Sweet Honey Slowcooker Chicken is another simple dish that can take only minutes to pull together and the end result is amazing. It combines all the healthy benefits of bell peppers and mushrooms with the lean protein value of chicken. I first came across this recipe in a Slowcooker/Crockpot Facebook Group I belong to and have tweaked it a little bit since. Even though it’s sweetened with honey and white sugar, I like to preseason the chicken and brown it first as well as sautéeing the onions and mushrooms together to add even more flavour.
This recipe is another example of a dish that can easily be punched up with additional healthy ingredients. A half to a full cup of snowpeas and/or sliced baby bock choy added at the beginning of the cook cycle and/or a good handful of spinach stirred in at the end would be easy add-ons and terrific, really healthy additions.
As this is a slowcooker dish I want to be clear that it’s perfectly acceptable and food safe to add the raw, pre-seasoned chicken straight into the crock, mix well and let cook over the prescribed time. Food scientists agree its safe to do so provided the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees before serving. The prescribed cook times guarantee that will be the case. For many, this i.s the primary reason behind cooking with a slowcooker… throw everything in, set it and, forget it until dinner time.
But, the Veteran Move for me here is to brown the pre seasoned chicken in a little oil first and to sauté the onions and mushrooms seasoned with a little salt and pepper as well. This will not only maximize the flavour of the dish it will also make it look more appetizing. And because we’re talking about a sauté here it really only adds about ten minutes to the finished dish. If you have time and the inclination, I really recommend adding these steps.
A final Veteran Move on any slowcooker dish to even out the morning prep time crunch is to chop, slice, dice and even season all the bits and pieces the night before and store themovernight in airtight containers or ziplock freezer bags in the fridge. Just take it all out about a half hour before you want the cook time to start. That ensures your ingredients are room temperature. They’ll do better than if popped straight in out of the fridge.
Scroll through to learn how to make this delicious dish. If you like what you see, don’t forget to ‘like’ and ‘follow’.
4 chicken breast, cubed
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
Drizzle of olive oil
3 Bell Peppers of your choice, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
8 ounces Mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp garlic powder
Soy sauce to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
I prefer to brown or sear all meat before adding it to the slowcooker to maximize flavour.
Choosing to add the chicken straight into the slowcooker without browning it is safe if you wish to make prep even easier.
While the chicken is browning you can chop the peppers, celery, onions and mushrooms.
Thoroughly stir to mix well
I like to lightly season them with a little salt and pepper and sauté them in a little olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
I add them to the slowcooker once the onion has turned transparent and the mushrooms have released their juice and browned slightly.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
The chicken will be ‘fall apart’ tender and the spices and veggies will reach maximum ‘blend’.
Try this recipe. If you like it… even if you don’t… please comment, let’s talk about it!
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