Chicken thighs, simply seasoned and slow cooked in the crockpot with a mixture of pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce, that is thickened and brushed on as a finishing glaze.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Chicken
It's become pretty clear that folks love the combination of savory meats with sweet brown sugar. I've used it to candy bacon, love it for ham, for rubs on ribs and steaks, it's amazing with chicken and I've even used it for fish. Here lately, I've been seeing brown sugar everywhere in these 2, 3 and 4 ingredient dishes you see pass via Facebook and Pinterest.This dish works well with a whole cut up chicken and you could also use bone-in chicken breasts, with a shorter cook time. I don't recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders in a slow cooker, as they will cook far too fast and likely overcook, resulting in a shredded mess, though using this recipe stovetop on a low braise, or even in the oven would work for those, with a close watch.
This is another great way to incorporate it in a slow cooker recipe made with three simple ingredients - brown sugar, pineapple juice and soy sauce (I like the low sodium version). Finish it off with salt, pepper and of course, a little Cajun seasoning, and add some of your own favorite seasonings for chicken. When it's done, make a glaze from the drippings, and you've got a simple, easy chicken dish for the crockpot, that I know your family will love.
Remove skin from chicken. In my crockpot cooking, I've learned that chicken in the slow cooker tends to generate a lot of fat, so while I didn't always, and I typically don't with stovetop or oven cooking, I usually remove the skin now when the slow cooker is in play.
Season the chicken lightly with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Pat seasoning into chicken and place into the slow cooker.
I have a variety of premixed seasonings in my pantry so I also added a few grinds of Rachael Ray's Perfect Poultry seasoning {affil link} to the chicken with this batch. It contains sea salt, black pepper, onion, sage, rosemary and thyme, if you'd like to add a few of those to your chicken too.
Whisk together the brown sugar, pineapple juice and soy sauce; pour around chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 5 to 6 hours, depending on the size.
Use a wide spatula to remove the chicken from the slow cooker to a platter and loosely tent with aluminum foil; set aside to prepare the glaze, though honestly, this chicken is pretty divine just as it is.
To make the glaze, turn the cooker to high until mixture comes to a boil, or for a speedier transition, transfer to a saucepan for the stovetop. I'm not that patient, so that's what I usually do. It's just faster. Whisk together the water and cornstarch until there are no lumps. Slowly stir into the boiling sauce until fully incorporated and continue boiling for about 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let rest a moment. Brush the sauce over each chicken thigh and serve the remaining sauce at the table.
Check out more of the slow cooker recipes on Pinterest!
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Chicken
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 6 HourTotal time: 6 H & 15 M
Chicken thighs, simply seasoned and slow cooked in the crockpot with a mixture of pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce, that is thickened and brushed on as a finishing glaze.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Remove skin from chicken and season lightly with the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Pat seasoning into chicken and place into the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, pineapple juice and soy sauce; pour around chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 5 to 6 hours, depending on the size.
- Use a wide spatula to remove the chicken from the slow cooker to a platter and loosely tent with aluminum foil; set aside to prepare the glaze.
- Turn cooker to high until mixture comes to a boil, or transfer to a saucepan for the stovetop. Whisk together the water and cornstarch until there are no lumps. Slowly stir into the boiling sauce until fully incorporated and continue boiling for about 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and let rest a moment. Brush the sauce over each chicken thigh and serve the remaining sauce at the table.
Notes:
I also added a few grinds of a poultry seasoning blend to the chicken with this batch pictured, which contains sea salt, black pepper, onion, sage, rosemary and thyme. I prefer to use low sodium soy sauce so I can control my added salt.
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