We love cooking with our slow cooker all year because in the fall and winter we’re busy with school and in the summers we don’t want to heat up the kitchen. This recipe is actually one of our favorite for the summer.
Another positive about this recipe, it’s just five ingredients, making it one of the my favorite easy chicken recipes. The flavors are perfectly balanced with honey, chili powder, lime and jalapenos. Plus the cost of the recipe is super low.
I made a trip to the grocery store for carnitas tacos and bought all the ingredients including the corn tortillas, the recipe ingredients cost under 5 dollars.
Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas
Slow Cooker season may be waning but we are LOVING this slow cooker chicken carnitas recipe this summer. We add the ingredients to the slow cooker and let it cook low and slow. Once cooked I shred the chicken and put it under the broiler or in a skillet to crisp it up.
Serve this chicken carnitas with some cilantro and diced onions in a tortilla. I promise you, you’ll eat these cheater carnitas all summer long.
Want to make something similar in the oven, I’ve got you covered! Head on over toBaked Honey Lime Chickenand just add in some chili powder and sliced jalapenos.
Want more easy slow cooker chicken recipes?
We love serving this dish over steamed rice or roasted potatoes. Additionally the chicken can be shredded and added to other recipes like tacos, burritos and salads.
How to make Crispy Slow Cooker Chicken
It may sound impossible to some to make crispy slow cooker chicken. It actually is one of my favorite things about cooking in the slow cooker and quite easy!
- Do NOT add additional liquids.
- Brown the chicken before putting it into the slow cooker.
- Make sure the chicken is not crowded in the slow cooker (look above the liquids do not come up to the level of the skin on the chicken).
- Turn on the broiler in your oven and simply broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes before serving for extra crispy skin.
I LOVE crispy skinned slow cooker recipes including my two favoritesCrisp Juicy Slow Cooker ChickenandCrispy Cracklin’ Pork Shoulder, the latter of which includes just a few minutes in the oven but results in a ridiculously crispy and delicious topping. PS that recipe makes the best pork carnitas ever.
Tools used in the making of Slow Cooker Spicy Honey Lime Chicken:
Aluminum Slow Cooker: This slow cooker is a workhorse and a perfect size for smaller recipes.
Yield: 5 servings
Slow Cooker Spicy Honey Lime Chicken
Prep:5 minutes
Cook:180 minutes
Total Time:185 minutes
Slow Cooker Spicy Honey Lime Chicken made with just five ingredients with just a couple of minutes of effort. Perfect for shredding as chicken carnitas in all your favorite Mexican recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cuphoney
- 1 jalapeno, sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 5 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
Directions:
- Add all the ingredients (except the chicken) together in small bowl and whisk.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker skin side up.
- Pour over the mixture and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- If you want the chicken to be even crispier put it 8 inches below the broiler in the oven on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
