Description
Slow cooker brown sugar garlic chicken blends simple ingredients that develop into something truly satisfying as your chicken becomes tender and glazed with a sweet-savory sauce. The brown sugar and garlic create layers of flavor that make this dish work perfectly over rice or with whatever sides you have on hand.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Main Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Seasonings and Thickeners:
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Arrange your 4 chicken breasts flat on the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon ground ginger in a separate bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves into the liquid.
- Pour this mixture evenly over your chicken breasts, making sure they’re well coated.
- Cover your slow cooker and let everything cook on the low setting for 6 to 7 hours until your chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Transfer your cooked chicken to a plate and set it aside temporarily.
- Whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small cup until smooth, with no lumps.
- Add your cornstarch mixture directly into the sauce remaining in the slow cooker, stirring constantly for about 1 minute at the low setting until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
- Return your chicken to the slow cooker and give everything a gentle toss to coat it in the thickened sauce.
- Serve your chicken alongside rice or roasted vegetables, spooning extra sauce from the slow cooker over the top.
Notes
- Brown sugar can burn easily, so make sure your slow cooker isn’t set too high or the sauce will turn bitter instead of sweet and savory.
- If your chicken finishes cooking early, just turn the slow cooker to warm and it will stay tender without drying out while you finish other dishes.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos, which give you the same salty depth without the wheat.
- Freshly minced garlic tastes better than jarred, but if that’s what’s in your kitchen, use it – the long cooking time softens any harsh edges either way.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-7 hours
- Category: Slow Cooked Chicken
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 395 kcal
- Sugar: 29 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg