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So delicious! I was gifted a crockpot and this was my first foray into slow cooking. My chicken was perfect after three hours on high.
I’m asking myself if the current time of 6:12 am is too early to think about Honey Glazed Crockpot Chicken Adobo.
Nope. NO way.
I mean, it was not that long ago that I was literally WIDE AWAKE at 6am – miracle – not just writing about Honey Glazed Crockpot Chicken Adobo but actually making my whole house smell like this perfect combination of roasted garlic and peppery chicken and honey soy sauce glaze. I set my alarm early, in order to start the crockpot, in order to get our lunch ready for friends (does anyone else have this where they find themselves thinking about and preparing things for lunch at 6am?)
But in truly beautiful crockpot form, I went back to bed and awoke a few hours later only to be welcomed in the face by the honey soy garlic chicken smell. Cooked, on its own, just like that.
*happy dance*
Okay, so no. True Filipino chicken adobo doesn’t have a glaze. That would definitely be the American glazey sauce lover in me coming through in this recipe.
Normal chicken adobo has more like a broth sauce. It’s runny and you just kind of sop it over your chicken and rice and it’s delicious. But honey? With the salty tang of the adobo sauce? Thickened up a bit in a glaze? As if I could resist. That just needed to happen for me.
The bonus about a sweet honey glaze is that it sticks all over the chicken, so you have this sauciness that not only helps your chicken stay nice and juicy and packed with flavor, but it also get in there with your rice and if I may get serious for a moment, this glaze and rice were meant for each other. The whole combo, the chicken, the glaze, and the rice: it’s a flavor-texture combo that’s basically impossible to stop eating.
PS. Squeeze a lime over the top, because you just should. Tangitty zippidy rah rah roo.
If you were to forego the glaze, I wouldn’t understand you at all. Honestly.
But I would be able to confirm that you’ll still get some awesome shredded chicken out of the deal, like so.
Okay! Enough for today.
Just as a parting thought, I recently read a really great post by blogger Jenna –> Eat Live Run about slowing down. Like sloooowwwwwwwing down. I’m looking at you, distracted multi-tasking self.
If you’re a food blogger, regular blogger, non-blogger, over-scheduled student, completely exhausted parent (I don’t know, but I know.). If you’re self employed and super driven, passionate about your work, prone to taking on too many extra commitments. If you’re just a person of an American mindset. All of us, let’s take a rest this week.
And I hear Honey Glazed Crockpot Chicken Adobo is a good place to start for a rest. Cause, you know, the crockpot.
Honey Glazed Crockpot Chicken Adobo
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
This Honey Glazed Crockpot Chicken Adobo uses simple pantry ingredients and requires hardly any hands-on time. One of my favorites!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. or more boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup soy sauce (Silver Swan is the Filipino brand I use)
- 1/2 cup white cane vinegar
- 8–10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- lime or calamansi for topping
- rice for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 2 tablespoons honey in a large plastic ziplock style bag (or divide between two bags). Store in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to let the chicken marinate.
- Pour the ingredients in the bag directly into the crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and set aside.
- Drain the sauce to remove bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic. Transfer to a saucepan, stir in 1/4 cup honey, and bring to a low simmer. Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and pour into the warm sauce. Simmer until thickened slightly into a glaze. Serve as an additional topping for the chicken.
- Top the chicken with a squeeze of lime juice if you want, fresh herbs if you want (I like cilantro even though that’s not really Filipino) and serve the whole thing over steaming hot white rice.
Notes
I do not recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe because they will be too dry. I’ve made chicken adobo many times and it’s always always always best when I use chicken that is either dark meat (like thighs) or has some fat on it (like skin).
Since I didn’t even come close to using all the glaze, I adjusted the soy sauce to 1/2 cup for the information on the nutrition label.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Filipino-Inspired
Keywords: adobo chicken, crockpot chicken, honey glazed chicken
I had most, but not all, of the ingredients for this recipe and needed a quick and easy dinner for tonight, so gave this a try and oh my gosh it did not disappoint! The smell alone was so good we could barely wait to eat! We will definitely have this recipe on the rotating meal list – it’s easy, delicious, and kid-friendly.
I didn’t have white cane vinegar and substituted with white wine vinegar. And I only had half of the amount of honey needed so substituted with maple syrup. It still turned out great with both of those subs.
Oh man. The crockpot saved me in the Philippines. I just sent another blogger your blog/name the other day…. she’s contemplating a move to SE Asia! Hope you’re doing well!
We’re hoping to make this with an Instant Pot! What changes would you make to the cooking time and any other aspects of the recipe?
We haven’t tested this out in the Instant Pot, but we’d try cooking the chicken for about 10 minutes. Let us know how this goes for you!
So delicious! I was gifted a crockpot and this was my first foray into slow cooking. My chicken was perfect after three hours on high.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this, Sam! Enjoy your crockpot!
Delicious chicken adobo! I scaled back on the soy sauce and honey a bit, and added more pepper. Still tasted great! It also needs more thickening, so I added more cornstarch a bit at a time. Maybe my chicken thighs were extra juicy. 👍
I grew up eating chicken adobe so I was eager to try this out!! I’m making it a second batch and forgot to marinade the chicken so I hope it’s still as flavorful.
The first batch I followed the recipe to the T and it was soooo good. The honey glaze is a delicious twist to the traditional preparation. You should definitely try this out.
What size crock pot would work best for this size recipe?
This sounds delish! What is the serving size please?
I love how this was made in the slow cooker. However, this did not turn out for me. I love adobo but the glaze was a bit much. The chicken was dry, this could’ve been avoided by using skin on thighs. I really wish this turned out for me but it was not a hit with my family.
Hi,
Couple of questions for you. Could I cook this on low for 6-8 hours? Also what veggie would you recommend serving along side of this?
Hi Ashley! If you’re doing it on low, we’d probably recommend 8-10 hours.
Oh. My. YUM! This was fabulous, easy, and made enough for dinner for hubs and I, plus lunches for most of the week when I put rice & some steamed veg with it. Thank you!
Found this recipe on thekitchn the other day. Served it up with cauliflower rice. So good!
What do you think about using chicken wings? I’m so intrigued by this recipe and have a couple of pounds of wings to cook
How would the cooking change if I have frozen chicken thighs? This looks amazing…
Couldn’t get my hands on white cane vinegar, but otherwise made this recipe exactly as written. I loved it and my family loved it! Easy 5 stars 🙂
Just made it. Picky Filipino mom approved. 🙂
Adobo with Honey! will try this one. I’m curious how this one taste, Lindsay.
Hi,
The honey glaze sauce I made was a bit pasty I think because of cornstarch.. should I have simmered for longer? It was more a thick sauce then a glaze..
It’s likely due to the cornstarch – I’d suggest adding a bit more liquid to make the consistency more of a glaze!
Slightly confused! Did you only use 1/2 cup soy sauce in your recipe, or did you only use 1/2 cup soy sauce in the nutrition facts you posted? Would you suggest only using 1/2 cup soy instead of the 1 cup? I realize 1/2 cup versus 1 cup would have an effect on volume, but would it also have an effect on flavor?
I’ll pass along your question to Lindsay. 🙂
Rather than use cornstarch I pour sauce into pan on med high and boil to reduce which not only thickens but also creates a nice sticky sauce…also use rice malt in preference to honey thus creating a healthier dish.
Great tip, Joan!
Could I change the cooking time to 8 hours if I placed it on low? Trying to find something to cook during work. Thanks!
Hi, Krista! I think that would work fine. Generally recipes that are 3-4 hours on high can also be made 6-8 hours on low. Enjoy! 🙂
Made this and it is simply scrumptious! I am wondering, could we somehow change this up enough to make it a Mexican Taco filling? I see you have a pork one with black beans… perhaps something with a real adobo sauce and some tomato? We want to make it for about 15-20 servings for a party. Kids eating too so not too hot! Any suggestions welcome!!
Good question, Karin! To give this more of a “Mexican” twist, I would decrease the amount of honey and maybe use some salsa instead… I think you could definitely add in black beans (like in the pork carnitas recipe you mentioned). Try using some “not-spicy” Mexican spices like cumin, oregano, or coriander. The adobo recipe serves 12 people, so you could probably make 1.5 the recipe (or double it if you want leftovers!) in order to feed 15-20. Good luck! 🙂
Why is this recipe called “Adobo” when there is no Adobo chilies or sauce in the ingredient list? I was expecting to see that in the Ingredient list and was surprised when it wasn’t there. I wanted to make sure they weren’t mistakenly left off the list. Thanks!
Good question, Kay! You are correct in that there are no Adobo chilies in this dish. The name “Adobo” is simply the name of this Filipino preparation of meat.
Saw this recipe on Pinterest and got interested. I will try this version of chicken adobo in a crockpot. I actually haven’t thought it’s even possible to cook adobo in a crockpot, lol! Anyway, thanks for the idea!
Can you cook this at the low setting for longer? Just wondering, if I should turn it on before work at a lower setting or will it overcook?
I think you could, but I would definitely put it on low.