Crispy and juicy, the fat in the skin completely melts away leaving crispy chicken skin that will remind you of your favorite rotisserie chicken. Looking at the picture it would be easy to assume there is some trick to chicken that is golden brown and crispy, but still so moist! The secret? A slow cooker.
So Dinner, then Dessert is officially a month old as of this week and I’ve used this method for cooking chicken in two recipes already. Both times, Tony Roma’s BBQ Chicken and Armenian Chicken Pita Tacos I mentioned my love for this method of cooking and both times the pictures were….well… not as enticing as they deserved to be and the focus was on the other ingredients in the dish rather than the chicken. This post is more a method than a recipe.
I love staying simple with Sunday posts, I get to share our staple food items, things that are in heavy rotation and usually always available no matter what. Just like oven baked brown rice this “recipe” is a constant in our fridge. It is one of the few things I can depend on my oldest eating without complaints.
Most people who use a slow cooker are well versed in the school of thought that says “ADD LIQUIDS!!” Well, welcome to the new world here. Two of my absolute favorite ways to use my slow cooker is this chicken and Hawaiia Luau Pork. Both recipes are 3 ingredients total and both have resulted in family members crowding around the slow cooker to pick pieces off before I can even put food on plates.
Please give this a chance, you are going to want to let your slow cooker take all the counter space it wants after you see how great these turn out.
Tools Used in the making of these Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken Thighs:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Ingredients
- 6-8 Chicken thighs , skin and bone on! (however many you can layer in a single layer)
- Kosher Salt , to taste
- Freshly crushed black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Liberally season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper
- Put bone in, skin on chicken thighs in the slow cooker in a single layer, skin side up.
- Do not add liquids of any kind.
- Cook on low for 7 hours.
Nutrition
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Don’t be afraid to put chicken in the slow cooker with no additional liquid! Here is a shot of the chicken while still in the slowcooker. This chicken releases fat and juices into the slow cooker. Make sure the skin side is up or it won’t get crispy!
The chicken skin becomes translucent because all the fat has rendered off. 
The chicken stays very moist and tender. It is perfect for using it in any other recipe that calls for spiced chicken as well. Just add the required spices to the bottom of the slow cooker, then on top as well. No need to toss it with the chicken. 
Next time you want some chicken, please consider using your slow cooker. You’ll be so pleasantly surprised!
My skin didn’t crisp up but put under broiler for a few minutes which worked out. Chicken was very moist.
How many mangoes, habaneros etc for the glaze
This recipe doesn’t have a glaze. Were you thinking of a different recipe perhaps?
Will this method work with boneless, skinless chicken thighs please
Yes! Enjoy!
So, I just tried this for the first time today. It’s been cooking a while and the skin isn’t exactly crispy (i admit, I didn’t wipe the chicken dry, so it may be my fault), but it looks succulent and well-cooked. I feel like this is basically chicken confit. I have a bunch of drumsticks that I need to cook and I think I’m just going to put them in with the fat from the 3 leg quarters that I just made. That should work, don’t you think?
I certainly know that when I want a no-fail recipe that is delicious I can come here! So thanks, Sabrina!
Having a family of 7 I have to make pretty large batches of food. Is it possible to use a roaster instead of a slow cooker and still have the same results?
Sorry I haven’t tried that way.
Crisp and juicy chicken:
Chicken was very juicy but skin didn’t get crispy. What is the trick for that?
Thanks
Denise
Can I use chicken breast? I have made several times with the thighs. Love it! Thank you ??
If you’d like to use breasts, I have this recipe:
https://dinnerthendessert.com/slow-cooker-chicken-breasts/
Made it tonight and it was delicious. Only cooked it for 5 hours, and it was ready. Definitely a keeper, thank you!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Tanya!
Thank you!! Who knew?!
I made this tonight! It was amazing! I didn’t take the lid off or open it at all the skin puffed up and became crispy looking in about the fourth hour. I didn’t drain any juice. Perfect recipe!
So after 7 hours my chicken thighs were OVER cooked – If I try this again I will try 5 hours.
Where is the garlic in the garlic chicken recipe? It said three ingredients. Chicken, salt and pepper.
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Can I use chicken breast for this great way of cooking ?
You will need to cook it less so they don’t dry out.
Would it work on high for less time?
I’m usually one for low and slow so haven’t tested it on high for a shorter time. If you decide to try, I’d love to know if it works. Thanks!
I was SO doubtful this would taste good. But it’s AMAZING! Hands down best chicken I’ve ever made. I want to buy more chicken just to slow cook it like this.
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Anna.
Hi. SO glad I found this. i have bone in, skin on breasts that I need to cook to use the meat for another one of your recipes. Would I just cook them a shorter time and check for 165 degrees? About 4 hours? Thanks.
Yes 🙂
Hi are you sure it won’t hurt the slow cooker without any liquid in it
Yep 🙂 The chicken will release liquid as it cooks.
Will it still turn out crispy if you use chicken leg quarters and arrange them vertically in the slow cooker (so that I can fit more) instead of in a single layer? Thank you!
Sure
I was a bit dubious about cooking chicken without any added liquid but this is now my ‘go to’ recipe for cooking chicken thighs and legs. It was just so easy to throw everything into the slow cooker and after 7 hours on slow the chicken was very tender. It does need plenty of seasoning and I added some smoked paprika as well. I’ve tried numerous other slow cooker recipes in the past which have required lots of other added ingredients and been very disappointed but not this time.
I made this yesterday. It was really awful and that was after only 5 hrs of cooking instead of 7 as per the instructions. It was way overcooked. The chicken was dry and flavorless. My husband and I were not impressed with this method of cooking chicken.
I’m sure you didn’t do it right. I’ve cooked this several times and the last word I’d use is “dry”. Did you maybe set it to High instead of low? Perhaps you used boneless breasts instead of bone in? Maybe you just lost track of time and cooked it seven DAYS instead of seven hours? Idk. In this case, the recipe is not the cause of your crash-and-burn meal…sounds like pilot error.
Does this recipe work with or without pressure .
This is a slow cooker recipe.
This is SUCH a handy trick for getting rotisserie goodness in the easiest, most hands off way possible! Thank you!
About 6 months ago I wrote a highly favorable review of this wonderful recipe. I described using my 4 qt crock pot that produced 3 delicious crispy chicken thighs. I had used fully thawed thighs.
I decided to experiment a bit and see what would happen if I used 7 frozen chicken thighs.
Yeah, I know this narrowed the odds considerably that all the thighs would come out crispy as I would be using 2 layers instead of the recommended one layer and..well..I kept my fingers crossed.
Because the thighs were frozen I set the crock pot on high for the first 2 hours and on low for the remaining 3 hours (actually at hour #4 the thighs were done and I opened the lid a tad for the last 45 minutes).
Did they turn out crispy? Yes and no. The bottom layer thighs were crispy. The top layer not so.
Was I dissapointed? Heavens to Betsy no! I was thinking worst case scenario what with using frozen thighs and everything. But no! I was quite pleased with just how delicious..I mean moist and succulent in all its rotisserie chickenness! As a single old guy I especially appreciated the fact that I was able to freeze 6 thighs for future dinners to delight my palate. Thank you, again, for such a great tasting and versatile recipe.
Thank you so much for coming back again and sharing how you doubled it! I often get reader requests on doubling recipes, so this will be really helpful from someone other than me saying it works 🙂 Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
I just made this chicken recipe and it is as good as advertised. We will definitely be making it again. Easy, moist and a crispy skin. What’s not to like.
Can you tell me what temperature & how long in slow cooker
This recipe is for a slow cooker. You’ll find the instructions in the recipe card.
Could I throw in some quartered potatoes? Do you think they would get crispy as well?
I would suggest making them separately. You don’t want to overcrowd the slow cooker otherwise the chicken won’t be able to crisp up.
Making this again for the second time. Absolute awesome reciepe. Right around the 7 hour mark I take the chicken out and broil in oven for 3 minutes. It makes the chicken skin soooo crispy. My husband has been pestering me to make more of this chicken since the first time. A+ super easy and very tasty reciepe.
can a liner be used with this recipe
No, it won’t work using a liner. Sorry.
Thank you Sabrina for clarifying this for me. I did not know a liner would make a difference as I use one every chance I get! So now I need to find out what uses for a liner I can get. I hate scrubbing my crockpot as it is so heavy for me. Sigh!
Just spray your crock. I do it all the time. Makes clean up easy.
I am going to try the no liquid thing on your say so! The one reason I like slow cooker is because I have not needed to defrost my chicken. Am guessing this is not the case with no liquid?
You’ll want to make sure to use completely thawed chicken for it to crisp up. If it’s frozen in the slightest, it’ll release all that water and not allow it to crisp up. Sorry.
Omg I just made this I cleaned it Pat it dry seasoning it and put it on low for 7 hrs n lift the lid last hr n boy it crisp up like rotisserie I couldn’t believe in a 10 qt single layer I fit 9 so delicious I did put tiny butter on each chicken but delish
I am still kinda new to crock pot cooking so didn’t know how things would go with this recipe.
If you factor in that I am an 84 year old single guy who has to watch his sodium intake
therefore I used a salt substitute (Nu Salt) instead of Kosher salt …well…I must tell you that the chicken turned out to be so delicious …crispy skin and everything!
I have a 4qt crockpot so I used 3 thighs and cooked them on low for 5 hours having opened the lid a bit for the final hour.
This recipe has earned its place as “favorite” status.
Thank you so much.
Oh my gosh, this makes me so happy! I’m so honored to be among your favorites.
Paul’s comment really made my day. I hope that I am as flexible to try new things when I am 84. God bless you, Paul. And, I hope you have fun with your slow cooker.
Well, Scott, that’s the name of my firstborn! I am 81 and still asking questions even those I am a very experienced cook. I love new recipes and try them very often so get ready for your 80’s also along with Paul and I! We rock!
Can you use boneless thighs
I have been wondering why there are so many recipes on the web that say for instance, 2-lbs chicken thighs instead of 4-5 medium size chicken thighs. That’s just for example. If you are using a package of chick that you have broken up into serving sizes, how in the world are you going to know how much they weigh?
It’s a real dilemma for some of us. I would really appreciate it if you could make the changes in the future.
This is what I do when splitting up a large package: count thighs (or whatever) and divide total weight by number of thighs (etc)…adjust a bit for large or small ones. You will also get a feel for weight in commonly bought packs. For instance I almost never have a boneless/skinless thigh that isn’t about 1/4 pound or a breast that isn’t 1-1.3 pounds from my usual market. I have a scale and have occasionally checked but I’m always very close. Everyone has a different opinion on medium or large or small—giving us the weight is the best way actually
The main reason weight is used rather than “# of pieces” is because chicken part sizes differ GREATLY. Organic and/or home raised chickens are much smaller than the mass produced steroid-injected birds commonly found in the mainstream grocery stores.
Why is there over 1400 calorie per serving that is not sociable please explain
Thank you for catching that! That definitely is NOT correct, haha. It looks like it wasn’t factoring in the servings. I’ve edited it to read correctly now.
Can you do chicken wings as well?
I don’t think there’s enough meat on them to work. Sorry
I’m doing weight watchers and can only do chicken breasts can I substitute skin on breasts in the slow cooker?
Chicken breasts tend to dry out a bit more in the slow cooker. If you know that going it, go ahead and use them. The skin on will protect it more than skinless though so that’s better.
This was so delicious! Didn’t Brown the way I’d like it but I think cause I didn’t have the full seven hr time so I had it on high For he first hr then low for about 4.5 hrs. And too much chicken in the pot. Which was fine cause now I have stock to make soup with the left overs lol. I know it would have browned if I did exactly like you wrote. Tnx great job.
Hi! Can I use chicken drumsticks instead of thighs? Thanks!
Sure, keep the side of the drumstick with more of the skin up to help keep them moist. Sometimes the skin only covers half the meat. The skin keeps things moist since there are no added liquids. You can even prop them up around the slow cooker to help crisp up too.
I want to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs in crockpot with no sauce. I will make a sauceof my choice before serving.
About another hour to go and Hoping it browns up soon! 🙂 skin hasn’t reached a golden brown yet
I have the same slow cooker, but the 8 qt version (and LOVE it!) Made this tonight adding a few garlic cloves, some Herbes de Provence, a bundle of fresh thyme & rosemary & half a lemon – turned out fantastic! I did vent the cover the last hour or so since I knew I added some liquid with the lemon. Skin turned out nice and crispy and chicken was SUPER juicy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I was looking for a recipe to cook chicken thighs and legs to take to church Sunday for 5th Sunday Dinner. One that would go with Dressing and came across yours and I’m going to try it. I’m going to also use some Lemon Pepper Seasoning and some Season Salt to rub on chicken.
Just trying decide if should take crock pot with me or put chicken pieces on platter and wrap in foil. Want it to be hot when it’s time for dinner.
Going to take crock pot so I can set it on warm and take a platter to put it on to serve. Hot chicken ?. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks.
How long if I wanted to do just one chicken quarter in a small crock pot? Still 7 hours on low?
I’ve never tested that amount but I would think 5-6 hours. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what timing worked for you.
Hi, do you think bone in , skin on chicken leg quarters would work? I have 4 huge ones to cook tomorrow in the slow cooker!
Yes, that’ll work.
I followed the instructions exactly and while the chicken meat was delicious, the skin was a soggy, slimy mess. It did not get brown or crispy as in the pictures. Did I miss something in the instructions?
I’m so glad it was delicious but it sounds like your chicken might have released too much liquid to not allow it to crisp up. You can either prop the lid to the side to allow some of the steam to come out for the last half hour or so or even place them under a broiler for just a bit at the end (make sure to watch so they don’t burn). Hope this helps if this happens next time too.
I LOVE my slow cooker! I totally disliked cooking until I got one. I didn’t know you could “bake” chicken in it. I did the recipe EXACTLY as outlined the same day I found it online and the result was AMAZING! The meat was moist and flavorful, and the skin was reasonably “crispy.” Although a LOT of fat was rendered, I let the meat rest on a paper towel lined pan before serving (just like after frying chicken) and it was a non issue. My husband loves chicken and could eat it every night. This is an excellent foundation recipe offering a plethora of flavor options via seasoning and rubs, and a simple way to prepare chicken to use in other recipes. With the relatively low cost of bone-in chicken thighs, my refrigerator will ALWAYS have “rotisserie” chicken for the taking. Thank you for sharing this remarkable and unbelievably easy recipe. I have one question. There was so much rendered fat I saved it in a glass jar in the fridge. I know it may not be considered “diet friendly” these days, but I remember my mother and grandmother used to cook with chicken fat, and in moderation it seems to me that this flavorful fat would enhance some recipes. Since you said you make this chicken frequently, do you have any recipes in which the rendered chicken fat could be used?
I’m so glad you love this recipe!! I don’t really have recipes for using the fat but I love to use it for roasting vegetables. It adds so much flavor!
I would use a bit of the chicken fat when making Matzah Balls for Matzah Ball Soup.
I make on the nights I am getting the kids home after school activities at dinner time. The chicken is perfect. I clean and place my veggies in a pot of cold water before I leave and rice in a steamer ready to push start. When I come home the dinner is about 20 to being put on table, (immediate if not cooking rice) from starting my rice, chicken is ready!
I’ve made this several times, big hit in my house!! The best thing is it doesn’t heat my whole house up. Thanks for sharing.
I made this recipe in my 1970s crock pot it only fitted 3 thighs, I left them in the crock pot for 5 hours, They came out crispy and very juicy. I’m a divorced male this was very easy to make and very delicious. Thank you Sabrina.
Fitted?
Fitted is correct English
I made this recipe in my 1970s crock pot it only fitted 3 thighs, I left them in the crock pot for 5 hours, They came out crispy and very juicy. I’m a divorced male this was very easy to make and very delicious. Thank you Sabrina.
Do you put your meat in thawed everytime? I put all my meat in the crockpot forzen which works super well since my crockpot cooks super super hot. Just curious.
Yes, I use thawed everyt time. The issue with frozen chicken is that it will release all that liquid and not allow it to crisp up.
Cover on crock pot?
You’ll want the cover on the slow cooker for this recipe. 🙂
Hi ,I have 2 big chicken leg quarters ,(thigh and a leg) that i would like to use for this recipe do i need to change the hours cooking time
Thanks
It’s hard to say because the size determines the cook time. I would err on the side of caution and go with 7 hours. Hope this helps!