pot. Ideally, you’d thaw the chicken in the fridge the night before.

That said, I have used frozen chicken in a pinch and lived to tell the tale, but now that I know better, I don’t.

Can I make it in the Instant Pot?

I haven’t tested in the IP, I’m more of a slow cooker girl lol, but I’d whisk up the sauce in the instant pot, put the thawed chicken in & coat it in the sauce. Seal & cook for 15 mins, natural release for 5 mins, then quick release.

Helpful Tools for Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken

• My slow cooker of choice – I love that you can set the cook time then it automatically switches over to “warm” after the cook time.
• Time-saving minced garlic – I always keep minced garlic packed in oil in my fridge.
• A whisk if you’re going to make that slurry I talked about above.

Need more crock pot chicken ideas? Try these:

• Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo
• Crockpot Lemon Chicken
• Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
• Crockpot Shredded Chicken

Click here to view my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.

Watch how easy this Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken is to make:

How to make Bourbon Chicken

4.49 from 2475 votes

Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

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This easy slow cooker honey bourbon chicken is a sweet, sticky, and savory version of the mall food court favorite—made right at home in your Crock Pot!

Video

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 cup honey
• ▢ 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ ½ cup ketchup
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil
• ▢ ½ cup onion diced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Trim your chicken breasts, sprinkle with salt & pepper and place them in your slow cooker.
  2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, salt and pepper
• In a medium bowl, add the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  1 cup honey, 1 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup ketchup, 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 1½ to 2½ hours.
• When done, remove chicken from crock pot and cut into chunks.

Notes

• It’s safest to avoid using frozen chicken in the slow cooker—use thawed chicken for best results.
• To thicken the sauce, make a cornstarch slurry (2 parts cold water to 1 part cornstarch) and whisk it in. If you prefer a thinner sauce, no need to thicken—it’s perfect over rice or veggies.
• Coconut aminos can be used in place of soy sauce.
• Red pepper flakes can be omitted.
• Store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.

Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.

Adapted from Table for Two

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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 715kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2668mg | Potassium: 1121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 78g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 6.4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Originally published October 9, 2012; photos updated June 12, 2025