General Tsao's chicken

 
I was skimming through the family cookbook the other day and came across this chicken recipe that I haven’t made for almost twenty years. Don’t know why, because we do like it a lot and it’s super easy to throw together.

Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken is one of those throw-and-go recipes (throw it in the crockpot and go away for four hours). That’s it – I’ve decided to add a new “Throw-and-Go” entry to the recipe categories!

Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken is a little like a General Tsao’s flavor, except not fried. It’s sweet, salty, and savory with a little vinegar kick and is really good over rice or noodles.

The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, but if you’re adverse to that much spiciness, just crank it down to 1/4 tsp. or a pinch.

If you’re looking for a new and really simple chicken recipe with ingredients you probably have in the pantry, this is a good one to try.

Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Sweet, salty, savory chicken with a little spicy vinegar kick.

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Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts cut into 1 to 1 1/2" pieces  
• Sauce:
• 3/4 C. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C. plus 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/4 C. 7-up or Sprite
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)
• 1/2 C. water
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked noodles or rice

Instructions

1. Place the chicken pieces in the crockpot.  
2. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir well.  Pour over the chicken and set on low.  Check at 4 hours - should be done.
3. Ladle as much of the sauce out of the crockpot as you can and put it into a sauce pan on low heat.  Put about 1/2 C. of the sauce in a small bowl and add the flour, stirring until smooth. Pour into the saucepan with the rest of the sauce, stirring, and bring to a boil.  
4. Boil on low for 2 or 3 minutes until thickened and remove from heat.
5. Divide the chicken among your plates (over rice or noodles) and drizzle with the sauce as desired.

Notes

If you don't like spicy, leave the red pepper flakes out, but it's better with
them.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 477Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 598mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 0gSugar: 43gProtein: 54g

Nutrition Values are Approximate