Slow cooker soy and citrus chicken

Sweet and tangy slow cooker soy and citrus chicken, flavored with warm spices, soy, ginger and orange: a simple, healthy, one-pot meal.

What is it about cold weather that turns me into a slow cooker junkie?

I swear, it's a good thing I own more than one slow cooker because when the weather turns chilly, I've been know to have them cooking round the clock: I start one with overnight oatmeal for breakfast before I go to sleep and then immediately fire up another as soon I get up with a batch of chicken stew or butternut chili.

I also like my slow cooker for busy weeknight meals. What a treat to have a whole meal ready to go, nearly effortlessly, at the end of a long day.

If that's the way you use your slow cooker, too, you're going to be completely jazzed about this slow cooker soy and citrus chicken. This sweet and tangy chicken takes only a few minutes of prep and is so flavorful you only need to serve it on a bed of fresh greens for a healthy, delicious, one-pot meal.

For those who have tried my slow cooker Vietnamese chicken, you'll get similarly hooked on this soy and citrus chicken. Warm spices like star anise and cinnamon pair beautifully with the bright orange and ginger flavors, all of which are rounded out with a little kick from tangy soy and red pepper flakes

One note: As you prep this dish, it may seem like a lot of liquid for a slow cooker recipe, but you're basically poaching the chicken, so you want the chicken to be fully submerged to soak up all the rich flavor.

And you might want to consider making a double batch because later in the week I'm going to share one of my favorite Asian salad recipes that is made twice as good when you add some of this soy and citrus chicken.

Does winter make you a slow cooker junkie, too? What's your current crockpot obsession? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

Slow Cooker Soy and Citrus Chicken

(inspired by The Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons coconut sugar (regular sugar is fine, too)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
juice and zest of one mandarin orange (or half of one navel orange)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons dried star anise pieces
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs


Directions:
Whisk together the first five ingredients (water through juice and zest) and add to the crock of a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, ensuring that the chicken is largely submerged in the poaching liquid. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.

Serve chicken on a bed of greens, spoon some of the poaching liquid over the chicken.

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