Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken
Sweet Chinese hoisin sauce makes a great pairing with chicken. Add in a few other pantry staples like honey, soy sauce, and a big pinch of black pepper, and it has an almost teriyaki-like flavor with no fuss. Cook everything together in a slow cooker, and you end up with tender chicken infused with that irresistible flavor.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Steamed rice or lettuce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and pepper in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and registers an internal temperature of 165°F, 3 to 4 hours on the LOW setting, or 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the HIGH setting.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Add the cornstarch slurry to the simmering sauce and cook until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Serve the chicken with steamed rice or in lettuce leaves as lettuce wraps, with sauce for drizzling.
Recipe Notes
Hoisin sauce: This Chinese sauce is a thick, sweet condiment made from sugar, soybeans, garlic, sesame seeds, chiles, and spices. For this recipe, we recommend finding a thick, paste-like hoisin sauce that is sold in a jar, not a bottle. To make this dish gluten-free, look for a hoisin sauce that does not contain wheat.
Storage: Store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.