Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 240 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

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

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.