Brown Sugar Chicken

4.88 from 8 votes

This easy Crock Pot brown sugar chicken is sweet, savory, and tender — perfect for busy weeknights!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword asian chicken crock pot, brown sugar chicken, brown sugar chicken crock pot, brown sugar soy sauce chicken, crockpot chinese chicken recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings people

Calories 336kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 ½ - 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or substitute with an equal amount of chicken breasts)
1 - 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup less sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
Optional garnish: sliced green onions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes
Optional for serving: rice or cauliflower rice

Instructions

Season the chicken with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.
Whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and water. Set aside.
Spread the sesame oil in the bottom of a large slow cooker to coat the bottom.
Place the onion and garlic in the slow cooker and season with additional salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on top of the onions and pour the sauce over everything.
Cover and cook until the chicken is tender but not dry, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F, about 4-6 hours on LOW or 2-3 hours on HIGH.
Slice the chicken or shred the meat with two forks. Return the chicken to the pot and stir the meat into the sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Notes

ALTERNATE INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS:

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, and water. Set aside. Press the “sauté” button and add sesame oil to coat the bottom of the pot. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and additional salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft (about 3-5 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the chicken to the pot and pour the soy sauce mixture over top. Turn off the sauté function and close the Instant Pot (locking the lid). Press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and set the cooking time to 10 minutes for chicken thighs or 7 minutes for chicken breasts (if your chicken pieces are bigger than 8 ounces each, you can cut them in half or increase the cooking time to 9 minutes). When the chicken is finished cooking, release the steam and open the lid right away to prevent over-cooking. Slice the chicken or shred with forks; return to the pot and stir into the sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes, if desired.

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