Description
This Slow Cooker Honey Lemon Chicken is a delightful combination of sweet and tangy flavors, featuring tender chicken breasts cooked slowly to perfection. It’s an easy, convenient crockpot meal that pairs wonderfully with rice or noodles, making it ideal for busy days when you want a comforting homemade dinner with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Sauce
- ½ cup liquid honey
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon, zest before juicing!)
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Cut the chicken breasts into ½ to ¾ inch cubes. Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-top bag, then add 3 tablespoons of corn starch. Seal the bag and shake well to evenly coat the chicken with the corn starch.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat a large skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Wait until the oil is hot, then add the chicken cubes to the pan, making sure to leave space between pieces to allow for proper browning. Cook until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides. You may need to do this in two batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Transfer to Slow Cooker: Place the browned chicken pieces into a 2.5 to 4-quart slow cooker, spreading them out evenly.
- Mix the Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the liquid honey, low sodium chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, low sodium soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons corn starch until fully combined and smooth.
- Cook the Chicken: Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or on high for 1½ to 2 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Finish and Serve: Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings and sweetness to your preference. Stir in the optional lemon zest for an extra fresh lemon flavor. Serve hot over rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
- This dish has a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors, making it delicious over rice or noodles.
- It’s ideal for busy schedules as it requires minimal hands-on cooking time thanks to the slow cooker.
- You can brown the chicken in batches to ensure even cooking and better flavor development.
- Adding lemon zest at the end brightens the dish with fresh citrus aroma and flavor.
- Step-by-step video instructions are available to guide the preparation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 367 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 564 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
