Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken

Chicken thighs in apricot sauce with chopped green onions over top.

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Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken

This sticky sweet Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken is a super simple weeknight meal that takes just a few minutes to prep. The sauce is sweet and fruity with a slightly spicy kick. This is perfect served over rice and you can add broccoli right into the crockpot to get some veggies in the meal as well. Shred the chicken or eat in whole pieces, you choose! You will love this delicious chicken dinner!

Prep Time5

Cook Time4 10

Total Time4 15

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

2 - 2 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs approx. 8-12 thighs, depending on size
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
1 small onion chopped
1 cup apricot preserves
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
½ tsp red chili flakes
4 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds optional for serving

Instructions

Arrange chicken thighs at the bottom of crockpot. Season generously with salt, pepper and paprika.
Add the apricot preserves, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, crushed red pepper and the onion. Stir this mixture over top of the chicken thighs, covering them evenly.
Cover the crockpot and heat at low for 4-5 hours, or on high for about 2-3 hours, or the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Once chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shift the heat to high. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and slowly pour the slurry mixture into the crockpot, stirring to combine.
Heat on high for about 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Once thickened, add the chicken back in the sauce, spooning it over top to cover the chicken. You are welcome to shred or pull the chicken into smaller pieces if preferred or serve whole over rice with sauce. Serve garnished with sliced green onion and sesame seeds over top.

Notes

Try to select chicken thighs of even thickness and size. For best results, if you can get chicken that is very similar in size, it will all cook at about the same rate.

This can be made as a freezer meal. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, omitting the cornstarch and water. Add the chicken and sliced onion to a freezer safe plastic bag and pour the sauce mixture over top. Allow the sauce to coat the chicken. Seal the bag airtight and then allow the sauce to evenly coat chicken and onions. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before cooking in crockpot according to original instructions.

Storage: Store leftover chicken in sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. To freeze, allow the chicken to cool completely and then transfer to container and freeze for up to 3 months.

*Nutrition information per serving also includes about 1/4 cup of the sauce as well, not just the chicken thighs alone.

Nutrition