Bourbon Chicken
Despite the fact that nearly every recipe I’ve ever made in the slow cooker has been a FAIL, I keep trying. Here’s what happens: the promise of having dinner (or at least most of it) ready to go when I get home after a long day is enticing. What’s not to love about that setup? Quickly drop some stuff in the CrockPot in the morning, and dinner is waiting at home that evening. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it. Well, I’m starting to think it is too good to be true.
People rave about their slow cookers, but I’ve yet to be won over by mine. In fact, I’m pretty sure Ryan will soon throw it out while I’ve got my back turned. Every time we finish eating a CrockPot meal, he says, “We really need a new CrockPot,” as if that is somehow going to fix our problems. As Southerners often say, bless his heart.
I really don’t understand where it all goes wrong. I put the protein in the pot, cover it with a yummy sauce, turn on my CrockPot, my apartment smells delicious, but then when I go to take a bite… nothing. It tastes like nothing. Well, it tastes like CrockPot food. That’s how Ryan and I now describe things that are tasteless or dry or from the slow cooker or worse if it’s all three. Where does the flavor go? Chicken has a flavor. The sauce had a nice flavor. The apartment smelled like something with good flavor was cooking. But when I put it in my mouth, there was no taste. I was sure I was eating something, I could feel it in there, but I sure couldn’t taste it.
I’m sure the day will come, not so long from now, when I am inspired to try another CrockPot dinner, lured in by the ease of preparation, but in the meantime, I’ll be cooking my food the normal way. In defense of this recipe, it got good reviews and looked delicious when Amanda at Fake Ginger made it!
Bourbon Chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
Put chicken in bottom of large slow cooker. Cover with other ingredients. Let cook 6 – 8 hours on low; remove chicken and shred or cut into chunks. Return to slow cooker and stir to combine. Serve over rice with more crushed red pepper flakes on top.
Source: From recipezaar, as seen on Fake Ginger
The Not So Skinny Kitchen 
April in CT replied:
What a timely post, I just made this exact recipe two nights ago! I usually love my crockpot, but I’m coming to realize we just don’t like the texture of chicken after being cooked in it. It took two chicken recipes and my husband saying both times “This seems sort of…dry?”. It’s hard to call it dry since the chicken is falling apart and in my brain that equals tender, but it just comes out with a strange texture. I am going to make it again, but bake it in the oven instead. I have made other crockpot recipes successfully though so don’t give up yet! I like pinto beans, taco soup, un-stuffed pepper soup with ground beef and some others that escape me right now.
February 23, 2010 at 10:10 pm. Permalink.