This hands-off slow cooker chicken recipe makes a saucy, delicious dinner—and couldn’t be easier to put together. To create big flavor with minimal effort, we lean on aromatic ingredients like ginger, garlic, cilantro, and ground coriander. Together with tangy balsamic vinegar and soy sauce, which lends a boost of umami, they create a fragrant liquid that will have you counting down the minutes until this one-pot winner is ready. Bone-in drumsticks and chicken thighs become perfectly tender as they gently cook, while carrots and scallions help round things out. Don’t skip the steamed rice for serving—you’ll want it to help capture every bit of the delicious sauce.
Jake Sternquist
Key Components for This Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe
The chicken: Bone-in dark meat is our pick for this recipe as it becomes fall-apart tender during the cooking process without the risk of drying out. If you prefer, you can use drumsticks or thighs. Removing the skin before adding the pieces to the slow cooker keeps the sauce from becoming greasy.
The aromatics: A combination of garlic, ginger, and scallions brings plenty of flavor to this easy dish. Slicing the garlic nice and thin ensures it will disperse evenly throughout the sauce while cutting the scallions diagonally adds some visual dimension to the finished dish. Use the edge of a spoon to remove the thin skin from the ginger before slicing it; it’ll take off less flesh than a peeler will and works wonders.
The herbs: We look to a generous amount of fresh cilantro for a herby lift. Be sure to hold onto a few sprigs to garnish the dish, which, along with the reserved scallions, will add some welcome brightness.
The vegetables: A couple of carrots add extra nutrients and bulk up the finished dish. In addition (or in place of them), you could use peeled sweet potatoes or winter squash, which would also hold up well during the long cooking time. Avoid using any more delicate vegetables, like zucchini, broccoli, or peas, which will turn mushy after six hours.
The liquid: Soy sauce and balsamic vinegar add a tangy, savory boost to the sauce, while a splash of water or chicken broth keeps the mixture from drying out as it cooks. Don’t worry if the sauce looks thin while the chicken is cooking, as you’ll thicken it at the very end with a touch of cornstarch.
How to Make This Recipe Without a Slow Cooker
No slow cooker? No problem. You can easily make this recipe in the oven by combining the ingredients in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer it to a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven and cook until chicken is tender, about 1 1/2 hours, then proceed with step 2.
