Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Chicken

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.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 6 hrs

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

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

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.

Note: I also added a few grinds of Rachael Ray’s Perfect Poultry seasoning to the chicken with this batch, which contains sea salt, black pepper, onion, sage, rosemary and thyme. I use low sodium soy sauce so I can control my added salt.