Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken
Slow-cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs tossed in a sweet brown sugar, soy and balsamic glaze and shredded for serving.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 poundschicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 cupwater
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
- 1/2 teaspoonpepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoonoregano dried
- 1/2 cupbrown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoonsoy sauce low sodium
- 2 tablespoonbalsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespooncornstarch
Instructions
Instructions
- Measure 1 cup water and set it aside; you will use it in two 1/2-cup portions.
- Place the 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker in a single layer if possible.
- Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Pour 1/2 cup of the measured water over the seasoned chicken.
- Cover and cook on High for 2 1/2 hours.
- While the chicken cooks (or after the 2 1/2 hours), prepare the glaze: in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed), 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup water. Whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Transfer the glaze mixture to a small saucepan and heat over medium, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil; it should begin to thicken as it comes to a boil. Continue cooking 1–2 minutes until noticeably thickened, then remove from heat.
- Pour the thickened glaze over the chicken in the slow cooker. Use tongs or a large spoon to toss and coat the chicken thoroughly in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on Low for an additional 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken to a large bowl and use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces.
- Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stir to coat with any remaining sauce, and let sit 2–3 minutes so the chicken absorbs the sauce.
- Serve warm (for example, on buns with coleslaw, if desired).
Equipment
- Instant Pot – 6 Quart
- 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Notes
It is not really recommended to use frozen chicken in the slow cooker, since there’s risk of bacteria contaminating the meat before it reaches a safe temperature.
If you prefer a tender, juicier chicken, I recommend using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. The meat from the thighs is much more juicier than that from the breast and contains more flavor as well.
When using soy sauce, make sure you are using a high quality soy sauce that has a lower sodium grade. This way you are able to control the amount of sodium intake and get a tastier flavor as well.
When prepping the chicken, if you find you’d like a little extra smoky flavor, you can always add 1 tsp of liquid smoke to boost up the flavors.
If you prefer a tender, juicier chicken, I recommend using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. The meat from the thighs is much more juicier than that from the breast and contains more flavor as well.
When using soy sauce, make sure you are using a high quality soy sauce that has a lower sodium grade. This way you are able to control the amount of sodium intake and get a tastier flavor as well.
When prepping the chicken, if you find you’d like a little extra smoky flavor, you can always add 1 tsp of liquid smoke to boost up the flavors.