Crockpot Cooking: Saucy Chicken

Late at night, I hide under the sheets and check out what people are posting on pinterest. From there, I get inspired to create a dish or try what pinners suggest. In particular, the Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken appealed to me. Today, I attempted to make some form of it. I really like using a Crockpot to make meals because its almost fool proof.

This recipe was inspired by Kelly Senyei from Just a Taste. The only thing about this recipe is the sodium content.  Even though it is not heavy, it is rich for my taste. But the sauce is definitely tasty, almost finger licking and could be a good rib marinade. I put a little more onion in mine so the garlic really didn't stand out. Also, she uses blackberry jam, I didn't have that so I made do with my cranberry jalapeno sauce left over from Thanksgiving. Lastly, I felt this was a saucy chicken so I named it so.

Saucy Chicken Crockpot Cooking
Yield: 4 servings     Prep time: 20 mins     Cook time: 4- 5 hours

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cranberry jalapeno sauce (or some sort of fruit jam)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp cold water
2 stalks green onions, finely sliced for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:
1. Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and make sure they are not overlapping.
2. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, cranberry sauce, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes.  Whisk together and pour over the chicken.  Make sure the chicken is covered by the sauce.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until chicken is fully cooked.  You can also cook it on low for 4-5 hours.
4. When cooked, remove the chicken from the slow cooker with tongs and place it on a large bowl. Use two forks and shred the chicken.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the potato starch (cornstarch or flour work as well) with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.
6. In a small sauce pan,  transfer the liquids from the slow cooker over medium-high heat and whisk in the slurry. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it reduces and thickens slightly. This take about 3 minutes.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to combine. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

This dish goes great with brown rice and green veggies.  Noodles would also be delicious.  You can also reserve some of the sauce to make other dishes like noodles or tofu of some sort.  Enjoy!!!