An everyday favorite, this slow cooker honey mustard chicken is simple, flavorful, and perfect for busy weeknights. With just a few pantry ingredients you can set it and forget it in a slow cooker or crock pot, then serve it over rice, pasta, or on sandwiches for a satisfying meal.
Easy Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
This honey mustard chicken combines sweet, tangy, and savory flavors that develop as it cooks low and slow. Soy sauce adds a touch of umami that balances the honey and mustard—don’t skip it. The long, gentle cook time makes the chicken tender and easy to shred, producing a saucy, comforting dish the whole family will enjoy.
Best Cut of Chicken: Breasts or Thighs?
You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs; bone-in pieces add extra flavor if you prefer. Thighs are our favorite because they stay juicier and have richer flavor, while breasts are leaner. Keep pieces skinless to avoid excess fat in the sauce. This recipe works well served over rice, tossed with pasta, or piled into sandwiches or sliders.
Video: Recipe for Honey Mustard Chicken in Slow Cooker
Tips for Making Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
This dish is moist and tender with minimal effort. A few helpful tips:
- Leave the chicken whole or cut it into larger pieces. The longer it cooks, the easier it is to shred; shorten the cook time slightly if you want firmer pieces.
- Serve the saucy chicken over steamed rice or pasta so the sauce soaks in—comfort food at its best.
- Shred the chicken with two forks to make pulled-chicken sandwiches or sliders—great for casual meals.
- If you don’t have honey, substitute an equal amount of brown sugar for similar sweetness and depth.
- Try this chicken in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or as a filling for wraps—the sauce is versatile.
Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (about 3–4 breasts or 7–8 thighs)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) honey
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) mustard
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) vinegar (distilled, apple cider, or similar)
- 4 cloves garlic, mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
Cornstarch slurry: To thicken the sauce
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) cold water
Equipment
- Slow cooker (4–6 quart)
Instructions
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In a 4-quart slow cooker, whisk together honey, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black pepper until well combined.
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Add the chicken to the sauce, pressing pieces down so they’re covered as much as possible.
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Cook on High for 3–4 hours or on Low for 5–6 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily shredded.
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Make the cornstarch slurry: mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth with no lumps.
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Stir the slurry into the slow cooker quickly and combine well. Cover and cook an additional 10–15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
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Cut the chicken into pieces or shred with two forks. Serve hot over rice, pasta, or in sandwiches.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Carbohydrates: 28 g,
Protein: 34 g,
Fat: 4 g
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
Store leftovers in airtight containers or freezer bags. Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days or freeze for 2–3 months. To avoid freezer burn and dryness, label and use frozen portions within a couple months for best quality.
More Easy Honey Mustard Recipes:
- Lazy 5-minute honey mustard sauce
- Grilled honey mustard chicken sandwich
- Honey mustard chicken wings
Cookers & Goodies for Entertaining
Slow cookers, multi-cookers, and pressure cookers can make weeknight cooking easier and are handy for entertaining. A reliable slow cooker or multi-cooker lets you prep ahead and serve warm, saucy dishes with minimal fuss.
The classic 6‑quart slow cooker is simple, reliable, and great for potlucks or family meals.
Multi-cookers like the Instant Pot offer pressure cooking, slow cooking, sauté, steaming, and more—useful if you want one appliance for many tasks.
Cuisinart-style multi-cookers are great if you want sauté and slow-cook functions in one pot for easy one-pot meals.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
If you enjoy slow-cooker meals, explore other recipes for whole chicken, taco chicken, chicken soup, beef stew, and more—slow cookers make feeding a family easy and hands-off.
- Slow cooker whole chicken
- Slow cooker taco chicken for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas
- Slow cooker chicken vegetable soup
- Slow cooker beef stew
- Slow cooker chicken tortilla soup
- Slow cooker green chili queso (easy party dip)
- Slow cooker creamy garlic chicken
- Slow cooker chicken teriyaki
- Crock pot Asian chicken stew with coconut milk
- Slow cooker tomato sriracha chicken
This recipe was originally published in 2016 and updated with a new video.