Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Chicken (Printable View)

Tender chicken slow-cooked in a sweet brown sugar and garlic glaze, perfect for easy weeknight meals.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

→ Sauce & Seasonings

02 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
05 - 1/4 cup chicken broth
06 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)

→ Garnishes (optional)

11 - Chopped fresh parsley
12 - Sliced green onions

# How To Make It:

01 - Place the chicken breasts in an even layer across the bottom of the slow cooker.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, minced garlic, soy sauce, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, dried thyme, black pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
03 - Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken breasts. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and is fork-tender.
04 - For a thicker sauce, remove the chicken and transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until reduced to desired consistency. Alternatively, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water into the sauce in the slow cooker and cook on high for 15 minutes.
05 - Serve the chicken hot, spooning the sauce generously over the top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce does all the heavy lifting, turning plain chicken into something people will assume took you hours of active cooking.
  • It freezes beautifully, so you can double the batch and have dinner solved for another night when motivation is running low.
02 -
  • Resist the urge to lift the lid and check on it during cooking, every peek releases heat and adds roughly thirty minutes to your total cook time.
  • Chicken thighs work beautifully in place of breasts and actually stay even juicier after a long slow cook.
03 -
  • Spray your slow cooker insert with a light coat of nonstick spray before adding the chicken to make cleanup almost effortless.
  • Let the chicken rest for five minutes before slicing so the juices redistribute instead of running out onto your cutting board.

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