Crockpot Balsamic-Honey Chicken

Crockpot meals are really an amazing thing. Throw some ingredients in the pot before leaving for work and come home to a house that smells as though you've been cooking all day. I don't know about you, but I am almost always hungry. I am the MOST hungry when I arrive home after a long day at work and a commute home on my beloved 80 bus. This is why I love coming home to a dinner that only takes minutes to finish. I can pour myself a glass of wine and tuck into my dinner that much faster. The only bad thing about crockpot recipes is that they are rather unglamorous to photograph.  It is so hard for an amateur like me to get a nice shot into the deep recesses of the crockpot.  Oh well - it doesn't stop me from trying.  This particular variation on chicken only has a few ingredients and they blend so perfectly together to create a balanced flavor: balsamic (sharp), honey (sweet), soy (salty), and whiskey (earthy).  You get so much depth from this mix and the chicken soaks up all the amazing flavor. 

Crockpot Balsamic-Honey Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (bone-in; skin-on)
1 onion
1/4 cup balsamic
1/4 cup whiskey
2 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
salt and pepper

1.  Coarsely chop your onion and lay it as a base in the crockpot.  Rinse and pat your chicken dry, season on both sides with salt and pepper, and set in the crockpot.. 

One important thing that is often overlooked about crockpot meals is that you still need to season your meat thoroughly, just at though you were going to sear it.  Otherwise, you meat will still be a bit bland, even after cooking all day.

2.  Mix together balsamic, soy, whiskey, and honey.  Pour over chicken.

3.  Cook on the lowest setting (mine is "Warm") for 8 hours.  It will NOT be beautiful when you get home.

4.  To crispy up the skin and make it a beauty, set the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and put under the broiler for 6-8 minutes, until the skin is crispy.

There...that's better.

5.  Skim some of the fat off the liquid left in the crockpot so that you can use the remaining liquid as a sauce.  If you want, you can put the liquid in a pot and reduce over high heat while the chicken is broiling OR you can use it as-is.  
6.  Serve up with your favorite sides and enjoy.

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