Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
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Let the crockpot do all of the work in the easiest dish of all time. Simply throw everything in with 5 min prep. That’s it!
I have had some requests for recipes that do not involve the stovetop or oven because at this time of the year, excess heat is really unnecessary, especially in this 90 degree+ heat wave.
So the crockpot comes in super handy during this summer heat, and it’s even better when you can whip up the easiest chicken dish of all time with just 5 min prep.
Yes, I promise you. It’s really 5 minutes – there’s no searing or sautéing here. Simply throw in your seasoned chicken into the slow cooker and stir in that balsamic goodness. Done.
Now the recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts but you can easily substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) to suit your preferences. Either way, you just can’t go wrong with this garlicky, sweet and savory blend of flavors!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar and garlic; set aside.
- Season chicken breasts with basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place chicken breasts into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in balsamic vinegar mixture. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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Planning on trying this out for some guests with special dietary requirements. Is it possible to double this recipe, and layer the chicken?
I’m working with a 5 quart crock.
Yes, although cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
Can the chicken be frozen or does it need to be thawed?
I recommend thawing.
Hi Chungah! Mike in Seattle here where we’re deep into the drizzly gray of November. I’m originally from SoCal (O.C.) and it’s around this time of year when I start to miss the sun, but I also really love the change of seasons we get here in WA. I bought some boneless/skinless chicken breasts at the grocery store yesterday and searched google for something to do with them…and came across this simple yet tasty recipe. I cooked them on low for 7 hours and served them with sides of brown rice, broccoli, and cranberry sauce. My husband and I both loved the way the chicken turned out and he said it was the best chicken I ever made. So thank you for the great recipe and this great blog that I’ve now bookmarked!
Hi – can I substitute honey for the brown sugar?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Thanks, that was helpful.
Heads up — I used boneless/skinless breasts and at 7.5 hours on low they came out way too dry. Delicious flavors — I will just have to try a shorter time next time!
She used Bone in and skin on Chicken Breasts. Boneless chicken breasts will dry out for sure.
Hello! I love using flavored balsamic vinegars. Do you think they could be used here with this recipe?
Yes, absolutely. What a great idea!
Hi,
I’m cooking for a diabetic. Do you think I could either leave out the brown sugar or substitute 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the brown sugar?
Thanks
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi Deborah,
Have you ever used coconut crystals/coconut sugar? Its a lower glycemic index sweetener and tastes similar to brown sugar. I used it in this recipe in the measurement listed for the brown sugar and it turned out great.
Made it last night and was less than successful. The chicken was like sawdust it was so dry. Can only assume that it cooked too long or there wasn’t enough liquid. I note in the picture that your chicken appears to be almost covered with liquid after cooking. May I ask what size of crockpot you used? I have a fairly large one so perhaps that was the problem. Perhaps next time I should do 1c of broth to 1/2c of balsamic rather than equal amounts?
Oh no – what a bummer! I’m so sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I used a 6-qt slow cooker as mentioned in the recipe.
You can adjust the amounts as needed to suit your taste preferences. Sorry again!
6qt is what I used as well. Still find it interesting that your pictures of the final product shows the chicken in a large amount of fairly pale liquid while ours was almost black as the stock gave way to the balsamic vinegar. May try again with a much shorter cooking time.
Probably depends on make and model of the slow cooker. I don’t think they all cook equally.
I made this tonight with skinless/boneless chx breast and it turned out amazing! The chicken was very tender! Good thing I checked it early because it cooked fast. So, I recommend setting your slow cooker to high and cooking for only 1hr 30m. I always think that my slow cooker is extra hot, so you may need to add more time if you don’t have the same results as me. And taking the advice of others, I only used about 60% of the brown sugar that the recipe called for and it was perfect! After I removed the chicken from crockpot, I poured the extra sauce into a small sauce pan, added a tad flour to thicken and it became a delicious sauce. Then I poured some of the sauce over the chicken to serve, and the rest in a gravy bowl for dripping on our roasted potatoes. My husband told me I have to keep this recipe and make it all the time!
I saw that someone tried a whole duck but what about a whole chicken? I’d like to try instead of parts.
THIS…is for tonight! After looking at all the positive comments, HOW can I pass it up?? Thanks for sharing 🙂
I dont have any Brown sugar. What can i use to substitute? Regular white sugar ok?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Have you already made this? Curious if it worked out for you if you just replaced it cup for cup? Because I believe that since brown sugar is essentially white sugar with molasses it’s slightly stickier/sweeter. I have done white sugar with a small amount of honey to replicate the texture of brown sugar and it worked well for another recipe.
Why don’t some of you just google your questions here?
I made this last night. The flavors were excellent, but my chicken was very dry. I cooked it on low for 7 hours, so maybe too long.
I made this the other night and it was good! It looked liked it was going to be a little overloaded with all the spices but is was surprisingly not. I shredded up the leftovers for tacos and they were great too! Thanks for the recipe!
This was absolutely amazing! I actually made it with a whole duck and roasted it overnight in my crockpot for 8 hours on low. It was perfect! I strained the leftover cooking liquid, removed the fat, and cooked it down with cornstarch to form a sauce. This will for sure be cooked again!! Many thanks for a super simple and delicious recipe!
I tried this for dinner tonight and read the comments twice because I suck at cooking and ruin most things. This was a success! It was so good. The chicken was juicy and the sauce was amazing. I added cyan pepper instead of flakes and added a bay leaf. I skipped the rosemary because I don’t like it. I also used only fresh herbs. I’ll be making this again soon. Mine only took about 2 hrs on high. I used boneless chicken breasts as well.
Can I use boneless skinless chicken breast?
Yes, absolutely.
I made this using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I doubled the recipe, cooked it in the crock-pot on high for 4 hours, and added a few dashes of cinnamon. AMAZING! The meat literally fell off the bone. Will definitely be adding this to my potlock rotation.
Hi, just wondering, is this recipe possible in an electric rice cooker? Looks gorgeous but I don’t have a slow cooker..
Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I have mine in the rice cooker now, I’ll let you know
Ok it’s people like me who stop me for ever posting my recipes so I apologize in advance, I followed the recipe exact except I used boneless chicken breast. It’s almost down with the cooking time and it tastes super bland. Don’t know what I’ve done wrong since most of the comments are wonderful. Any suggestions on how I can save this? There’s no vinegar or sugar taste. Add more maybe? Sorry clueless here.
I’m not entirely sure, Lisa. Many of my readers here have substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts with great results. It’s difficult for me to say with certainty what went wrong or what can be done at this point. Sorry!