Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is made with just five ingredients in your slow cooker. Sticky, garlicky, sweet fall apart bacon and chicken.
Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken is right in line with all the bacon brown sugar goodness on the blog. It is hard to argue with these magic ingredients working well together. Let’s take a ride down memory lane together!
- Brown Sugar Garlic Pork with Carrots & Potatoes – One of my first recipes and MOST popular to date.
- Slow Cooker Bacon Garlic Pork Loin – Hey I should make this in the slow cooker and the bacon can protect the pork loin from drying out.
- Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken – Chicken you say? Yes, to all the emails I’d get you can do this with chicken!
- Brown Sugar Garlic Oven Baked Pork Chops – To all the comments on the original one, you can’t use that method with pork chops so I did this one!
- Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken – To all the questions for the bacon pork loin, yes with chicken!
This may shock you because how many ways can this be done? But yes, bacon, chicken, slow cooker goodness. This feels like one of those toys you buy where you can swap out all the clothing pieces individually on the magnet doll.
And yes, salmon version coming in the new year along with a whole chicken, chicken wings and more.
Look I can’t even say I haven’t enjoyed making and eating all the versions. They are DELICIOUS!
Plus they’re so easy its amost funny. I mean this one is six ingredients if you count salt and pepper. I don’t but according to this Facebook video I posted for the chicken tenders people were pretty mad at me for not counting salt and pepper. I called shenanigans and no one thought I was funny, haha.
Some notes about this Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken:
- Make it in the oven: Set it on a sheet pan just like you would in the slow cooker and roast at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes (you may want to use foil).
- Like things spicy? Add in crushed red pepper or a squirt of Sriracha.
- Do you like a deeper, more molasses kind of flavor? Try dark brown sugar.
- Do not add any liquid! I know it can be scary to cook dry in a slow cooker, the chicken will release a lot of liquids.
Tools Used in the making of these Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this 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.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Bacon Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
- Yield: 5 Servings
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
- Course: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 10 slices bacon
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
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Add the chicken, salt, pepper and garlic to the slow cooker.
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Mix it up then flip the chicken skin side up.
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Wrap each thigh in two slices of bacon.
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Sprinkle on the brown sugar.
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Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
Recipe Notes
In case you find the chicken is not as caramelized in your slow cooker as the photos it could be your slow cooker runs a little cooler than mine. In that case put the chicken on a sheet pan and cook under a broiler for 45-90 seconds while watching it like a hawk to and removing before your garlic starts burning.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 5 Servings, Amount per serving: calories
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert, Inc.
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What would you serve with this?
You could really serve this with just about anything and have a delicious meal! I would recommend my Ultimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes https://dinnerthendessert.com/slow-cooker-mashed-potatoes/ though. Super easy to make and are a great accompaniment to the chicken. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness, that is making my mouth water!
It’s sooo good, Kimberly!!
Love that this can be made in the slow cooker, and as easily in the oven! The flavors sound amazing, and it looks beautiful!
Thanks, Patricia! I couldn’t live without my slow cookers!!
Looks so tasty! Perfect for a Sunday gathering!
Oh, definitely!!
I love this flavor combo, and it looks delicious!
Thanks, Dee!
I love your flavors and I love that the slow cooker does the work!
Thank you, Krista!
This chicken is going to be a huge hit here! Looks so delicious!
Thanks, Anna!
I assume these are bone-in thighs? Do you think boneless-skinless would work as well? Looks delish!
I usually don’t recommend boneless-skinless chicken in the slow cooker because it tends to dry out a bit. The bacon will help but the fat from the skin is really what keeps it moist. If you know that might happen going in, you could definitely try it and let us know or even use a boneless skin-on thigh instead.
Silly question but do you cook the bacon first or no?
Nope! Put it on the chicken raw.
Gosh , this looks so good! Can’t wait to try it out. I know that you have said several times…… just put it all in the crock pot. But it looks like you have browned the tops of the thighs with the bacon prior to the cooking in the crock pot ?
Nope, I didn’t for this recipe. Sometimes I definitely do brown chicken before hand but these went in completely raw. You can of course brown them at the end of the meal if you find they aren’t as pretty at the end of the cooking time (some slow cookers keep in moisture more than others, run hotter/colder than others, etc) you can pop them onto a cookie sheet for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven. I have the pork loin version in the slow cooker too and some people need the oven to crisp it while others say it looks just like the picture when they open the slow cooker. I find more people tend to have better success when using the aluminum insert slow cookers like the one linked above or the one All-Clad sells that I have as well. But regardless of which one you use, finishing in the oven if you find it hasn’t browned as you’d like is a pretty quick task. Hope the recipe turns out well for you!
It’s snowing with freezing rain mixed in … perfect day for a crock pot meal, so I’m trying this One! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I hope you enjoyed it! That kind of weather is perfect for the slow cooker! Snuggle up in a blanket and let it do the work!
Doing it for 5-6 hours as forgot to put it in for the 6-8 on Warm! Hopefully turns out ok!
How’d it turn out, Amy?
I made this in the crockpot and would not recommend that method to cook the chicken. Put it in for the recommended 8-9 hours on low and it was WAY TOO LONG! Chicken was very dry. Flavors were good and would recommend the cooking of the chicken in the oven so you can check the temperature of the chicken as it gets to the end of the cooking time. Also, the bacon did not crisp up in the crock pot so I ended up putting it under the broiler for about a minute.
I’m so sorry the timing didn’t work out for you. I can assure you that this recipe has been tested over and over with no issues. The only thing I can think of is that maybe your slow cooker runs a bit hotter. I hope you decide to try it again and just adjust the time for your slow cooker.
I generally tend to use frozen chicken for almost all of my crockpot recipes. Do you use thawed or frozen thighs? Or does it matter.
I use thawed as I find that frozen releases too much liquid while in the slow cooker during the cooking process.
Has anyone ever made this in the crock pot using boneless skinless chicken instead?
I usually don’t recommend boneless skinless chicken in a slow cooker because it can tend to dry out. If you’re ok knowing that going in, you can definitely give it a try.
I’ve done this recipe using boneless skinless chicken breast. Only adjustment I would make to do this method is to add butter with it in the crockpot- it doesn’t dry out. Also, with the butter and the juices from the chicken, you can make a pretty tasty gravy. All you need besides that is flour and a little bit of water! Did this and it was a big hit!
My crockpot is a stove top, oven, slow cooker. It is great because I can use stove top and brown my meat then turn on slow cooker or oven
Perfect!
No, I have not made, but certainly considering to make it for guests. The flavors sound wonderful
I have not made but the flavors all together sound wonderful. Think it would be a wonderful dish to serve guests
This didn’t really work as I expected. The sauce was very thin and not sticky at all, I used thighs instead of breasts but still cooked for the same time. The family said it was too sweet and a bit weird! I’ll try again and add some chilli and thicken the sauce with cornflour before serving.
Came out so good, bacon was crispy! Thnaks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the 5 stars!!
I’m making this tonight with yams/sweet potatoes. Also, I use Tony Chachere’s & brown sugar on salmon to get that heat with the sweet.
Have to stop at the store on my way home tonight..going to put this all in the slow cooker in the am and dinner is done!
What about doing this in an insta-pot?
And I adore how your use of wrapping things in bacon… one can never have to much butter or bacon!
I haven’t tested it using an IP so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. You might be able to find a recipe online using one that has similar ingredients and follow that.
BTW, totally agree about the butter and bacon! Mmmmm!
HI Sabrina!
WIll chicken breast work? Bone in with skin of course.
Yes 🙂
Will this recipe work with skinless chicken thighs?
Yes 🙂
Can the chicken thighs be replaced with chicken breasts?
Because bacon will help to keep the breasts moist, I think it should be fine. I prefer thighs because of the deeper flavor.
Would Turkey Bacon work in this recipe?
No, it doesn’t have the fat in it that you need. Sorry 🙁
so this looks delicious and I’m getting ready to put it in the Crock-Pot, do you think that fresh green beans in with the chicken would work and taste good and when would I put them in?
I would recommend making them separately.
Alot of your recipes have Kosher salt where I’m from Australia, melbourne. I don’t believe this will b easy enough to find ? Or I have a feeling it will b super expensive ? Is there something I could use instead ? Would normal salt do ? Please what should I use.
Thanks heaps for the help & the mouthwatering recipe
I prefer Kosher salt because it’s much easier to pick up between my fingers and thus gives me tighter control over seasoning. I also like that it doesn’t have some of the additives that table salt includes. If you’re unable to find it, go ahead and substitute for table salt.
I read after the fact, you wouldn’t recommend boneless chicken breast, but I had already started cooking the boneless chicken breast in the crockpot…it still turned out really good! My boyfriend said the chicken was so good and tender, he asked if we could cook chicken like that all the time, haha.
So glad it turned out well for you!
I did the same thing just now. I prepared it all, turned on the slow-cooker and then came to read the comments. I had 2 really big, juicy boneless breasts that I lightly seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper. Then wrapped them with one strip of bacon each. In to the pot with light pepper flakes, the salt, more pepper, then the sugar on top. I’ll take a picture and let all those like us see how that would look and taste.
Did you still cook it for the same amount of time?? I want to try it with boneless skinless breast also
The thighs were nice and juicy but honestly didn’t have much in terms of flavor. I had one thigh tonight but unfortunately I’m not looking over to my left overs like most crockpot recipes.
2 tablespoons of minced garlic, or 2 teaspoons? I am afraid to overgarlic the chicken! I switched over to this recipe on your suggestion since I’m using chicken breasts. I plan to wrap each breast in bacon, but am worried about the amount of garlic. Help!
I used 2 tablespoons but feel free to use whatever amount you’re comfortable with. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! The chicken was so moist and the bacon gives it a delicious smoked flavor. Broiling it for 2 minutes really gives it a nice crispness…worth the extra time. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Sue!
I made this dish in the oven last night. It was very, very good. However, I will take your and advice and add some spice the next. I served it with fresh sugar snaps which I steamed, a baked potato
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was super easy and delicious! I used skinless boneless chicken thighs and baked it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes as instructed in your notes. Came out perfect! My family loved it! Thank you for sharing all these simple but tasty recipes!
You’re welcome, Alice! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Can I use chicken breast with Turkey bacon in slow cooker?? We dont eat pork. Really want to try this! Thanks!
I don’t think the turkey bacon will work. It’s the fat from the bacon that keeps the chicken moist. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!