An effortless weeknight dinner. This slow cooker honey mustard chicken is cooked to perfection in a sweet and tangy glaze. Perfect for busy days this gluten-free chicken recipe will soon become your favorite, hassle-free family dinner.
Simplify your meal time with this no-fuss, slow cooker honey mustard chicken recipe!
With minimal effort and in a mouth-watering sauce, you’ll be able to spend less time in the kitchen and still feed your family a nutritious meal (this slow cooker Hunters chicken is great for that too!). It’s a busy mom win.
Learn more about slow cookers and choosing the best one for your family (and how to use it!).
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, this gluten-free slow cooker chicken is an amazing recipe to include in your weekly rotation.
I use it with clients because it’s:
- Easy pop into the crock pot and call it a day
- Allergy-friendly (dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo)
- Kiddo-approved thanks to the sweet but tangy marinade
Stop stressing about meals and if they fit in with your goals (or when in the heck you’ll have time to make them!).
Instead, start using this slow cooker honey mustard chicken recipe in your weekly rotation.
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Ingredients You Need
Chicken thighs: the bonus part about this slow cooker chicken recipe is that boneless skinless thighs will work but so will bone-in and skin-on! I’ve made it with both and it’s always a hit.
Bold Dijon mustard: make sure to grab a paleo one if you need it but don’t skip the “bold”. It adds the best flavor.
Honey: opt for the real stuff so you get maximum flavor. And if you love the honey flavor, try these honey baked chicken thighs too. Or make honey onion cough syrup.
Smoked Paprika: regular paprika will work but smoked paprika is a game changer!
Salt: any you have on hand will work.
Garlic powder: fresh garlic will work too but powdered garlic is just easier.
Chicken broth: I use homemade broth when I have it but more often than not I use bone broth powder to keep it easy.
Canned Full-fat Coconut Milk: make sure to use the full-fat version because it helps the honey mustard sauce stay rich and semi-creamy. It's the make-or-break ingredient in a 20-minute Thai chicken pineapple curry too.
Arrowroot powder: tossing the chicken in this will make it so that the sauce isn’t too watery from the thighs. Tapioca flour works as well.
How To Make It
- Pop the chicken thighs into a plastic baggie and toss in the arrowroot powder. Toss to coat them slightly.
- In your slow cooker, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well so that there are no clumps.
- Place your chicken thighs into the sauce and flip them once so that they’re coated.
- Cover and let them cook for 6 hours.
Step By Step Photos
Important Teaching Tips
Skinless chicken thighs and bone-in, skin-on thighs will work for this gluten-free slow cooker recipe! If you choose one with the skin on, know that if you don’t stir the thighs at all while cooking, the top skin will be sticky, crunchy, yum.
Reap the benefits of homemade bone broth but skip the time in the kitche. Bone broth powder gives you the best of both worlds and makes healing, homemade broth in just 2 minutes.
There is a lot of liquid that comes off of chicken when you cook them, if you want your sauce to not be as watery, for the last half an hour, pop the slow cooker on high and crack the lid to let some moisture out.
Truly don't use a honey mustard in place of dijon mustard, the chicken ends up far too sweet.
This recipe was made in a 7-quart crock pot. Cooking times may vary slightly.
I haven’t yet tried the honey mustard chicken with chicken breasts. I have no doubt chicken breasts will work but I can’t promise on cooking times.
How To Serve The Honey Mustard Chicken
The best part about slow cooker chicken is that you can serve it on or with anything. Our favorites are:
- On top of rice
- Mixed into noodles
- With a side of maple roasted veggies
- Mashed potatoes
The sides above also work with something quick like gluten-free orange chicken.
We also use this honey mustard chicken as a meal prep recipe and use the leftovers on salads, noodle bowls, or in veggie wraps. Anything goes.
Learn how to make meal prep easy.
Dinner doesn’t have to be chaotic—this eBook gives you 20+ protein-packed meals ready in 30 minutes or less (even when the day’s already gone sideways)
Other Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes For Busy Nights
- Slow cooker chicken teriyaki
- Slow cooker Tuscan chicken
- Chicken pot pie
- Slow cooker BBQ chicken thighs
Frequently Asked Questions About Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
You can do either. Stirring the chicken thighs in the slow cooker will help keep them coated in the honey mustard sauce. However, the chicken thighs will cook just fine without stirring so long as you make sure they were coated in the sauce before cooking (versus having raw chicken exposed on top).
So long as you're cooking the chicken for an extended period of time (4-6 hours), you can put raw chicken in the slow cooker. The fewer ingredients you put into the slow cooker with the chicken (and the smaller the pieces of chicken) the less time it will take to cook fully.
Gluten Free Honey Mustard Chicken
Video
Equipment
- Meauring Cups & Spoons
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken thighs see notes
- ⅓ cup Bold dijon mustard
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ tbs Garlic powder or granules
- ¼ cup Chicken broth
- 1.5 tbs Arrowroot powder
- ⅓ cup Full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Pop the chicken thighs into a plastic baggie and toss in the arrowroot powder. Toss to coat them slightly.
- In your slow cooker, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well so that there’s no clumps.
- Place your chicken thighs into the sauce and flip them once so that they’re coated.
- Cover and let them cook for 6 hours.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Sharon says
My family loved this recipe because it was delicious, and I loved it because it was cooked in a slow cooker, and I could put it on before work.
Michelle says
We are really busy this summer and I've made this slow cooker chicken several times. Easy and everyone likes it! Thank you!
Gwen says
My family loved this!
Katy says
My family loved this! Thanks so much!
Kate says
I love how creamy and delicious my chicken turned out. We served ours with some rice.
fitasamamabear says
Yes! it's a comforting one for sure.
Genevieve says
I’m doing an elimination diet this month and this is the perfect easy dinner! Not only does it remove the gluten and dairy I’m avoiding but it’s so dang delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!
fitasamamabear says
Ah, happy to give you some new dinner inspiration that you enjoy!!
Lee says
The chicken thighs were juicy, and the honey mustard glaze added the perfect touch of sweetness. Easy prep, tasty results! Excited to explore more slow cooker recipes now! Any recommendations? Thank you!
fitasamamabear says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Sue says
Love the smoked paprika in this chicken! Everyone just loved it and wanted seconds and even thirds. Thanks a ton! Will make again.
fitasamamabear says
It makes a huge difference!
Alicia says
LOVED this dish! I served it with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, and it was a complete meal in itself! I want to make them again!
fitasamamabear says
Such a simple yet yummy meal!
Anne says
This recipe is effortless to make but so delicious. The chicken thighs cook was so tender and the sweet-tangy combo is a winner. My son really loved them and requested that I make them all the time! lol
fitasamamabear says
Happy your son liked them!
Angela says
I recently tried a slow cooker honey mustard chicken recipe and I have to say, it was absolutely delicious! The chicken was so tender and juicy, and the honey mustard sauce was the perfect balance. Plus, the leftovers were just as tasty the next day.
fitasamamabear says
The leftovers are my favorite!
Jessica says
The chicken comes out so tender and flavorful! Plus, the convenience of using a slow cooker makes it a no-fuss weeknight dinner winner. We added a couple of chicken breasts to the pot since our youngest can sometimes be a little weird about thighs.
fitasamamabear says
Slow cookers save sanity lol
cindy says
I've been testing new recipes this summer so I'd have my "back to school"plan in place with recipes that my entire family loves. I've made this twice and its a HIT
fitasamamabear says
Omg you're amazing for being so on top of it!
Ali says
We loved this recipe!! So easy to make and delicious over rice - adding it to our weekly rotation! 10/10 recommend!!!
fitasamamabear says
Ahh this makes my heart happy!
Gina says
Love the creaminess of this dish with the coconut milk. That's an ingredient I wouldn't have thought to add with mustard but it works really well and adds such great depth to the dish.
fitasamamabear says
The mustard adds such a deliicous flavor, glad you liked it!