Rich Bourbon Chicken With Just 15 Minutes of Prep
There’s no doubt about it: The Crock-Pot is a working mom’s best friend. Recipes have come a long way since Irving Naxon first conceived of the idea of slow cooking in 1938. Rival bought Naxon’s company in 1970, and it has been marketing the Crock-Pot ever since, in conjunction with manufacturer Sunbeam Products. This rich and savory chicken recipe will leave your family convinced that you played hooky from work and spent the day in the kitchen instead.
Total Time: 6 1/4 to 8 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup teriyaki or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup sliced green onions
Directions:
- Coat a 4-quart Crock-Pot’s stoneware insert with cooking oil. This sauce can get sticky!
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bourbon, teriyaki sauce, honey, brown mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, onion, garlic and ginger. Stir the mixture well, and pour it into the Crock-Pot.
- Place the chicken breasts in the Crock-Pot atop the sauce mixture.
- Cover the Crock-Pot and set it on low. Cook the chicken for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the Crock-Pot; cut them into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken pieces to the Crock-Pot and stir well.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, and sprinkle the green onions on top.
Tip
- You can use up to 3/4 cup of brown sugar if your family prefers a sauce that’s a little more on the sweet side. The sauce will be a bit thicker too.
- If you don’t increase the sugar content and the sauce is thinner than you’d like, add cornstarch mixed with water in 1 teaspoon increments until the sauce reaches the consistency you prefer.
- Substitute chicken broth for the bourbon if you’d rather not serve your family an alcohol-based sauce.
- Skinless breasts are ideal because the lack of skin makes cutting up the chicken easier after it’s cooked; you’d just end up throwing the skin away anyway.
- You can hasten the cooking time to 2 to 4 hours if you cut up the chicken before cooking it. This is recommended rather than cooking the chicken on the high setting to speed things up. The low setting allows the flavors plenty of time to meld and seep into the chicken.
- This recipe pairs well with either white or brown rice. Steamed broccoli also makes a nice accompanying side dish.
References
Writer Bio
Beverly Bird has been writing professionally since 1983. She is the author of several novels including the bestselling "Comes the Rain" and "With Every Breath." Bird also has extensive experience as a paralegal, primarily in the areas of divorce and family law, bankruptcy and estate law. She covers many legal topics in her articles.