Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken slow-cooked in sticky sweet chili sauce with garlic and ginger

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1.2 lbs)

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup sweet chili sauce
03 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
04 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
05 - 1 tablespoon honey
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
08 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil

→ Garnish

09 - 2 green onions, sliced
10 - 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
11 - Fresh cilantro leaves

# Method:

01 - Place the chicken breasts in an even layer at the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil until thoroughly combined.
03 - Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken breasts, ensuring all pieces are coated.
04 - Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4 to 5 hours, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and is tender throughout.
05 - Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred using two forks, or slice into strips as preferred.
06 - Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and toss with the sauce to coat evenly. Serve hot, garnished with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro.

# Expert Tricks:

01 -
  • The sauce creates this incredible caramelized coating that makes people think you spent hours babysitting the stove
  • It's one of those recipes where you dump everything in and walk away, then come back to something that tastes deliberately fancy
  • The leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, if they last that long
02 -
  • The sauce will thin out during cooking but thickens beautifully when you shred the chicken and mix it back in
  • If your chicken releases a lot of liquid, you can shred it in the cooker, turn it to warm, and let it sit uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce
  • This sauce is on the sweet side, so balance it with something fresh on the side like cucumber salad or steamed broccoli
03 -
  • Line your slow cooker with a parchment paper sling if you want easier cleanup, though the sauce is sticky enough that nothing really sticks
  • If you're home during cooking, flip the chicken once halfway through for more even flavor distribution
  • A squeeze of fresh lime right before serving brightens everything and makes the flavors pop

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