Recipe Review: A Year of Crockpotting's Brown Sugar Chicken

I have been rather lazy lately and not wanting to cook so what does someone on a budget with no air conditioning do? Break out their crock pot!!

I have been making all kinds of stuff from garlic studded pot roast to slow cooker "roasted" chicken. So good and perfect for the lazy chef. You just throw everything in the slowcooker and let it cook all day! Well in my search for even more crockpot goodies, I remembered that Brown Sugar Chicken recipe over at A Year of Crockpotting. She says that her kids call it "Candy Chicken" because it's so sweet. The original recipe calls for a WHOLE CUP of brown sugar. I firmly believe that I feed my children enough sugar what with all my baking escapades and all so after reading the reviews I cut the amount of sugar in half but pretty much did nothing else to the recipe and you know what? OMG it's so good!! It reminds me of my Grandma's Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs. That's exactly what this sauce tasted like.

So for those of you who don't feel like venturing over to A Year of Crockpotting, here is the recipe that I used. Also, I think the term "Sweet and Sour Chicken" is more appropriate. There wasn't much of a brown sugar taste left after I cut the amount of sugar in half...

Sweet and Sour Chicken


10 bone-in skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (it's good and essential I promise!!)
2/3 cup vinegar (I used half white and half apple cider vinegar)
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper


Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

I promise that you will want to ladle the broth over the rice. It's so yummy!!

This is something I will DEFINATELY make again.

Incidentally I served this with Jasmine Rice and Cucumber and Onion Salad. My Cucumber and Onion Salad recipe will be coming soon. It's a perfect use up for all those summer cucumbers and so yummy too!!