Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
This super easy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe has a sweet and sticky sauce with fall-off-the-bone chicken!
This super easy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe has a sweet and sticky sauce with fall-off-the-bone chicken!
- Carbohydrate 678.350649297862 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 14.3616788393036 g
- Fiber 65.4727604559727 g
- Protein 106.066130484261 g
- Saturated Fat 1.99966937991578 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (4684g)
- Sodium 376.21115275519 mg
- Sugar 612.87788884189 g
- Trans Fat 4.09822986077753 g
- Calories 2954 calories
Step-by-step
- Arrange the top rack of the oven to be about 5 inches from the top heating element, preheat oven to broil.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes on each side.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker in an even layer.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, dry sherry, honey, ginger, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Pour over the chicken and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
- Rotate the chicken halfway through, to make sure all are coated in the sauce.
- Once chicken is done turn broiler on again.
- Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet in an even layer.
- Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a small pot and bring it to a low boil.
- In a small dish combine the 2 tbsp corn starch and 2 tbsp water, stirring until smooth.
- Pour into the sauce in the pot and stir until sauce thickens.
- Brush the chicken with the sauce and broil for 2 minutes, flip chicken, brush with more sauce, and broil an additional 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish.
- Enjoy!
Brown sugar anchors this entire formulation by providing the foundational sweetness required to balance a full cup of sodium-heavy soy sauce. Without that specific ratio, the braising liquid becomes overly salty during the extended six to eight hour cooking window on low heat. Testing reveals that skipping the initial oven broil step results in rubbery, unappealing poultry skin that the slow cooker simply cannot crisp on its own. Subjecting bone-in drumsticks to five minutes of direct heat renders out excess subcutaneous fat before the meat enters the ceramic insert.
Batch-cooking this protein requires strategic freezing management to preserve texture. Cooked chicken can be frozen in its sauce for up to three months inside heavy-duty silicone bags, provided the air is pressed out completely to prevent freezer burn. Thaw the frozen contents overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheating works best in a wide skillet over medium-low heat rather than a microwave, which tends to toughen the outer protein fibers.
Cornstarch slurry requires specific handling to achieve the proper glaze consistency without lumps. Whisk the starch with equal parts cold water in a separate small dish before streaming it into the boiling simmering pot. Hot liquids cause starches to clump instantly if dumped directly into the pot without prior hydration. Boil the mixture for precisely sixty seconds to cook out the raw starchy taste while activating the thickening polymers.
Bone-in cuts outperform boneless skinless chicken breasts in this application because the collagen within the joints melts during the simmer. That dissolved collagen enriches the surrounding liquid naturally, complementing the cornstarch reduction. Watch for the meat to pull away slightly from the bone ends as a reliable visual indicator of doneness. Overcooking beyond eight hours causes the meat to disintegrate completely into the braising liquid, making the final broiling step impossible.
