Slow Cooker Honey Sriracha Chicken

Calling all sriracha lovers – this one’s for you! And if you haven’t tried sriracha before, Slow Cooker Honey Sriracha Chicken will win you over with its combination of sweet and spicy flavors with a cooling drizzle sauce.

What’s To Love About This Recipe

• If a slow cooker recipe is going to be one of my family’s favorites, it needs to be simple and easy. This one checks the boxes! We love making this on weeknights and always have extra helpings (and few leftovers).
• The sriracha and sweet drizzle sauce pair perfectly to make a spicy and cool combination. You’ll want to add a generous helping of the tangy sauce over the top – it’s that good!
• The amount of flavor for the minimal amount of effort here is pretty remarkable! If you make a batch of this for leftovers, your lunches will be anything but mundane.
• This will cook equally as well if you start it in the morning or after lunchtime. When it comes time for dinner, all you will need is a quick mix of the drizzle sauce and a pot of rice or noodles. Dinner is served!

Ingredients Needed  

Mix up your ingredients for this recipe in two stages: the sauce for the honey sriracha chicken and the creamy sweet chili sauce to drizzle over your bowl!

For the honey sriracha chicken, you’ll need:

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – For the best results, I recommend using chicken breasts rather than thighs because excess fat can cook off from the thighs and make the sauce greasy (and this will also be the case with any type of bone-in chicken). 
• Sriracha sauce – Many brands make their own version of sriracha sauce now, but the classic chili garlic sauce is our favorite. (You can probably already visualize the red and green packaging!) Sriracha is somewhat spicy on its own, but the honey and drizzle sauce provide the perfect balance while keeping a spicy kick!
• Honey – Honey is a great ingredient for juicy, tender chicken recipes. 
• Soy sauce – Soy sauce adds saltiness and another level of flavor to the chicken. It also helps the meat retain its moisture.
• Lime juice – Feel free to use either fresh or bottled lime juice.

And for the creamy drizzle sauce, you’ll need: 

• Mayo – Use any variation of mayonnaise that you like.
• Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt is rich in protein, and you can choose either a whole milk or a nonfat version for excellent results.
• Sweet chili sauce – This is the key ingredient in the drizzle sauce. You can usually find it in most grocery stores in the Asian foods section.
• Honey – And of course, a bit more honey to enhance the sweet chili flavor.
• Hot sauce – Choose your favorite brand, and if you’re going for extra-extra spicy, increase the amount as you like!

Note: You can also choose to use all mayo OR all yogurt for the drizzle sauce.

How To Make Honey Sriracha Chicken In The Slow Cooker

1. Cut the chicken breasts into large, bite-sized chunks and place them in the slow cooker.

2. In a bowl, mix together sriracha, 1/4 cup honey, soy sauce, and lime juice.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover, and cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 5-7 hours until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Whisk the drizzle sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

5. Serve chicken over rice, noodles, or as desired with a generous drizzle of the mayo-yogurt sauce.

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Honey sriracha is such a popular flavor combination and you can find it in so many types of recipes (for instance, my version of honey sriracha chicken dip).

For this slow cooker recipe, I recommend using chicken breasts to prevent added grease in the sauce. If you’d prefer, you can add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to the slow cooker whole, and shred them with two forks after cooking.

Adjust as needed for your dietary needs and tastes!

• For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce and ensure your other ingredients (like sriracha sauce) are labeled as gluten-free.
• To make a dairy-free version, swap the yogurt for a dairy-free version such as coconut milk yogurt. 
• To make this recipe less spicy, reduce the amount of sriracha sauce to 2 tablespoons. If you like it super-spicy, add additional sriracha to individual bowls.

What To Serve With Honey Sriracha Chicken 

The most important thing to serve with honey sriracha chicken is something “carb-y” to soak up the extra sauce and creamy drizzle! Steamed white or brown rice is a great option, or you could use quick-cooking rice noodles. If you’d prefer to stay low-carb, try serving the chicken and sauces over riced cauliflower.

Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, or an extra lime wedge if you like!

Storing and Reheating

First of all, I have to share that this is a fantastic freezer meal. You may just want to plan a second batch to freeze while you cook the first one! 

Add all of the chicken ingredients to a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw before cooking, then follow the directions as written.

To store your leftovers after cooking, dish the honey sriracha chicken into individual containers over rice or noodles and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Store the drizzle sauce separately and add after reheating. 

Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken FAQs

• What is sriracha sauce? Sriracha sauce is a condiment, or popular hot sauce, made of chili peppers, spices, and vinegar. It is used as a topping for many different foods and also added to other sauces and recipes.
• How spicy is this recipe? Sriracha sauce is not overly spicy, but the slow cooker sauce will have some kick! If you are spice-averse, you can reduce the amount in this recipe to 2 tablespoons. If you prefer spicier chicken, I recommend waiting until serving to add additional sauce sriracha or other hot sauce.
• How do you know when the chicken is done? Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees ℉. Use a thermometer to test if needed.
• Should this recipe be cooked on high or low? This recipe is easily cooked on high or low.
• Can this recipe be made in the Instant Pot? To make this in the Instant Pot, you will need to add 1 cup of chicken broth (as a minimum amount for the Instant Pot to function) to the remaining chicken ingredients in the pot. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Then, I recommend removing the chicken and adding additional sriracha, honey, soy, and lime juice to the sauce to taste.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo Recipe
• Slow Cooker Pineapple BBQ Chicken Tenders
• Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry