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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)
Where’s the bourbon in the slow cooker bourbon chicken?
Read the post…
Could I cook this for longer on low? Say 7-8 hours or would the chicken fall apart?
I think it’ll be fine. I’d aim for 6-7 hours on low.
I just made the recipe using frozen chicken breasts and I am beyond impressed! I added some ginger paste and apple juice and didn’t use the full amount of honey. Rice is cooking on the stove right now. Can’t wait to dig in!
My family loved this and even asked me to make it again!! Thanks for sharing.
Yay 🙂
Made this twice now. Delicious! This second time I actually pounded my chicken thinner and loved it even more. My husband also loved it and he’s so picky.
Good idea – thanks for reporting back!
I do not have ketchup or tomato sauce. Will it still taste the same?
Probably not…but I’ve never tried omitting it.
do you think tenderloins would work if i cut back on the cooking time?
Yep, I’ve done it 🙂
Hi!
I don’t have enough honey, could I complete the amount with maple syrup or would that change the flavour too much?
How much are you short? You can add a bit of sugar. The honey helps balance the savory but I don’t think I’d go with syrup.
Can I add chopped carrots to the bourbon chicken while in crockpot?
Sure,but I would add them about 2 hours in or they might get mushy.
Wow!! Sounds delish but too many carbs and sugar for me!!
Thanks! But yeah, this isn’t a good one if you’re watching those things.
Looks delicious! Is the nutritional facts calculated for one serving or the entire dish?
I believe that’s one serving (assuming 4 total servings) but it’s a very rough estimate. You’re not going to eat *all* the sauce.
Hmm. I’ve never used cornstarch and I’m not sure exactly how to measure it out. I double all ingredients when making this chicken (family absolutely devours it lol) and we want to try the thicker sauce. Any advice?
Hi Tiffany – I’m glad your family likes it! To make a cornstarch slurry, take a small bowl and add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon cold water and whisk it together. Then, after you’ve removed the chicken from the crockpot, add the cornstarch mixture to the pot, stir it, and let it simmer. If that’s not thick enough for you (esp if you’re doubling the recipe), try 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons cold water. Let me know how it works for you!
Delicious recipe, and easy to make! Thanks!
How do you suggest reheating left overs? My husband and 1.5 yr old son LOVED this.
Happy to hear that! I don’t know that I’ve ever had leftovers…but I think it’ll do fine in the microwave 🙂
Love this recipe. Made it many times. Do you think its possible to cook the rice in the slow cooker with the chicken? Maybe add water?
Oooh that might be delicious! I haven’t tried it, but 1 cup of rice needs 2 cups of water (liquid) for 1.5-2.5 hours in the slow cooker. I would add a little extra water, stir it up, and let it cook. Let me know if you try it!
Pretty tasty! Next time I’m going to use low sodium soy sauce as the recipe says. I used regular soy sauce as that’s what I had in the house, but next time i’ll Be using low sodium. Other than that, this is actually pretty dang good!
Where is the bourbon? I want bourbon.
So add bourbon. (And read the post)
Can I cut the chicken breast up beforehand or is it better to leave them whole?
I leave it whole to prevent it from drying out, but I’ve honestly never tried cutting it up beforehand.
Worked perfectly as is. I will mess with the spices a bit next time, like adding some cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. I saved the extra sauce in the fridge and will use it on some thighs I bought.
Can I reduce the count of oil or use olive oil?
I haven’t reduced it, but I have used olive oil several times.