SLOW COOKER BROWN SUGAR CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of Creole or Cajun seasoning(like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed
• 1 (6 ounce) can of pineapple juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, or to taste
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Instructions

Remove skin from chicken and season lightly with the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Pat seasoning into chicken and place into the slow cooker. Whisk together the brown sugar, pineapple juice and soy sauce; pour around chicken. Cover and cook on low for about five to six hours, depending on the size. Use a wide spatula to remove the chicken from the slow cooker to a platter and loosely tent with aluminum foil; set aside to prepare the glaze.

Turn cooker to high until mixture comes to a boil, or transfer to a saucepan for the stovetop. Whisk together the water and cornstarch until there are no lumps. Slowly stir into the boiling sauce until fully incorporated and continue boiling for about three to four minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let rest a moment. Brush the sauce over each chicken thigh and serve the remaining sauce at the table.

Cook's Note: I also added a few grinds of Rachael Ray's Perfect Poultry seasoning to the chicken with this batch, which contains sea salt, black pepper, onion, sage, rosemary and thyme. I use low sodium soy sauce so I can control my added salt.