I have been reading your blog for awhile, but this recipe... I cannot wait to try it, I have all the ingredients, I need something easy this week, in other words, it is a perfect gift. Thank you.

REcipe sounds lush. I bet it would be even better if you made it with raw sugar.

I have this bookmarked and will definitely be trying it!

Just put it in the crock pot! "Candy chicken" sounds just right for my toddler.

I am going to the store today and I will be making this tomorrow. It sounds awesome!

Just in time! I was looking for something to do with some chicken thighs I got over the weekend! Won't be tonights dinner, but for sure tomorrow! Can't wait!

sounds nice and sweet and delish!

Ok. Because everything I have tried from your site has been absolutely delicious, I am trusting you. I am off to the store!

Oh I've made this one before, it was really yummy!

okay, because my fam, especially my meat and potatoes hubby is RAVING over any and all recipes I have recently tried on here - I am adding the grocery store to my list of errands this morning .....it's whats for supper, TOMORROW here in our corner of the world.....can't wait to try it! thanks "crockpot lady" (that is how you are known around here)

Scary thing is I would only need to go to the store is because my 9year old drank the last can of sierra mist...for breakfast.

This sounds really good but I wonder how much of the sugar gets absorbed by the chicken? I have to watch my carbs ;)

Braden (6) really likes the idea of candy chicken. It's just a good thing I didn't view this recipe while my husband was home, lol.

It is really quite good. I can't believe I cooked something with a whole cup of sugar, and called it dinner (and then lunch twice)---but it was so great to see the kids eat so much chicken.
maybe this could be the gateway chicken for hesitant chicken eaters...?

xox
steph

jen--I have NO idea about the sugar and the carbs. It tastes pretty sweet.

I have made this several times and I love it. It's so easy and so good - just be careful to watch chicken in the crockpot - in mine it gets dry after a very short time. (actually I should change that to say it gets dry after I've been at work for 12 hours...guess that's not so short after all)

Does it matter if the chicken is frozen when i throw it in the crockpot or do i need to thaw first?

anon, frozen is good. it will take a bit longer to cook and then soak up the flavor. I usually use frozen everything, this is actually a fluke that I had fresh in the house.
xoxo
steph

The recipe sounds delicious! Jen you could try using diet soda and a brown sugar substitute (like brown sugar splenda) OR maybe even sugar free maple syrup! It may not be "exactly" the same but I'd bet very close!!

This really looks so good. I will for sure get all the stuff and have it for dinner tomarrow.

Can't wait to try this one! I made the french toast recipe and everyone LOVED it! How easy was that? Also thank you for the reply on how to use my short ribs and ham steaks. Short ribs are in the crock right now!

YUMMO! You should so add this to my Mmm Mmm Mondays! We mommys need good quick eats! ;)

Jen,
I was going to suggest what moxie said. I am going to try it with brown sugar Splenda and diet soda.

Ah, I gotta disagree. I tried this before and SO did not like it. To each her own :)

You must go to this link, though:
Coolest CrockPot Ever

I got on your blog this morning to find a chicken breast recipe for dinner...and voila!! Here it is. I'll try it w/out so much sugar, and I use raw instead of brown. Also, I'll add some onions and carrots (have you ever cooked carrots w/ b. sugar? Yummy!)
THANKS!!

this is similar to my peachy chicken that I make, except, well, it doesn't have peaches lol. I make it in the stove but sometimes in the crock pot. I have the recipe posted on my blog.

Hey just found you and would like to swap links????? Give me a hollar!! LOL!!
Many Blessings....
Lori Hull

It's in the crockpot now and smells divine. I had everything but the soda on hand and a quick trip the corner store solved that problem. My thighs were bone-in skin-on but I removed the skin and am trying it bone-in. I'm off to bunco tonight so I'm thrilled to have been able to get dinner ready for my hubby and boys before I have to leave. Thanks for all your great ideas!

I have actually made this recipe many times! My family loves it! I always make it with HM fried rice and oriental salad! YUM!

This sounds YUMMY!
I just stuck it in the crockpot right now. We have soccer late tonight so this will be ready when we get home.
I can't wait to try it:-)

The recipe says "boneless, skinless" but the picture sure does look like the skin is on. Is it just my eyes?

I made this for dinner this evening. It was wonderful. Torture to have to smell it all day though. I didn't have a cup of brown sugar, only about a 1/2 cup so used that and had ginger ale instead of sierra mist. My family loved it and I will for sure make it again. Thanks.

Ann, your eyes are good---it DOES look like it has skin on, but it doesn't. The top of the chicken toughened and browned a bit, resembling skin.

anon, woah, you're fast! the ginger ale is a nice twist, I like that idea a lot!
xox
steph

Oh, that sounds so delicious and tender! Gonna have to give this one a try!

That sounds great - I'm definitely trying it!

That sounds faboo!

Wow - I will have to try this recipe ASAP! Thanks!

www.k8mc.wordpress.com

This post has nothing to do with your candied chicken recipe. We just had enchilada casserole for dinner (vegetarian modifications in place), and I've finished another batch of tapioca for my 94 year old grandmother (who thanks you, too) and I wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your blog, recipes, effort, humor, etc..... (I wrote earlier because you'd inspired me, and I've made cheese: my update on food adventuring is that we've canned several batches of pickled green beans. My 5 year olds argue about who gets to eat the garlic clove out of the jar. Next time, I'm just pickling garlic!) Thanks for the inspiration..... and the enchilada recipe! I loved that I could make it at 5 while getting ready for work, have DH turn the crock on when he left for work at 10:30, and dinner was ready when I brought the kids home at 5:30. Such a relief. I cannot believe I wasn't doing this during the last school year.

I've been lurking on your site for weeks, after a friend of mine was remodeling her kitchen and was desperate for something different to make in the crock pot. I cannot believe the all of the delicious things you make! My job means I drive a LOT during the day, and often get home late and too tired to cook something for the 6 year old and I. Your site is the solution. Thank you!

thanks for the encouragement steph, my 1.5qt crock has a low and high adjustment but its not the rival brand. its so hard to look for the 3qt rival brand in stores..hope rival takes notice of my plea ..hehe pls make more desserts!hope you will have a book made with your one yr of crockpotting..ill be one of those who will line up for that

Im all over this like Spiderman... thank you for another great recipe! :)

You seriously make me want to get a crock pot now! Your blog is purely genius! Thanks so much :D

First of all, my husband and daughter are newly diagnosed celiacs, and I am expecting my seventh baby, so you can imagine how excited I was to find your blog! Gluten free and EASY :o)

I have saved practically everything to my deli.ci.ous recipe list.

From all busy mama...thanks!!!

i'm running to the store right now!!

thanks again stephanie!

oh and i love what robin said. what you do here is a gift for me and you have no idea how much i really appreciate it! you help make my life easier!

I just found your blog! Thank you!! We tried the Lemon/Dill Salmon and it was fantastic. I didn't know you could cook fish in the crockpot! Thank you for giving me back energy to cook something other than fish sticks.

Thanks to all who helped me with my carb issues! I think I will try this using Splenda, diet soda and some molasses. I'll let you know how it comes out!

I just put everything in the crockpot for this! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

I want to try this one tonight, but ugg I have no 7-up on hand and the minimart is 10 minutes away - ugg! :-(

I made this for dinner tonight. I used low sodium soy sauce and found it missing the salt so I added about 1/4 cup more then put left it for another hour. It was REALLY good! My 2 little ones LOVED it! Thanks for a great recipe.

I made this yesterday with red wine vinegar because that's what I had on hand! I did water down the red wine vinegar a bit too. I also used chicken breast cutlets, so I didn't cook it for quite as long since they're so thin. Even with those changes, I thought this was quite yummy. Hubby felt it a little too sweet, the kids ate it just fine. I had a lot of cutlets so they all got tossed in and I will use the rest for chicken pot pie tonight. Thanks Stepanie you're great!

I made this for dinner last night. This was very good. I used 1/3 cup white vinegar and 1/3 cup white wine and 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were still frozen (they fit perfectly in the bottom of my 6 quart smartpot crockpot) ....talk about easy!! I also flipped these a few times just to make sure both sides got all of the flavor. This one is a keeper!

I have it all in my crockpot today minus the soda. I can easily run to the store and buy the soda but I guess I am wondering if it is necessary?? I do worry about it being to sweet...would leaving the soda out cut down some on the sweetness, or does it really need the soda for flavor? Not sure if you will see this today, but I will check back. Thanks!!
Love your recipes!!!

I've tried this before. It is good, but very sweet. My family didn't care for it, just b/c I can't fathom sweet chicken. It's a weird concept.

I love reading your blog and look forward to trying more of your thinkgs!

I made this tonight, except I didn't have lemon-lime soda, so I used plain old coke and I used balsamic vinegar because I had some in the fridge. I also added a half a bag of baby carrots and some dried mango just because I'm lazy and didn't want to cook separate veggies. It was AMAZING!! The chicken was dry (heck, chicken always is) but with the oh so sweet sauce, we gobbled it up. Great, great recipe.

Made this last night and it was great! I didn't find it too sweet ... just flavorful. Will definitely make it again.

HELP!!! I have been reading your site for a while now. All of your recipes sound delicious. I am a single woman and my children no longer live at home. I was wondering if you know of a site that features smaller recipes or if there is a way that I can modify the recipes on your site. I certainly don't need the amounts your recipes make and I am unsure of how well some of these dishes will freeze.

Thank you.
Andrea
amattes@aol.com

Hi Andrea,

eeek, I'm not sure how to be the most helpful to you--I don't know of any sites off hand. I'll email you.
-steph

My whole family LOVED this recipe! Ate leftovers for lunch today!

First off I just wanna say I'm addicted to this blog...I LOVE MY CROCKPOT & your recipes are awesome!!! Last night I tried this with frozen chicken breast(The large ones you buy in a bag) I put in 4 because they where so large. For some reason it was really watery. I thought it would all soak up into the chicken. Any ideas what I did? could it be the BIG frozen chicken? We loved it anyway...we put the extra sauce over the chicken and rice to add a little flavor to the rice! Thanks so much for doing this blog!

Hey Stephanie,
I'm thinking you have some gigantic chicken...because my 3.5 quart crockpot fit 6 huge breasts (an entire 3 lb bag) with plenty of room to spare...maybe because I cut them in half first so they would cook more quickly? Hopefully this will turn out well!

Made this and loved it... I used 1/2c. brown sugar splenda blend, diet sprite, and Apple cider vinegar. Drizzled brown rice w/the yummy sauce and even Picky McPicker Pants ate it... SCORE! :)

Yum! I tried this the other night with 1/3 cup wh. wine vinegar and 1/3 cup wh. wine since I don't like vinegar all that much. I used half cane sugar and half brown sugar. My husband and I decided that we like it better with some hot sauce so we dipped our chicken in chili sauce. What a great combo!

I made this last night using a 3lb bag of large Drumettes that my husband got by mistake. It was wonderful. Like BBQ Chicken or Sloppy Joe's without the red sauce.

We had this for supper tonight and LOVED it. We had it with couscous. My two year old even asked for more! Thanks for sharing your resolution.

This looks amazing. I am totally making this tomorrow!

Ashley-- were your chicken breasts ice glazed? The ones I buy frozen at Sam's have an ice glaze on them. I always run them under water long enough to melt that off before baking/crock potting them. (Is crock potting a verb?) That's my guess about why your sauce was watery. :) I'm trying this recipe tomorrow!

Ashley & Katherine, my chicken had a bunch of juice left in the pot, and we ladeled it on top and had it soak into rice. we really liked it like that.

and YES, crockpotting is totally a verb, at least in our house! I think we should use it lots until it catches on. :-)

xox
steph

I had some chicken in the freezer and needed to do a crock-pot meal today since I'll be away all afternoon and won't get home til dinner time. I came to your blog for a recipe, and you never disappoint! This is in the crockpot right now, and with the rave review you gave the recipe, I can't wait to eat it tonight.

Gosh - the ingredients are so odd, I put it all in the cp and it should be done by 5. :) Is it bad that it didn't bubble when I put the soda in? I sub'ed thin cutlets because hubby doesn't like thick ones. Also, everything looks a little watery. Hope this one comes out ok!!

I must have the LEAST adventurous children in the world. IN THE WORLD. two of them came to the table, avowing that they would NEVER EAT THIS. (and these were the two adventuous ones).

And they meant it.

It was only under penalty of hungry sleep or sore bottoms from sitting at the table all night, that they finally choked down some of it.

VERDICT:
not a success for me, and honestly, i would not make it again. My 14 yo LOVED it. She was the only one.

LOL.

However, I am searching again thru here for chicken recipes! I have not given up hope.

Made this with frozen chicken breasts. Came out a little dry but like someone said, you cover it in the fabulous sauce and it's wonderful. I am not a huge chicken fan and I really liked this.

Another '4 thumbs up' from our family..... I'm finding that my new crockpot cooks HOT and a lot faster, so next time I'll cut down the time that I cook the chicken.

Thanks for this yummy-sounding recipe! It's currently cooking away next to me. I'm an Ike evacuee staying with family in Dallas. Thanks for providing me easy access to a great dinner recipe I can share with my hosts.

I tried this tonight and it came out OK. I had one problem...my garlic turned green. Not just a green hint, I mean St. Patricks day Green! Not sure if it was a chemical reaction between the vinegar and the soda. We ate it anyway!

I just threw all of the ingedients into the pot and can't wait to try it out. I stumbled across your blog from a fellow triplet mom and am very pleased that I did! My babies are 3 months old and as you can imagine, I'm pretty busy. I had even purchased a crockpot cookbook while I was pregnant and made a couple that turned out fine but I really appreciate your honest critique of the recipes. Keep up the good work!

I just wanted to tell you that I just made this for the second time last night and was just as good if not better than the first. My dad likes to make sanwiches out of it the next day. Also after it was done cooking I made the liquid into a great tasting gravy to put over mashed potatoes and the chicken. YUMMY!!!!

Hi,
been lurking for awhile & this is my first time using a recipe. I was highly skeptical as this was cooking, I used less brown sugar added sweet potato & carrots, used 1/2 cider vinegar.

we came home late from the soccer & it was ready -which was a blessing in and of itself. but I have to tell you this was the most moist crockpot chicken we have ever had. it was good, a bit sweet but the kids didn't mind.

thanks.

This really was delicious. I used white wine instead of the vinegar. I also used ginger ale instead of the lemon-lime soda (everyone vehemently denied being the person who drank the soda I had set aside specifically for this recipe) and it worked well as a last second desperation replacement.

I made this tonight and it was a hit!

This may be a silly question, but i'm a 'newer' cook :) When a recipe says 6 boneless chicken breast halves...is that 3 boneless breasts cut in half or 6 of the prepackaged boneless breasts?

The Maulsbys, NOT a silly question at all. I only learned this about a year ago, and I've been married and trying to cook for 10 years.

6 of the frozen packaged breasts. If you go to a fancy-pants butcher and ask for 6 breasts, you will get 6 full breasts, which is 12! halves. And if you're like me you feel embarrassed and buy them any way even though it's not what you want. :-)

xoxo
steph

I am delurking to tell you that I am trying this recipe RIGHT NOW! I tried to thaw the chx overnight, but it was still half frozen. I am using most of a cut up whole chicken, I saved a breast for another recipe. It took me all of 10 minutes to assemble and it smells really good, unless it goes badly I expect this to be a family hit. Thanks for your blog!

Its in my crock pot right now, and I cant wait to try it! I am lucky to have three boys that will eat anything, but they are jumping at the chance to eat candy chicken!!
I love you blog (:

making this today, I was doing this by memory, not always a good idea. I used double amt. of Twist-Up, and added ginger. Keeping fingers crossedXX

Hi - Great site! I live in the UK and am not entirely sure about some of the ingredients you list - will seven-up do in this recipe? Also would it make a difference to brown the chicken breasts first? Thanks:)

hi quick quack! yup, 7-up would work great! the browning would only be for added color, it won't make a difference at all in flavor. I personally hate browning.

xox
steph

Just a quick note: this recipe sounds delicious - those who are using diet soda...Aspartame when heated breaks down into a chemical which is basically formaldahyde. I think if you have Splenda which is designed for baking you might be okay but I would never put diet soda in a dish I was cooking. Not good for you at all. Even if you have diet soda sitting in a warm garage or car it takes less than a day to have that chemical breakdown occur.

Sucralose (SPLENDA) is not affected by heat and retains its sweetness in hot beverages, baked goods, and processed foods. Nutrasweet can't be stored for long periods and you can't cook with it, but Splenda is heat stable so you can use it in cooking.

WOW!! this dish is wonderful. I admit I had my doubts about half way through cooking. It smelled really strongly of vinegar. But, it turned out awesome!

I just recently found your site, and love it! This will be the 2nd recipe I try. I'm hoping my non chicken eaters will like this! I have all the ingredients and was looking for something easy today! Thank you!

I have been checking your blog for awhile and love it!! I must ell you that we have had this twice already this month! My kids love it too!! Thank you and keep on crockin girl!!

I have made three chicken recipes so far (brown sugar, applesauce, cordon blue) and all have come out with dry chicken. I cook on low for the lowest time setting, then it is on warm until I get home. Today, I did high for the cordon blue and it was cooked for 4 1/2 hours. I am one of the winners of the new crock pot...possible it's just a fast cooker?

Hi Jenn,
ick, I'm sorry you've been getting dry chicken! I think the problem is that the crock is really big for the dishes you're making. Remember that crockpots work the best when they are about 3/4 of the way full---and the eLume is 6.5 quarts---it's huge.

Since it's a "smart" pot, I'd experiment with chicken breasts at home so you can monitor how quickly they are cooking, and then set it accordingly when you leave the house. It will stay on warm for some crazy amount of time---I think 12 hours?

if you need some other suggestions, email me. crockpotlady AT gmail DOT com. I've been using the eLume about 3x a week since I got it.

xox
steph

I made this recipe and my crockpot must have been HUGE in comparison to the amount of food. That, or my croclpot is broken.

I came home to black, dry chicken covered in tar sauce.

I was so dissapointed!

I am going to try it again when I am home so I can monitor the progress.

Jen & others concerned about carbs. I ran the recipe through the recipe calculator at Sparkspeople.com, first as is, and second using 1/2 cup maple syrup and soda with Splenda. Here are the results.

AS: Calories 416.1
Total Carbohydrate 40.4 g Dietary Fiber 0.2 g Sugars 3.7 g
Protein 55.3 g

With Changes: Calories 338.5
Total Carbohydrate 20.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 17.2 g
Protein 55.3 g

Interestingly, the total Carbs went down, but Sugars went up.

Bill

Woah! My chicken turned out black. Tender, but black. And the kitchen definitely had a burnt-sugar smell. When I re-read the recipe I saw that it called for 6 breasts, not the 3 that I used. That's probably where I went wrong because my breasts definitely didn't turn out nice and golden like yours in the picutre.

This was really good. The smell, while it was cooking, was awesome. When my daughter and I got home, she said, "Mommy, what smells so good." I will definitely add this to the rotation.

Got this in the crockpot about an hour ago (it is 12 midday here in the UK) so looking forward to the aroma and taste to come later!!

We tried this one a few months ago and it rocked. My 3 yr old loved it, LOL. Thanks!!!

I made this two nights ago, without seeing your recipe first, with the following changes (I made up my recipe). Oddly, my kids called it CANDY PORK!! Seems like we have a brain wave here -- and I can't wait to try it with chicken because it was OMG good with pork.

Instead of chicken, use a pork loin roast or two -- about 3 - 4 lbs
Instead of white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, same quantity.
Instead of lemon-lime soda, use Coca-Cola (no imitations, and no diet, no matter what you normally drink) :-)

Otherwise, I basically did it the way you did it, though about two hours before it was done, my husband ate a clementine (tangerine) and for grins and giggles, threw the peel into the crockpot. You could taste the citrus, and it tasted good, so this might be a good addition to the chicken recipe too, if you have a clementine, tangerine, or orange handy.

i made this tonight, i added potatoes to it... soooo YUMMY!!!

this is 2 for 2 now. i need to go serach for recipe #3 that im going to try from you...

:)

thank you!

Ok, wow. Made this today and got raves from my family. They are usually quite picky and skeptical about new recipes. They've told me to come raid the archives here!

DD told me she wants this chicken for her birthday - on Wednesday! Thanks for a fantastic recipe. :)

As a diabetic, I wanted to try this recipe...this is what I changed:
Rather than 1 c brown sugar, I used 1/2 c Splenda brown sugar blend.
Rather than Sierra Mist, I just used diet lemon lime soda (store brand).
With about 1.5 hours left to cook, I added a bag for frozen brocolli for a little extra fiber.
Rather than rice, I served it over Spaghetti Squash. It was fabolous.
I added a little more lite soy sauce because it was SO SWEET and also added some red pepper flakes, to give it more of an Szechaun flair. It was very good and I will definately make it again.

Indian butter chicken is in the crockpot now and this is for tomorrow. Someone needs to pick up sierra mist, 7 up or something like that on the way home, I'm making a soy substitute on the stove right now as I cannot believe that we are out of soy sauce! Think I will cut back on the brown sugar a bit...maybe 3/4 cup as

I usually cook for one and since this cooks a lot of chicken, does it still stay good if I refrigerate the leftovers? Or is this an eat-it-all-now meal?

I'm just starting to go through your recipes, and this one intrigued me. WOW!!!! It was fantastic! And my son who has been UBER picky lately had 2 servings! 2 thumbs up!

I made this awhile back, but I think I forgot to come back and comment!

This was absolutely delicious!

I used a 7 quart slow-cooker (I know, it's huge, thankfully I just got a 4 quart for Xmas).

So, I used 4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless skinless) - and of course that wasn't enought to even half fill it, so I topped it off with about 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs - which brought it to a little over half full. Not ideal, yes.

I used the same amounts of all the other stuff.

It was moist and delicious and beautifully brown. Of course the chicken thighs were tender and juicy but I was amazed at how tender the breasts were too! The "broth" may have been thinned out a bit too much by the fat coming off the thighs, but it was still delicious.

Amazing, and I will definitely make it again.... with less chicken, in my 4-quart (since there's only 2 of us).

Thanks!

Ok I just have to tell you how happy I was to find this blog! I am always looking for good recipes to try and I have to tell you, I have made this particular recipe now twice in one week! My husband can eat it till he is sick.I made it on Sunday and have just made it again the secon time this week. I do make the broth into a gravy becuse my family likes it better, but this is truly amazing.

Hi! This sounds almost like how we make "Shoyu Chicken" here in Hawaii! Yum! Love your blog!

I am making this in the crockpot right now. I'll let ya know how it works out.

I am thinking my crockpot is too big for some of these recipes so I need to go buy a medium-sized one. Should the liquid in these recipes fully cover the meat?

Hi Lisa,
You do not need to submerge your meat in sauce or liquid. The rule of thumb is that you should fill your crock 3/4 of the way full for best results. If you find that you routinely don't do that, you may be better off with a 4 quart. You can also put an oven-safe dish (pyrex, corningware) into your big crock to create a smaller cooking vessel. You can also put a layer of foil directly over the food, and then put the crockpot lid on to help trap steam and moisture.

xoxo
steph

LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. Used a combo of breasts and thighs and threw in some carrots just because! The entire family, including my 10 month old, love it!

Ok, so I've tried a few of your recipes... the BBQ chicken one was a huge hit with the wee ones (who won't go near sauce in general). The applesauce chicken we won't be making again unfortunately. Tonight we made the brown sugar chicken, and both wee ones have already requested that I make it again. We have another winner!

So a question for you on your crock pot. I use the frozen breasts, too, and they don't exactly lay down nicely in my small crock pot when they're frozen, but I know that's the size I should be using. If I put them in and they're standing up, will they cook ok as they slouch down or will they get overdone on one side and not done on the other?

Hi Michelle,
hmm. If the crock isn't too big, the chicken shouldn't burn or get too overdone. If it's not in the juice when you get home and you're worried it'll be dry, shove it down and stir around so the juice can soak in. There is a bunch of juice in this recipe, so I do think the chicken will end up slouching in.

xoxo
steph

I made this today, was really disapointed, didn't think chicken could be so dry cooked in liquid.

I put chicken, and dry ingredients in the pot and set in fridge, then when I was up at 4:30 I put the wet stuff in and set on low, ate around 12:00.

Was not good at all, maybe I shouldn't have left it sit in the fridge before putting on.

I may try again, the broth was good over the brown rice i made with it, and i think that next time some Shirachi sauce would be a good addition the whole hot and sweet thing. may use bonless thighs also.

A lot of good looking recipes and I have never had great luck with crockpot cooking. Using a 6qt Nesco slowcooker/roaster.

So I put this in the pot this morning and I'm still not sure about it. I'm not home yet to eat it, but hubby says it smells good.

I was telling my dad about it and he said, if you add a little dried hot chile, you'd have something very close to General Tso's chicken.

That made me curious...and he's RIGHT. General Tso's uses cornstarch to fry the chicken in...but the ingredients are VERY close...soy sauce, garlic, sugar, wine. This makes me very hopeful.

WOW. That's all I can say. My pickiest eater looked at it on the plate and turned up her nose, but took a bite...and another...and another....and before she was done had eaten a whole breast plus half of another. When asked if she liked it, she nodded her head through a mouthful of rice and said "Uh huh...this is a keeper." We will be eating this again for sure. I like things a little spicy, so I think I'm going to add some grated ginger and a little red pepper flake.

Finally got around to making this this week and it was super yummy! I followed the directions for the chicken exactly and surprisingly it was not sickeningly sweet. I added a bag of broccoli during the last couple of hours of cooking as someone suggested and it made a great dish served over rice.

This was a great meal! I had bagged the ingredients and stuck it in the freezer. I forgot to put it in the crockpot after taking it out this am so I cooked it on the stove.

My son needs recipes to be GFCF and also soy free and my daughter really can't eat HFCS... this looks so yummy but I'm wondering if you can substitute something for the soy sauce and the soda that will also make it so good. My hubby's fave is General Tso's and I would love to be able to replicate if possible. Thanks for being so diligent and foodie!

UHHH. YES YES! i am new to your blog..as a first time mommy, i've got little time. i followed this recipe to a T, used balsamic vinegar..but i also decided to throw in a tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes because i don't have to please any kids besides the one eating from mah boobie. it was DELISH! we served it over rice with broccoli. i will share this with others. (and have it for lunch tomorrow!)

Newcomer to this blog and I just love it!

Tried this recipe and was not a big fan. My husband thought it was decent and my kids ate it (this is always shocking to me!) but I felt like it was lacking. The ideas of adding some carrots and/or sweet potatoes is a good one. I felt like it was just too watery. I wanted a thicker sauce.

I finally got around to making this!! I've had it planned for, like, three weeks. I was so excited when I got all the ingredients into the crockpot.

I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (when using this, only use 1/2 of the original amount) and diet store brand lemon-lime soda. For those who say not to use the diet soda....the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup, so I think it's perfectly ok.

I think it turned out FABULOUS!! I made some egg noodles to go with it, and for a veggie, I used Brussels Sprouts. I got the tanginess from the vinegar, and towards the end, I got the sweetness. I'm definitely making this again!

This was the first recipe of yours I've tried, and I'm definitely going to be searching for some more. I'm trying to eat more healthy, so can you recommend any other recipes on your site that can be adapted for a lower-fat lifestyle?

Thanks for the nickname "candy chicken" I made heart shaped sugar cookies and this chicken for Valentine's I told the kids we were having a special sugar day, cookies and candy chicken. My 5 year old who would literally starve rather than eat something other than the 3 things he likes, not only ate the chicken but discovered that he also likes rice!

I used 8 chicken breast halves instead of 6 so some pieces were stronger than the others, but I will definitely be making it again with the correct portions :)

The only concern I have is that for some reason the chicken breaks apart so easily and shreds. I call it "chicken roast" because it does what my pot roasts do. What am I doing wrong? It still tastes wonderful, but the picture on your site shows INTACT chicken ;)

(edit: I made it again, this time with 5 chicken breasts and instead of the full 9 hours I only cooked it for 6 but I got the same result, chicken that breaks apart by touching it)

Awesome recipe. This was so good, I felt like I needed a cigarette after.

I did change it a bit though. I used red wine vinegar and I thickened up the juice using cornstarch when it was done.

If I have minced garlic - how many teaspoons equal the three cloves of garlic?

My Brown Sugar Chicken didn't taste like Candy Chicken. It tasted like vinegary terayki, which wasn't bad, but not what I had hoped for. I think all the brown sugar slid off into the broth. Did I do something wrong?

Hi Kelly, usually one teaspoon of minced = 1 clove; but if that seems like too much, use what you feel is right.

Sally, I don't think you did anything wrong. Was the sauce sweet? It may just be that the chicken wanted to be flipped a bit before serving to get the sauce soaked in on all sides. Did you ladle the juice over the top, and onto rice?

xxo
steph

I can't wait to try this tonight! Made another recipe of yours last night, and I am amazed how fast and easy it is to throw everything into the crock pot. The most I have ever done in the crock pot was make pork roast or pot roast, and my poor crock pot has been getting dusty on the shelf. Here in TX where it gets well over 100* in the summer, I hate turning on the oven in my small house. I bought a convection toaster oven, which works pretty well, so this is just an added plus! I can't wait to try more recipes. I seriously had all the ingredients for this one in the house, and I made dinner while the kids sat down for a 10 minute lunch. It usually takes me close to an hour to make dinner!!!

I did ladle the sauce on the rice. The rice was sweet, but the chicken was vinegary.

I put on the Crockpot before I go to work, so I don't get to do anything until I get home more than 8 hours later.

I did assemble this the night before and put it in the refrigerator overnight. (I know technically you're not supposed to do that, but I took a risk.) The chicken was frozen the night before, but it had thawed out by morning. Was that the problem? (The chicken was cooked all the way through.)

Sally, perhaps it was the type of vinegar you used? I have now cooked this twice and not ever felt that it was vinegary AT ALL. As I mentioned, I used a balsamic vinegar which is sweeter than regular white vinegar. Or perhaps my vinegar senses just aren't as keen, but my family never mentioned it either.

Andrea - I used plain white vinegar. Id that the problem?

Oh my gosh, this was so yummy. Thank you for such an easy gluten free meal for my family (and me!!!)

I had to comment again on this becasue I have been playing iwth the recipe some. The last one was so far my greatest success - and I used Coca-Cola instead of Lemon Lime and threw in a teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Just as an FYI

The last time I cooked this I used a can of RC Raspberry Diet soda. It was just as yummy!
Kelley

This was nearly a disaster due to my mistakenly purchasing chicken thighs that still had bone and skin on them, but I pulled off what skin I could and left the bones in. Smelled good at the end of the day when I walked in, but the winning points were scored when my fiance tried some of the leftover chicken that had been in the fridge overnight and couldn't stop eating it. Luckily we managed to save a little for later, but it will vanish soon and I've already been asked to make this recipe again for him. Not bad for a newbie cook!

Sally Comes Unraveled -- my guess would be that soaking overnight allowed the vinegar to "marinate" and really penetrate into the chicken, more than it would just cooking into the chicken. That's just a guess though!

I just bought lemon-lime soda (only ingredient I didn't already have) and will be trying this out tomorrow... I'm kinda hesitant about all the sugar, but hopefully it will be delicious!

This is in my crockpot right now. The kitchen smells fantastic and we can't wait for dinner! I'm sure my hubby and my girls will love it! Me too. :)

I haven't tried this yet, but it will be on April's menu plan. Sounds good - and the ideas that some comments will mostly make this dish even better. I like the idea of fried rice with this - and making the sauce a little thicker with corn starch. I think I will make this on the weekend, though so it won't overcook. My crock is biggie and all the chicken dishes I cook make them breasts break apart (like another poster stated) - so maybe I am cooking too long?

Anyway, I know that my oldest (5) will love anything with the name of Candy _______. Thanks for the blog. I have it on my igoogle homepage! :)

Would you say it about 2 lbs of boneless, skinless breast?

Hi Anon, I didn't weigh the meat----it was in a bulk package. I think 2 lbs sounds about right----
you want the equivalent of 12 little chicken thighs or so.

xoxo
steph

I tried this last night and it did not turn out so well for us. I was disappointed b/c it had such great reviews. I plan on using up the chicken on a salad. This was the first time my chicken came out dry in the crockpot....weird.

**I do want to point out that I decreased the sugar and vinegar by half and upped the soda to replace liquids....that should not have affected the taste though....just less sauce.

I am a single college student and I have a 1.5 qt slow cooker that Ive been using to make dinners in. This recipe looks really interesting to me, but im not sure how much I should cut the ingredients down in order to try it - any suggestions on the amounts? Thanks,

-Justine

Hi Justine,

I'd guess 3 thighs would fit okay in a 1.5 quart, which means you could cut the other ingredients in 1/4.

--steph

I made this a few weeks ago and the whole family LOVED it. My husband could not get enough. I am finally making it again tonight.

PS - Love your blog. I love to cook but never really used my crockpot as often as I wanted. Your blog and recipes have really inspired me. Thank you!

Stephanie,
I'm trying this today! I've been on a meal-planning slump and was looking for a quick, tasty crock pot meal, and this fit the bill. Plus, your kids loved it, and my girls aren't ever excited about meat (save chicken nuggets--eew).

Thanks!

Stephanie,

My girls loved it! Thank you! I'm making it again next week.

I think this time I'll take some out for the girls when it's done, and for us adults, throw in some Sweet Ginger Chili sauce made by The Ginger People. Yum.

I made this last night, and let me just say, soooo yummy!!!!! I made it with chicken breasts because I don't care for dark meat. It was absolutely delicious! I used 2 pounds of chicken, and I had enough juice leftover, I could have used 3 pounds, and I wish I had because it was so delicious! We will definitely be making this again. I think next time I will try to cook it longer on low so it falls apart even more. I cooked it for 4 hours on high, and it was very moist, but I know if I had done it longer on low, it would be even more tender. So yummy though! Thank you for the recipe!

It's just me and my hubby so we would probably prefer to halve the recipe and use only 3 chicken breasts, instead of 6. We have a "regular" size crockpot (I think in the 4-5 quart range).

I was reading the other comments where it seemed if it was in too big of a crockpot, that could cause problems. Do I need to do anything special so it comes out okay, if I'm making the recipe smaller?

Can anyone guide this newbie cooker?

Hi Meghan, if your crock lid doesn't seal all the way (some are plastic in the 4 quart size, and they seal amazingly well), you might want to put a layer of foil down, and then the lid to trap the steam and moisture. When cooking is done, CAREFULLY remove the foil---the steam will be quite hot.

good luck!
we love this dish.
xoxo steph

Hello, I made this today after the wonderful sounding name - and it turned out soooooo good... This one was SUPER FAST to stick together this morning. I didn't have Sierra Mist - I had ginger ale, and I used regular vinegar instead of any special types of vinegar.. it was simply Delicious! I loved the sweet / vinegary taste very good stuff. I will make it again. I served it up with watermelon slices and some bread.

LOVED IT!

I did use a crock pot that was way too big, so I ended up having to scrape off the overcooked edges by the time I got home from work, and I re-made the sauce on the stove, but my 2 year old - sometimes picky eater - sat on the counter eating up the overcooked pieces I was removing as soon as I could get them off...even they weren't really too bad.

Next time I'll be sure to use one of my smaller pots :)

It's recipes like this that are the reason American kids are so FAT! This sounds absolutely foul.
However, crockpots aren't known for cooking light, healthy meals so this clearly isn't a concern for you.

Hi Stephanie J.,
slow cookers may have earned a bad rep in the past for not-so-healthy cooking, but I think I've shown that they are *quite* versatile and there are a ton of healthy recipes posted on the site.

--steph

Stephanie J. ...... You should check out other posts of people who made this a healthier recipe by using sugar substitute and diet soda (ME) and other people. It's because I can make substitutions that I love this recipe, and it turns out just fantastic! You should read more posts about this before posting.

My fiance and I loove this chicken. I've made it three times already, and I'm making it again for dinner today :)

Ok...I want to make this tomorrow, and I have all the ingredients except the lemon lime soda which I don't really want to go out and buy. I have two choices: Sunkist (orange soda) or club soda (wouldn't add any sweetness but I would think with a cup of brown sugar maybe it wouldn't matter so much?). Don't know if anyone's still reading these comments (after all it's been what, almost a year? lol), but if so, what do you think? Should I be adventurous and try one of the above, or suck it up and go buy some Sprite?

Hi Amy,

I'm still here! I'd go with the club soda. I think you're right in that the whole cup of sugar will still make the dish taste plenty sweet. I haven't had orange soda in such a long time, I can't really remember what it tastes like, but I do remember the bright color which might make the chicken look weird.

;-)

xoxo steph

Well, thought I should post a follow up comment here, since you were so kind to give your expert opinion on the club soda vs. sunkist question. Against your better judgment, I went ahead and tried the orange soda. It didn't make the color weird, but I will say that I was disappointed with the flavor. The thing came out tasting like molasses. One theory for this is that maybe I started it out on too high a heat, for too long. I like to start things on high for the first hour or so, just to make sure it gets up to a safe temperature (to stop bacteria growth) quickly, but today I happened to be gone for two hours when I had it on high. So maybe the high temperature somehow brought out the molasses flavor from the brown sugar? The other theory is that this was somehow because of the orange soda. Or, maybe this dish just tastes like molasses, which some people like and others don't! At any rate, I'll probably try it again sometime when I actually have lemon-lime soda on hand, and see how it goes!

I have just found your site, and omg I am in love already. (with your site :D ) and this Brown Sugar chicken recipe looks devine! I am definately going to try it!

I have linked your site from mine (ohsixohsix.com/recipes).

I wonder if this can be doubled? I never know...

Looks yummy - I'll be trying it for "dinner exchange".

Hi Nancy,
sure! If your crockpot can handle the contents, it will be just fine.
xoxo steph

I was looking for a great chicken recipe tonight and this sounds wonderful! A couple of questions-I don't have soy sauce-should I substitute something or just omit it? Also, I'm only making 3 large skinless boneless breasts, so should I halve the other ingredients or will it not be enough liquid in the crockpot? I'm pretty sure I'll have to put the foil on top since I doubt it will be 3/4 full in my "average" size cp. Thanks for the inspiration! Maria

There is a recipe ffor Pepsi Chicken that I made in the corck pot when we camped in the fall. It calls for onion, peppers, chicken pieces, ketchup and a half a can of Pepsi. Seriously good tasting!

Hi there, guys! This recipe sounds amazing. Only problem? My husband doesn't like "sweet meat." Like ham with brown sugar glaze? So, I'm taking he wouldn't like this.

BUT ... I'm thinking ... we are ALWAYS having food days at work ... and I'm wondering, does anyone think I could make this with chicken wings? The cut apart pieces?

It seems like this would be an unspeakably wonderful taste with chicken wings ... and it's something I could share with my friends at work. So what's the verdict? How many pounds of bone-in chicken wingies would you put to equal the chicken that starts in this recipe? Or is it even worth trying???

Hi there,

I think this would work quite well with chicken wings. The trick would be to not over-cook, so the wings don't fall apart. I'd pour frozen wings into a 4 quart slow cooker until it's about 3/4 of the way full, then add the rest of the ingredients. Toss the chicken to coat, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours, then check or high for 3-4 and check. It'd probably be a good idea to stir the wings a bit when you check them.

xoxo steph

StephanieJ...it's not recipes like this. It's fast food and Pop-Tarts and unlimited screen time. I realize this isn't a really healthy recipe, but most American kids don't even eat this well.

I've got three teenboys. The older two are sticks--my 17-year-old is 6' 5" with a 29" waist (yeah, special-ordering pants is necessary). Our eating patterns could use a sugar overhaul, but none of my kids is obese. They get fast food maybe twice a year, and they are active outdoorsy kids whether they like it or not. The most naturally active, my younger teenboy, is the only one with any pudge, but judging from family history, I expect any day he will trade his midbody marshmallowiness for about ten inches of height.

Oooo made this last night..this really IS nummy!

This is one of my favorite recipes. We like sweet sauces on chicken- teriaki, pineapple/tropical, etc. This one is not too sweet for us, in fact- I wouldn't mind adding extra brown sugar! Oy, I know. ;) Anyhow- I did have to add some salt because the chicken did not have that kick (and its harder to season cooked meat). This is definitely an easy, quick and delicious meal! 5 stars!

OK - your book needs to come out NOW so I can quit looking this one up every time I need it!! Can't wait and congratulations.

We used to have this at girl's camp every summer! It's awesome on the grill. We used turkey and called it Turkey Lips...don't ask me why!

I finally made this last week, and oh my gosh, it was so good. I had a second serving of just rice and sauce. I swear, I could drink that stuff by the gallon. YUM!

By the way, is there a way to search for recipes besides the category menu?

this is so awesome. i added a can of pineapple chunks and a red bell pepper...

Oh wow this is youve got to be kidding me GOOD!

I used frozen tenders bc thats all I had and I cut up a whole package of carrots in it. I added a lil more sprite and a touch more sugar then called for. It was done in less than 4 hours on high. I nuked a bag of uncle bens brown rice then threw it in the pot and mixed it all around to absorb the flavors. This was soooo good!!

My husband and I liked this recipe, but we found it a little too sweet for us. I'll definitely be using the basic idea again though because these are ingredients I always have on hand.

This is always a winner in my house. Dinner tomorrow night!

Oh, and my mom bought me your book for my birthday. I can't wait for it to arrive!

This came out nicely on the stovetop too -- I didn't have enough time before lunch to use the slow-cooker, so I simmered it on medium for about 3 hours. I used it to feed lunch to a crowd of family over the holidays -- thanks!

Hi Stephanie,
Thank you so much for all your great recipes. I'm wondering if I can use bone-in chicken thighs and how would I adjust the timing/recipe? Happy New Year!

Hi Deinse,

absolutely. Just be careful of the bones when serving.
No need to adjust the timing or temp.

xoxo steph

I first tried this 3 months ago and it is a favorite at my house. I always added the raw carrots. Last weekend I prepared it again but had no raw carrots and didn't want to travel due to slick icy roads. I compromised and added 2 cans of canned carrot slices instead. I added this the last 1/2 hr. of cooking. Wow! It was soooo good. The carrots grabbed the flavor very quickly. Thinking about it makes me hungry! LOL
Thanks Stephanie for all your time and effort. I have been enjoying your recipes the past year. Also, congrats on the new baby.

I made this today for the first time, and it's yummy. I did, however,make it messier (and used more pans) by draining the sauce about 6 hours in and boiling it down to a thicker glaze. I also added a bit of dijon mustard and some kosher salt (about a teaspoon of each) to cut the sweetness a bit. MMMMMM! Still waiting on the verdict from hubby - he's not a fan of sweet stuff like I am...

After all the rave reviews, I could not wait to try this recipe. Unfortunately, it was extremely disappointing. No one in my family liked it. The chicken had a dry, unpleasant texture and was way too sweet. I won't be making this again. Now I'm on a quest to find a chicken recipe that my kids will actually eat...

I have just switched my slow cooker on and I am trying this on for tonight! I can't wait! I love trying new recipes!

It was brilliant!!! My wife absolutely love it as did I. I'll be making this one again. :o)

Thank you for posting these recipes online :o)

I made this recipe last night excepted I used 6 chicken thighs that I deboned. I then added a bag and a half of stir fry mix veggies to make it into a stir fry. We loved it. It was like a sweet and sour sauce.

I made this a while ago for my family (kids ages 3-8) and we all loved it... well, i never wrote it down, so i googled it and found you (call it destiny!). i love this chicken... i acutally made it and then used it for asian wraps... man, it rocked! I am getting ready to make it again tonight... for the person who said it was terrible, i think something went wrong... try again.. it IS worth it! (also, we don't drink soda, so I used a whole lime, cut up instead... still was yummy!)

If you ever have LEFTOVER Brown Sugar Chicken... try this.
Brown Sugar Chicken Salad! Green Onions, Celery, Raisins & Cashews with Plain Yogurt & Light Mayonaise as a binder. FANTASTIC! Next time I might throw in a little curry!

I had this on my "to make" list for a long time and finally got around to it. YUM! Everyone loved it. I added a bag of Normandy Mix the last 30 minutes, which came out great. My hubby said he might like to try some red pepper flake in his next time. Kiddos loved it! Well done!

The whole family loved this. It almost tasted like a chinese chicken I pick up from china town. A little to sweet, but a good start for me to figure out that recipe!

I wish I had time to read through all the post to see if someone has an answer to my ? but i do not have time...

So...has anyone tried putting any kind of veggie with this dish? IF so, what works?

Thanks!
KerryAnne

OK, so I have made Candy Chicken a million times and it's one of the things the kids directly ask for... now I have topped it! Candy PORK!! Double the sauce recipe, go heavy on the pepper and garlic, and use 3-4 lbs of boneless pork shoulder. OMG.

If you feel the need to cut the sweet a little bit, use a white/wild rice mix or brown rice in your rice cooker instead of white rice... it's a good way to sneak some fiber into the kids because the meat is so tender and flavorful nobody will notice that the rice is not white...

This sounds great! I love your blog idea and I will be visiting again, thanks for all of the great recipes!!

I made this chicken the other day and it was AMAZING! I made my rice with the broth from the chicken because I didn't want to throw it away. We will make this again son.

Crock pot newbie here. I've been making recipes willy-nilly, not even knowing how big my crock pot is! I just did some research (at work) and found out that it is a 5.5 quart one. If I want to make this recipe in my pot, can I just increase the amount of ingredients so that it is 2/3 full? Also, since crock pots come in all different sizes, I'm wondering why more websites don't include what size pot they use when they make the recipes. You are the first person I've seen include that info and it is much appreciated!

Wondering if that is why so many of my dishes have been coming out tender but really dry, esp. chicken....
Thanks!

Hi stephanie,

yup--increasing the contents so the pot is 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full is a great idea to help with tenderness. You can also put an oven-safe dish (pyrex, corningware, etc.) into the crock to create a smaller cooking environment. Or you can just keep an eye on it and not cook quite as long. The cooking time is for the correct size of crockpots.

If you're using breasts and they are continuously dry, you can remove them from the pot once they're cooked through and cut into a few pieces, then return to the pot to soak up more juice.

xoxo

I was a bit doubtful, but this was a hit! I used less soda and about half the sugar. I didn't have brown sugar so I used some organic sugar I had with a little bit of molasses. My husband and kids LOVED it and ate almost the entire crockpot at dinner. I'll definitely use this recipe again :)

I tried this last night - I did not have half the ingredients, LOL, so i did this: i used a japanese sweet rice vinegar i had lying around, and sesame seed oil instead of soy sauce ( i know, it is nothing like it!! ) ANd i did not have the soda, so i used orange juice. I did add the garlic, pepper, brown sugar and chicken though, LOL. I figured it would be close enough, the point was to have it with the brown sugar and citrus, right? Well, so it was good, my kids liked it, my husband LOVED it, i (not liking chicken at all anyway) found it OK. ;o) SO all in all, an excellent recipe ! I will try it 'the real' after next shopping trip. !Thanks!!

I've made this several times and am wondering if there's any way to thicken the sauce. It's yummy, but almost too runny. Suggestions that might have worked for you?
Thank you!

This was my first attempt at slow cooking, and it turned out amazingly well! The chicken was very tender and delicious. You've inspired me to try more recipes and use my slow cooker more often - thank you :)

I tried this recipe tonight (cut in half & w/ ginger ale instead) and both my husband and I loved it. He even said he'd eat it without adding anything. Huge compliment as he adds BBQ sauce/ketchup to everything. After we ate, I threw 4 Italian Sweet sausages in and let them cook 6 hours. Wow! They were fantastic! I had a really hard time only eating 2 and leaving the others for my husband. I think I'll be making these again soon. Thanks.

I made this tonight and only two of my five kids liked it. It really reminded me of chicken adobo! I should have realized when adding the ingredients together (vinegar, soy sauce, garlic). I guess I was expecting the brown sugar and lemon lime soda to add some extra zing to it. I do like the sauce with rice... yum!

THis really is an amazing recipe. Everyone in my family LOVES it.