Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken
Brown sugar is an interesting ingredient. On one hand, it does the same thing as regular sugar – make things sweeter. But it does a lot more than that. It’s got a darker, richer, more complex flavor that adds a whole extra layer to any dish.
In a way, the difference between the two is kind of like the difference between balsamic vinegar and regular vinegar. Both of them are sour, but the balsamic is more than sour. It’s got that same complexity to it – dark, slightly sweet, almost smoky. So what could possibly make for a more interesting dish than putting these two complex flavors together?
This Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken is, in some ways, just a variant on sweet and sour chicken. But because it uses these two extra-special ingredients, the flavor is much more than just sweet and sour. It’s sweet and sour and dark and rich and spicy, with a little saltiness thrown in from a quarter cup of soy sauce in the mix. And I play up that complexity even more by seasoning it with garlic and allspice, which adds a pungent, aromatic flavor all its own.
Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken
- Remove chicken from packaging. Season both sides will with salt and pepper. Next mix together allspice, garlic, and onion powder. Again, season both sides with seasoning mixture.
- Place water (chicken broth) in you crockpot. Place chicken breast into your crockpot.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce. Pour mixture over chicken breast.
- Cook on high setting for 4 hours.
- Once cooking is done, shred chicken with 2 forks. If you would like to thicken up the sauce even more after you have shredded and mixed chicken, mix in 1 Tbsp of corn starch.
- Serve on buns, or over white rice.
Can you use other chicken parts in place of those pricey boneless breasts?
- Chicken thighs or drumsticks will also taste fine with this flavorful marinade, but they won’t shred as easily as the white breast meat.
How do you serve the chicken?
- You can either serve it over rice and eat it with chopsticks or dish it out on buns like a pulled pork sandwich. Broccoli or green beans makes a nice side dish for the rice version, and the sandwich is good with coleslaw (but then, what sandwich isn’t?).
What’s the green stuff sprinkled on top of the chicken in the picture?
- That’s just a little chopped parsley I added for a garnish. Mostly, it just adds a touch of color – it’s not essential for flavor.
More Crockpot Recipes We Love!
Email Me This Recipe!
Need to save time? Have this article emailed straight to your inbox + sign up for all the latest recipes!
Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken
Email this recipe!
Get this recipe emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch save until the end of cooking
Instructions
- Remove chicken from packaging. Season both sides will with salt and pepper. Next mix together allspice, garlic, and onion powder. Again, season both sides with seasoning mixture.
- Place water (chicken broth) in you crockpot. Place chicken breast into your crockpot.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce. Pour mixture over chicken breast.
- Cook on high setting for 4 hours.
- Once cooking is done, shred chicken with 2 forks. If you would like to thicken up the sauce even more after you have shredded and mixed chicken, mix in 1 Tbsp of corn starch.
- Serve on buns, or over white rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Make sure to share it with me below!
Made this last nite for dinner..Loved it!! I’m a big fan tho of brown sugar and balsamic mixed tho. I did make an extra round of the sauce and poured in at the end and heated up for a few minutes while the rice finished cooking, but I may have had a bit over a pound and a half of chicken in mine. Either way tho we loved it! Thanks!