Glazed Chicken stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
Sticky-Sweet Slow Cooker Chicken That Feels Like a Hug
A glossy, savory-sweet glaze bathes tender chicken thighs and root vegetables for an effortless, deeply flavored weeknight or weekend meal.
Cam Torres' slow-simmer approach for Ember Pot turns simple boneless, skinless chicken thighs into something wonderfully comforting: the thighs stay juicy while a honey-and-brown-sugar glaze becomes glossy and almost lacquered over the meat. Browning the thighs briefly until golden builds a savory crust that the slow cooker then tenderizes into fall-apart softness, while smashed garlic and onion add an old-fashioned, homey aroma.
The glaze is where the dish sings—low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce give savory umami, honey and brown sugar bring sticky sweetness, and Dijon plus apple cider vinegar cut through with a bright, tangy lift. A spoonful of tomato paste rounds the sauce and helps it cling to the chicken and vegetables; after hours in the cooker the carrots and Yukon gold potatoes soak up that salty‑sweet sauce, offering a mix of silky, melt-in-your-mouth textures and a little bite from the carrots.
A few practical tips: pat the thighs dry and season before searing 2 minutes per side for color (they don’t need to be cooked through), chop the veggies into 1-inch-ish pieces so they finish evenly, and whisk the glaze until smooth before pouring over everything. This one is wonderfully make-ahead—assemble the browned chicken, chopped vegetables, and glaze in the slow cooker insert, cover, and refrigerate overnight; pop it on in the morning and let the 4½-hour slow simmer do the work.
Serve it over steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or with crusty bread to sop up the sauce, and add a green salad or wilted greens for brightness. It’s an easy anchor for dinner that feels special but requires almost no hands-on time—perfect for when you want deep, slow-cooked flavor without fuss.
Ingredients
How to Make Glazed Chicken
- Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, then brown chicken thighs 2 minutes per side until golden (they do not need to be cooked through). Transfer thighs to the slow cooker.
- Roughly chop the onion, slice carrots into 1/2-inch pieces and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks; add all to the slow cooker around the chicken along with smashed garlic cloves.
- In a bowl whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, and tomato paste until smooth; pour the glaze mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Add dried thyme, bay leaf and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2.5–3 hours) until chicken is tender and vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and transfer chicken to a cutting board; optionally shred or leave thighs whole, then return to the cooker.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir into the slow cooker liquid, then turn the cooker to HIGH and cook uncovered 20–30 minutes to thicken and concentrate the glaze.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with a pinch more salt or pepper if needed, then serve hot spooned over the vegetables and glaze; garnish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme or chopped parsley if desired.
Recipe Card
Glazed Chicken
Glazed Chicken stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4 hr 30 min
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry and season both sides with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, then brown chicken thighs 2 minutes per side until golden (they do not need to be cooked through). Transfer thighs to the slow cooker.
- Roughly chop the onion, slice carrots into 1/2-inch pieces and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks; add all to the slow cooker around the chicken along with smashed garlic cloves.
- In a bowl whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, and tomato paste until smooth; pour the glaze mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Add dried thyme, bay leaf and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours (or HIGH for 2.5–3 hours) until chicken is tender and vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and transfer chicken to a cutting board; optionally shred or leave thighs whole, then return to the cooker.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir into the slow cooker liquid, then turn the cooker to HIGH and cook uncovered 20–30 minutes to thicken and concentrate the glaze.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with a pinch more salt or pepper if needed, then serve hot spooned over the vegetables and glaze; garnish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme or chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 38
- Saturated Fat
- 7
- Sodium
- 650
- Fiber
- 3.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 20
- Protein
- 43
- Fat
- 27
- Cholesterol
- 160
- Trans Fat
- 0.1
- Calories
- 580
- Sugar
- 18