Slow Cooker Hoisin Garlic Chicken

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published June 30, 2025

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
2½ hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours 20 minutes
Rating
5(4,193)
Comments
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Best friends of cooks who are short on time but unwilling to sacrifice flavor, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are slow-cooked to tenderness with hoisin, garlic and tomato paste for an incredibly easy, saucy braised chicken that is subtly sweet and just a little spicy. Make a big pot on the weekend and use it all week for topping rice or noodles, or stuffing in tortillas. You could even shred the chicken more finely and tuck it into a bun with hot sauce, like pulled pork. The ingredients go straight into the slow cooker with hardly any prep at all, making it doable in the morning before work or school. The finishing step of reducing the sauce is necessary to create an appealingly glazed, sticky texture.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce

  • 6 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, plus more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more as needed

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • Sliced scallions (optional), for topping

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

14 grams carbs; 267 milligrams cholesterol; 408 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 805 milligrams sodium; 58 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the chicken, hoisin sauce, chopped garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and 2 teaspoons salt in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Cook on high for about 2 hours. (The dish holds well on warm for several hours for flexibility in timing.)

  2. Step 2

    Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large, rimmed serving plate or bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Pour the sauce into a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook at a vigorous simmer until reduced and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, using two forks, coarsely pull apart and shred the chicken. Pour the reduced sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt, red pepper or vinegar if necessary. Top with scallions, if desired.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,193 user ratings
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Comments

Rebecca

If you have a lot of chicken to shred, put it in your stand mixer bowl and use the paddle attachment on a low speed and it will shred nicely. Easy. For small amounts of chicken I find using my hands the easiest.

CFXK

I don't know anyone who finds shredding with two forks very easy. I've come to believe that recipes prescribe this with a wink, knowing that most of us are going to use our fingers.

Doug W

@Hi from Durham NC Will probably be more watery since the IP want let much steam escape. Be ready to take the chicken out and simmer the sauce down to the right consistency.

Jillian

This was great. Like some others suggested, I doubled the sauce, using half (1/4c) Hoison and half (1/4c) a mixture of soy sauce and fish sauce to cut down on the sweetness. I also added a heaping spoonful of Chinese five spice to the crockpot and subbed out the crushed red pepper for sliced red Thai chillies. Next time I'd probably slow-cook on low for five hours instead of high for two, as the chicken wasn't quite as pull-able. But solid, easy recipe, and a good one to adapt to your tastes!

NanB

Thais was just ok. Needed something to pick it up. Added some sherry vinegar and soy sauce which helped, as did the scallion garnish (I used a lot) but not enough. If I was doing it again I would chop up some ginger and add it with the garlic maybe that would help. But I probably won’t bother to make it again.

Aveline

My son made this (reduced the salt and vinegar amounts but added some soy sauce and extra hoisin) and I made brown rice and sesame green beans and it was delicious! Ate it with my other son too since Trader Joe’s hoisin is gluten free. It’s a keeper! Next time we’ll make a larger batch for my husband, too.

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