Make this easy Italian Chicken with Balsamic and Herbs in your slow cooker. It's a little sweet, and a little tangy, and utterly delicious!
This Slow Cooker Italian Chicken with Balsamic and Herbs is the easiest dish you'll make all week.
This is a one-step, one-pot dish. No sautéing or searing the chicken in a skillet first!
How easy is that? Simply put frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs in your slow cooker, pour the marinade over it all, and let the pot work its magic while you do more important things than hang out in your kitchen.
It's a little sweet, and a little tart, and the flavour of the herbs shines through.
This Italian Chicken recipe is easy to adapt
Adapt this recipe to the way you eat. No homemade broth? No problem. Use store-bought chicken broth.
Don't have coconut palm sugar? Substitute brown sugar.
Avoiding corn? It's not essential to thicken the sauce, so you could leave out this part of the recipe completely. I've tried using tapioca flour as a thickening agent, but in my experience it tends to make a sauce goopy, so I use a little cornstarch instead.
What kind of Balsamic Vinegar Should I Use?
The flavour of this dish will change depending on the quality of the balsamic vinegar you use. Top quality traditional balsamic vinegar is produced in the Reggio-Emilia and Modena areas of Italy. Authentic balsamic vinegar, called Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is made from the Trebbiano white grape, is often aged for 12 years or more in wooden casks, is smooth, thick, creamy, utterly heavenly and is as expensive as a very fine wine. It's incredible as a finishing vinegar but it's not necessary in this recipe!
Less expensive balsamic vinegars are readily available in supermarkets, but check the ingredients. If "grape must" is the first ingredient, that's a good sign. It might be mixed with a red wine vinegar. These balsamic vinegars are fine for everyday cooking.
I have found that the Kirkland Balsamic Vinegar available at Costco and from Amazon is affordable and just as delicious as some of the more expensive brands. Some other types you may find have added caramel, colour and thickener, and I avoid those.
We'll be staying in Modena during our upcoming trip to Italy this spring and I'm planning to take a tour of one of these balsamic vinegar producers. In the meantime, I'm cooking and dreaming all things Italian!
What to serve with this Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
I served it with cauliflower rice and an Italian-inspired orange and avocado salad with parmesan crisps. It's delicious with any rice or pasta.
I hope you'll make this easy Italian chicken dish and let me know if you like it as much as we do.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Easy Italian Chicken with Balsamic and Herbs
Ingredients
- 8-10 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp each dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes optional
- ½ tsp each sea salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch optional
Instructions
- Put frozen chicken thighs in bowl of slow cooker.
- Mix the remaining ingredients, except the cornstarch or tapioca flour, and pour over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in chicken reads at least 165°F.
- Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid until smooth. Add to the slow cooker, turn heat to HIGH, and cook for about 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve.
Nutrition
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Leslie Rossi
this looks soooo tasty!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Leslie! We really like it.
lillian T
looks great! Is there any way to make this without a slow cooker? funny enough, I do not have one!
We do have a pressure cooker though!
Flavour & Savour
Oh absolutely. You could easily bake it in the oven. Just use fresh or thawed chicken. I would brown the chicken in an oven-proof skillet first, pour the sauce over, and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes or until it has reached an internal temperature of 175F. It would be fine in a pressure cooker too, but I'm not sure how long it would take. Enjoy!
Chip H.
What about searing chicken thighs first before placing them in slow cooker bowl? Also, if the chicken thighs are defrosted, how should I adjust the cooking time at the low temperature?
Elaine
Hi Chip, You could certainly sear the chicken thighs first if you like. You could shorten the cooking time, likely by 45 minutes or so. Just be sure to check that the thighs have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Thanks for your question! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jackie
Thank you Elaine!
Flavour & Savour
You're welcome! Hope you like it, too!