Hot honey slow-cooker recipes for chicken and pork

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Hot honey adds sweetness and chili heat to slow-cooked chicken or pork. Here are four authored recipes, followed by tips for choosing ingredients and using your appliance safely.

These recipes have not been independently kitchen-tested by Hot Honey Fever. The credited photographs are editorial illustrations; they do not document these recipes or establish a hot honey ingredient or slow-cooker method.

Before you start

Use thawed meat and poultry and keep them refrigerated until preparation. Before loading the cooker, check its required fill level, maximum cut size and recipe-specific cooking-liquid instructions. USDA's slow-cooker guidance explains these checks.

The ingredient amounts below have not been validated for every cooker. If they cannot meet your appliance's liquid and capacity instructions, use a complete tested recipe designed for that cooker; do not start a batch based only on its listed time. Keep the lid closed except for necessary doneness checks.

The cooking times below are guides. Use a thermometer for safety and check texture separately. The USDA safe-temperature chart lists 165°F for poultry and 145°F with a three-minute rest for whole cuts of pork.

Do not expect slow cooking to reliably remove chili heat or create a caramelized surface. If you prefer a milder meal, choose a milder honey and offer extra topping separately.

Four hot honey slow-cooker recipes

Sweet and spicy slow-cooker chicken

Soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar balance the hot honey. Serve the cooked chicken over rice or shred it for sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup hot honey (plus extra to finish)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sesame seeds (garnish)

Instructions:

• Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together hot honey, soy sauce, broth, white wine vinegar, and toasted sesame oil.
• Place chicken in the slow cooker and pour the honey mixture over the top.
• Cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–4 hours. Keep the lid closed except when needed to check doneness. These time ranges are guides: the chicken must reach 165°F in the thickest part before serving.
• Serve with your favorite side dishes, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and drizzled with extra hot honey.

Hot honey pulled pork

Hot honey, vinegar and chili powder flavor this pork shoulder. Try the shredded pork on buns with slaw.

Ingredients:

• 3–4 lbs pork shoulder
• 1/2 cup hot honey
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Rub the pork shoulder with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• Place the pork in the slow cooker and pour in the chicken broth, hot honey, and apple cider vinegar.
• Cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 4–6 hours, until fork-tender. Check that the pork has reached at least 145°F and give it a three-minute rest before shredding. Shoulder usually needs further cooking for pull-apart tenderness; time alone is not a doneness check.
• Shred the pork using two forks and mix it with the cooking juices.
• Serve on buns with coleslaw or as a main dish with sides.

Hot honey pork and sweet potato bowl

Pork shoulder, sweet potatoes, onion and garlic share the pot. The potatoes soften in the moist cooking environment; this method does not guarantee caramelized surfaces.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs pork shoulder, cubed
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup hot honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions:

• Add the pork, sweet potatoes, red onion, and garlic to the crock pot.
• In a small bowl, whisk together hot honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the pork and vegetables.
• Stir to coat, then cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or on high for 4–5 hours, until the pork and sweet potatoes are tender. Check that the pork reaches at least 145°F and give it a three-minute rest before serving. Follow your cooker’s instructions for capacity and sufficient cooking liquid; the listed time cannot guarantee the result in every appliance.
• Once the pork is safely cooked, taste and adjust seasoning, adding more hot honey if desired.
• Serve over a bed of rice, quinoa, or greens, and garnish with optional toppings like cilantro or lime wedges.

Hot honey BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches

Shred the cooked chicken into its barbecue-and-honey sauce, then serve it on buns with optional slaw.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup hot honey
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• Burger buns
• Coleslaw (optional)

Instructions:

• Place chicken in the slow cooker and pour in the hot honey, barbecue sauce, and water.
• Cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, checking that the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part before shredding.
• Shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce.
• Serve on burger buns with a scoop of coleslaw for crunch.

A dessert idea

Apples and a little hot honey can be a dessert pairing too. Use a complete recipe designed for your appliance if you want to cook a biscuit-dough dessert in it; a golden appearance or a short time estimate is not proof the dough has cooked through.

Alternatively, try a small finishing drizzle on a cooked apple dessert you already make.

Adjust flavor on the cooked serving

Start with the recipe’s sauce measurements. Once the food is safely cooked, you can offer extra hot honey for people who want more sweetness or heat. Keep clean serving utensils separate from anything that handled raw meat.

Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate them within two hours, or within one hour when it is above 90°F. Reheat to 165°F on the stove, in a microwave or in an oven. A slow cooker should not reheat cold leftovers. FoodSafety.gov's handling guidance explains the refrigeration limits.

What about a pressure cooker?

A pressure cooker needs its own cooking times, liquid requirements and release method. Do not copy a slow-cooker recipe’s settings into a pressure-cooking program. Find a recipe for your model and follow its instructions; honey can be a flavor ingredient without making every slow-cooker method transferable.

Choosing the honey

Use a bottle you already have, or consider Mike's Hot Honey Original. The Amazon link selects one 12-ounce squeeze bottle; the maker’s own store may offer a different pack count. Check its current ingredients, size, pack count, seller, price and availability before ordering.

Check Mike's Hot Honey Original, one 12-ounce bottle, on Amazon (paid link)

A commercial bottle is a convenient option, but read its ingredients, heat description and storage directions. Homemade hot honey needs a tested method and appropriate handling, especially when fresh peppers or garlic are involved.

Our homemade hot honey guide discusses that option. Do not assume its shelf life matches undiluted plain honey.

Choose one meal that fits your day, check the appliance instructions and leave the extra drizzle for the table.