I don’t know about you, but I can’t collect enough easy slow cooker recipes. Easy-to-prep recipes like our Honey Chicken and Vegetables dish make the best weeknight meals because I can start them before I go to work. When I get home, dinner is ready and waiting – how great is that? This recipe is one of my favorites because the chicken gets moist and juicy over the long cooking time while the carrots and potatoes soften and caramelize. It’s a one-pot meal that tastes great on its own (but, it’s also good as a topping, which we’ll talk about in a minute). And that glaze – can we drool over the glaze for a second?
This recipe’s honey glaze gets its spice from ground ginger and red pepper flakes while the garlic and tomato paste provide the perfect savory backbone. Whisk it together with sweet honey and acidic balsamic vinegar and you have a winner. The slow cooker perfectly reduces the mixture into a glaze, coating everything in the crock-pot with the addictively-good sauce. It’s so good, I could almost eat it with a spoon!
I don’t know which is better – the perfectly cooked chicken and that incredible sauce – but I have a feeling that this Honey Chicken and Vegetables recipe will become one of your go-to easy slow cooker recipes. Serve it up over brown rice, or use it as a topping for zucchini zoodles or whole-wheat noodles. The leftovers taste great in a wrap or tossed with salad greens for lunch the next day, so you’ll definitely want to make extras!
Let’s Talk About Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Breasts
You can totally use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe if that’s what you have on-hand. But, we’d like to make an argument for using the bone-in variety. The bone protects the chicken breast from drying out as it cooks by helping it retain moisture. Chicken can easily overcook, even when you’re following easy slow cooker recipes, so cooking chicken on the bone will help you get the juiciest meat possible.
It’s pretty rare to find a skinless bone-in chicken breast, but that’s okay. Chicken skin is loaded with fats, which is why we usually recommend eating skinless chicken. It’s not all bad, though: like the bone, the skin helps keep the chicken meat moist. It also creates a ton of flavor, essentially self-basting the chicken as it cooks.
When you’re ready to eat the Honey Chicken and Vegetables, you can simply remove and discard the skin. Our nutritional data reflects the chicken without the skin, so do keep this in mind if you decide not to remove it. Then, pull the chicken off the bone and get ready to eat. Since the chicken is perfectly cooked, you won’t even need a knife for either of these steps!
If you have any questions about the nutritional value of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, drop us a line in the comments. We always love hearing from you and helping you as you move along in your weight-loss journey.
Yields: 6 servings | Serving Size: 1/2 chicken breast | Calories: 299 | Total Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Carbohydrates: 34 g | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 28 g | Protein: 14 g | Cholesterol: 73 mg | Sodium: 320 mg | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 7
Ingredients
- 3 bone-in chicken breasts (leave skin on and remove before eating), optional: 6 thighs
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 2 cups quartered baby red potatoes, (leave skin on if using organic)
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Honey Glaze
- 1/2 cup honey, raw preferred
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon (chopped) fresh parsley, garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together honey glaze ingredients, set aside.
- Add chicken, carrots, potatoes to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Pour honey glaze over the top, cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Pour 1/2 cup honey glaze over chicken and vegetables. Garnish with fresh parsley.
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