When you’re tired of the same old slow cooker chicken recipes, try this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken!
This delicious recipe is made with basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. I know I did. I love that I didn’t have to run out to the store to get one ingredient to make dinner.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a very small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
Easy Chicken Dinner
To make this yummy slow cooker chicken, you just season the chicken and cook it and then make the brown sugar balsamic sauce to add to the top and cook it for one more hour.
Look at how delicious and tender this slow cooker brown sugar chicken looks! Add broccoli or corn with some bread to this chicken and dinner is done!
Feel free to use more sugar if you feel the need.
I understand why people like using their slow cookers so much. You can set it and forget it. You don’t have to use your oven or stove in the summer which is always a good thing when it’s 90 degrees out! Using your oven in that heat is like fighting your air conditioning.
So, you might want to pin this recipe to your slow cooker recipes board on Pinterest!
How to Make Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken
*The printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
Buy your ingredients at Amazon. Click the Amazon affiliate links below.
Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken Ingredients:
Ingredients (see glaze ingredients below):
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp allspice See substitution below.
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup water
What is allspice?
Allspice is a spice made from dried berries (from Pimenta dioica plant.) The flavor of allspice is similar to a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper. Allspice is used in Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Latin American cuisines.
What Can I use if I don’t have Allspice?
If you don’t have Allspice, make equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Can I use Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of Allspice?
Pumpkin pie spice has cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Therefore, you can substitute Pumpkin Pie Spice in this recipe as there won’t be enough ginger in it to overpower the other flavors unless you have a keen sense of ginger.
Brown Sugar Balsamic Glaze Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken Instructions:
- First, in a slow cooker, place the chicken breasts with 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle allspice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook on high setting for 3 hours.
- Using a strainer, remove the chicken discharge but, keep the juices.
- Next, in a small saucepan on med/high heat, add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, corn starch, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Stir it and cook it for about 4 minutes until it thickens. Pour onto chicken and cook the chicken for one more hour.
Recipe Substitutions:
- Use skinless, boneless turkey breast instead of chicken.
- Use the same amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of Allspice.
- Use 3 dashes each of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves instead of Allspice.
Notes:
You may cook in slow cooker on low for 6 hours and add brown sugar balsamic sauce at 5 hour mark.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes You May Like:
Slow Cooker Italian Pork with Garlic & Rosemary
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Balsamic Chicken
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- salt
- black pepper
Brown Sugar Balsamic Glaze
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- First, in a slow cooker, place the chicken breasts with 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle allspice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook on high setting for 3 hours.
- At three hour mark, using a strainer, remove the chicken discharge but, keep the juices.
- Next, in a small saucepan on med/high heat, add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, corn starch, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Stir it and cook it for about 4 minutes until it thickens. Pour onto chicken and cook the chicken for one more hour.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired from Skinny Points Crock Pot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin. I just used chicken instead of pork and omitted the sage and replaced it with allspice.
Hi Wendy. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ve added it to the body of the post but, it was in the recipe card at the bottom. Hope you enjoyed the chicken.
I believe you left the soy sauce out of the ingredients….you mention to add it but it’s not where you list the amounts of brown sugar etc. I almost left it out and it guessed on the amount. Otherwise it smells wonderful !!
Hi Julie. No I do not have the Instant Pot version of this recipe. Sorry.
Hi! Do you have an instant pot version of this?
Hi Jennifer. Add one hour to the cooking time in step 1. Hope you love it!
I’m thawing a 3 lb pack of breasts so how long should the cooking time be?
Glad you like it Lee and thanks for the 5-star rating!
Just made and am going to serve over rice since my chicken was so tender it broke up. Also, since it broke up, I placed it and all the juices, chicken and balsamic, into a medium saucepan and left on low on stove top. Smells delish, and can’t wait to eat! Thanks
Thanks for your comment and the five-star rating. Glad your family loved it.
This was so easy to make and delicious! My family loved it! Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for the 5-star rating Erin. Glad you liked this recipe.
Very easy
Hi Shelley. Fortunately, balsamic vinegar is can be found for $2+. You certainly don’t need overpriced balsamic vinegar to make this recipe. Hope you enjoyed the recipe.
I am making this now. I was going to substitute the balsamic vinegar with Balsamic vinergret salad dressing. I decided not to & went to the store to get a bottle of Balsamic vinegar. My mind said go get it. I hope i didn’t waste my time and mo ey on it. We shall see ehen it is done. It does SMELL great in my. Apartment.
Hi Cindi. Either should work fine. Hope you like it.
-Joanne
Should I use dark or light brown sugar?
Strain the juice of the chicken discharge (slimy stuff that accumulates during cooking) and place the juice back into the Crock Pot. Make the glaze on the stove as directed and then mix the glaze with the chicken juice. Alternatively, you can discard the chicken juice as you’re going to put the glaze on the chicken but, it depends if you want to thin the glaze or not. Hope you like the recipe and thanks for leaving your question.
Once I take the chicken out and then strain what do i do with the juice I have saved. Does it go back in the crock pot? Or do I put it in the pan with the glaze? Sound good and I have everything so I’d really like this to be tomorrow’s dinner. Thanks. First time here so I’m gonna go look around.
It should be thawed chicken but, if it’s a little frozen in the middle, it should still be fine.
Can you use frozen chicken breast?
Hi Denise. Just leave them 8n the slow cooker. The glaze you make in the sauce pan will go over the chicken and run into the juices in the slow cooker. I hope this helps.
Joanne, what do I do with the juices you said to save???
Hope you like it!
Just printed this out to make this weekend! My mouth is already watering!