Nothing is tastier than a decadent and saucy chicken dish served over white rice and adorned with fresh herbs. But to make that meal even better, we’ve crafted it into a convenient crockpot chicken recipe. This showstopper is guaranteed to become a cold-weather staple, filling your house with delectable aromas and filling your bellies with delicious food. Read on for our classic chicken crockpot recipe plus some other favorites and tips to tailor this dish to your tastes.
Easy Crockpot Chicken Recipe
Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons garlic (minced)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 chicken thighs (small-medium sized)
- 1 teaspoon parsley (fresh and roughly chopped)
Supplies
- crockpot or slow cooker
- measuring cups
- slotted spoon
- 9 x 13 glass baking dish
Directions
Add garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, chicken broth, and olive oil to slow cooker. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Next, add chicken thighs to crockpot and coat with sauce. Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. When there’s ten minutes left of that cooking time, heat your oven’s broiler.
Using slotted spoon, carefully remove chicken thighs and add to glass baking dish. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until tops are nicely browned.
Garnish with extra sauce from crockpot and fresh parsley. We recommend serving this on a bed of white rice and with some roasted veggies for a more complete meal.
Recipe Notes
For tips on the perfect rice, check out our guide here.
The same amount of coconut sugar may be substituted for the brown sugar.
If you’d prefer a longer cook time, set to low and cook for 7 hours.
Variations
Now that we’ve mastered the classic preparation of crockpot chicken with garlic and brown sugar, let’s discuss some easy variations to tweak it to your tastes.
- Health-Centric: To make this dish a bit healthier, be sure to choose low sodium broth and substitute 4 chicken breasts for the chicken thighs. You could also use brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice, and use 1/4 cup less brown sugar.
- Spice Spice Baby: To up the spice factor, consider doubling the amount of crushed red pepper flakes to 2 teaspoons. Or, hot sauce could be used as a condiment when serving.
- Great Garnishes: Rather than sprinkling fresh parsley as a topper, there are other options from which to choose. One such idea is using finely chopped green onions. Other fresh herbs would work too, dependent upon what you have on hand; thyme, rosemary, basil, or oregano are all agreeable options.
Other Crockpot Favorites
There are so many amazing chicken recipes using slow cookers or crockpots. We’ve rounded up some winners here.
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup: This is the ultimate comfort food and perfect for when a chill hits the air. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice right before serving adds a hint of acid and freshness to this dish.
- Italian Chicken With Potatoes: This is a hearty and family-friendly addition to your table. Italian seasoning and fresh herbs make this poultry pop!
- Entire Chicken: It’s surprisingly easy to prepare a chicken in a crockpot. The finished product is great for a classic chicken dinner, leftovers, or chicken sandwiches.
- Chicken Marsala: This savory preparation stars mushrooms in a divine and multifaceted sauce. You won’t believe it came from a slow cooker!
- Crockpot BBQ Sandwiches: These tasty treats are only comprised of three ingredients. The end result is great for leftovers and perfect for busy weeks.
Overall, we hope you enjoyed our easy chicken and rice crockpot recipe, plus some fun twists on this classic dish and roundup of other slow cooker favorites.
