The trend for healthy comfort food continues with this slow cooker honey lemon chicken. It’s tender, succulent and oh-so lemony good. Plus, it’s shredded and what’s not to love about shredded meat?
This recipe combines creamy coconut milk, raw honey, fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. It is literally bursting with fresh flavor! And, it’s incredibly simple to make too. The slow cooker does the bulk of the work.
Because this chicken is quite juicy, it is extra amazing eaten over some sort of mashed starchy vegetable — like mashed sweet potato, butternut squash or regular potato — something to soak up the delicious sauce! Also, know that the chicken will absorb some of the liquid as it sits overnight, so if needed, add a little more coconut milk or broth to the mixture when reheating. Of course, it tastes great either way.
If you’re interested in other slow cooker shredded chicken recipes, be sure to check out my slow cooker apricot chicken (a really delish one from the archives) and my slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken.
Lastly, catch me making this recipe on Portland’s KATU Afternoon Live TODAY between 2-3pm PST! Watch the replay of my segment HERE.
Cheers and enjoy!
Loaded with fresh lemony flavor, this slow cooker honey lemon chicken is a breeze to make! It has creamy coconut milk, raw honey, fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and more. Eat it on top of mashed sweet potato or butternut squash for an extra comforting meal.
- 2-2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1.5-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh-grated lemon zest
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1.5 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup good-quality chicken or vegetable broth
- 1.5 tsp Sea salt, or to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1-2 Tbsp cold filtered water
- Fresh parsley for garnish, optional
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Melt coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with sea salt and black pepper, add to pan, and sear 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and add to the bottom of the slow cooker crock. (Note: if you’re pressed for time, you can skip searing the chicken and place it raw right into the crock — omit coconut oil too. I do recommend searing if you have the time though, as it adds more flavor and locks in the juices).
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In a large bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients, except the arrowroot, water and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.
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Pour mixture on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3. Once done, shred chicken with two forks and stir to coat.
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Then, whisk 1 Tbsp of arrowroot starch with 1 Tbsp of cold filtered water and stir into chicken mixture to thicken. Cover and cook another 5-10 minutes. If mixture is still not thick enough for your taste, dissolve another 1 Tbsp of arrowroot starch in 1 Tbsp of water and stir into mixture. Let cook another 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley, if using.
I recommend eating this on top of mashed sweet potato, butternut squash or white potato. The chicken is quite juicy and it’s delicious to have something to soak up the flavorful liquid.
Know that the chicken will absorb some of the juice overnight, so if needed, add a little more broth or coconut milk to the mixture to make it juicier again. It tastes great either way though.
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