Slow Cooker Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

I came home the other day to a sauna. We had been gone all day and when I opened the door from the garage, I was hit with a wave of heat. And nothing depresses me more than walking into a room of sweltering heat. (Okay, lots of things can make me sad, but at the moment, when I had been gone all day, this was what depressed me the most). Houses in Washington typically do not have AC or central air. It's expensive to install, and usually only needed a few days a year. But on this day, it was needed. My house has no tree cover so it had been baking in the sun. All day. Enter my dad, who saved the day with a window AC unit that at least makes the living room bearable.

You wanna know who else saved the day? My slow cooker. I know I've raved about my slow cooker before, but really it's my BFF in hot weather. There are only so many days I can go without cooking something, and only so many days I can get away with making my family eat cereal or PB&J sandwiches for dinner.

This chicken is amazing. It is slightly sweet but definitely garlicky too. I was slightly nervous to put in all the garlic called for, but went for it and didn't regret it. After it cooked all day, it wasn't overkill at all. Served on top of rice (from my rice cooker!), it was a great meal and my kids even ate it up. Granted, I had to turn on my stove for a few minutes to thicken the sauce, but it was definitely worth it. My three-year-old even asked for seconds, and she never does that! This is a definite keeper in our house and I usually have all the ingredients on hand, so we'll be making it again. And again :)

Slow Cooker Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used four large frozen chicken breasts)

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon lime soda

2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 tsp black pepper

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons water

Steamed rice
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Place chicken slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker and pour remaining sauce into saucepan (I poured mine through a fine mesh strainer first). Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).

Serve chicken over rice or noodles and top with glaze. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired.
(Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff via Slow and Simple)