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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!
Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Chicken
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
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- 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.
Tools to make 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:
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
Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!
Or maybe you’d like…
Bourbon Chicken with Roasted Potatoes (a non-slow cooker version)
I’m sorry, this looked delicious on the site but wasn’t. It lacked depth of flavor…just a single note on the palate. Too bland to make again.
That’s the first I’ve heard that. To each their own ????
I made this today but added some Evan Williams Bourbon (hand poured, no measurement and a cornstarch slurry about 20 minutes from the end of cooking to thicken up the sauce. Served on top of some Jasmine Rice, this is soooo yummy.
Yum!
It came out delicious!!
Yay 🙂
Great recipe! I had raw chicken that I needed to make ASAP. I was looking for a quick Crock-Pot recipe and came across this. Like another responder, I set my Crock-Pot on the 4-hour high option but timed it for two hours. I also was out of red pepper flakes, but I subbed paprika for a milder option. Came out great! I also scooped the sauce over rice and broccoli, so I prefer the sauce thin. Next time I’ll get red pepper flakes so I can see what the difference is.
Yay – glad you liked it!
Hi there! If I am using drumsticks how long should I cook them? Thanks!
I’ve never made drumsticks in the slow cooker (or ever…haha) but I think 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high should work.
This recipe had my whole house smelling so good!!!! I cut the measurements in half because I used less chicken (added 2 bourbon minis ????). I also used more flour/cornstarch because I wanted it REALLY thick. Everything came out great!
LOVE. Thanks for reporting back =)
Every time I make chicken in the crockpot, it has this gross oiliness to it and no one likes any of the chicken dishes we’ve tried because of this. any tips or suggestions for success with chicken? TIA
Hmm, I haven’t had that problem. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Is that what you’re using?
Hi,
Yes, it’s when I use boneless thighs and chicken breasts.
Well thighs are dark meat and tend to be more fatty. I would imagine that makes the difference. Try using just breasts and see if you notice a difference.
How do you consider over 3900 mg sodium LOW SODIUM?
All I said was I used low sodium soy sauce. I didn’t make any claims about it.
It was in the low sodium category. I’m only allowed 1500mg a day
hmm, ok. I don’t have a “low sodium” category, so I’m not sure where you came in from that has it miscategorized.
Could i add veggies in with the chicken also?
Sure. I’d probably add them in the last hour or so of cooking, depending on if it’s frozen veggies or fresh. I usually just steam some separately.
The recipe disappeared!
eek thank you! Not sure what happened but I’ll get it fixed.
Thank you so much for sharing this absolutely delicious recipe! I used chicken thighs with making it today and let them cook for 5 hours in the slow cooker. My husband has repeatedly said how tasty this recipe is. Definitely a winner, and I will be saving it for future use, it is SO good. Thank you again!!!
So sweet – thanks for reporting back! I’m glad it was a hit 🙂
This looks so good!! Is there anything I can substitute for the soy sauce? My husband doesn’t eat it..but I really want to try this!!
I don’t normally eat soy sauce either but I do in this dish (unless he has a health issue). Here are some alternatives, but I haven’t tried any https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/soy-sauce-substitutes#1
I am hoping he says it’s ok for this one recipe too! I’ll take a look at the alternatives though. Thank you!!!
Way too too much liquid. Does not taste the least bit like bourbon chicken. Very disappointed.
I mention in the post that it makes a lot of sauce & a way to thicken it. ,????????♀️
I have this in the crock pot now…but I think I messed up! My chicken won’t stay submerged in the sauce… I have never had this happen before so I really don’t know what I did wrong. It keeps floating to the top. I also couldn’t get the ketchup to mix in well. So now I have little chunks of ketchup floating around.
Hmm, which cut of chicken did you use? & I’ve never had that problem with the ketchup, it always mixes up easily.
Used fresh boneless skinless chicken breast. 2 lbs. just like the recipe says. As for the ketchup I mixed for 20 minutes before giving up and just using it the way it is.
20 minutes?!
What are the nutrition facts?
This sounds really good but I can’t have soy sauce. Is there anything I can substitute for soy sauce?
I haven’t tried to substitute it but a quick Google search gave these suggestions. Hope it helps! > https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/soy-sauce-substitutes#2
Honey Bourbon Chicken was amazing! I had to substitute cayenne for the red pepper flakes and it had just the right amount of heat!
I made this last week and my family loves this dish. My hubby asked me to make today. He’s addicted lol I am so happy you posted this recipe! Sorry that others were rude to you. I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for awhile without bourbon lol I can’t wait to eat! Tasty goodness right here!
Thanks, Sherry!
I forgot to mention the broth it made,i dra8ned and made into a gravy(added the chunks to the gravy)served over broccoli and rice. So amazing! Your recipe is Awesome! God Bless you! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
♥
I forgot to mention the broth it made,i drained and made into a gravy(added the chunks to the gravy)served over broccoli and rice. So amazing! Your recipe is Awesome! God Bless you! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!omg that sounds good too. I might just do potatoes tonight. Thx for idea☺ You are most welcome! I Thank you as well!❤
You are most Welcome, Mellissa❤❤❤ My cell is messing up. I’m so Thankful!