Grab on to your hats as I’m about to blow your mind with one of the BEST slow cooker chicken recipes I have ever had in my life! Chicken cooked low and slow that practically falls off of the bone just by looking at it. And that Honey Balsamic reduction! Fahgeddaboudit!
Almost 4 years or so ago I was introduced to Brod & Taylor with their unbelievably amazing Folding Bread Proofer. Whether you want to proof bread dough at an even temperature, temper chocolate flawlessly or make your own cultured yogurt, this bread proofer is truly incredible! Plus when you’re not using it, it folds up rather compact which if you’re like me, you hate having clutter on the counters. This stores perfectly in one of my kitchen cabinets off to the side. For the past 3 years I’ve been using mine on an at least weekly basis if not more whether it’s for bread or my own yogurt. Seriously.. YOGURT. Then I teamed up with them on their Professional Knife Sharpener. Best. Sharpener. EVER!
Well they decided that they wanted to push the limits and expand the functionality of their Folding Proofer and include additional options with it. Today we’re showcasing their Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker! YES!!! IT SLOW COOKS TOO!!! Yeah, sink your teeth into that.. and while you’re sinking your teeth in to that I’m sinking mine into these EPIC Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs!
Oh hey you’re back.. hold on a sec, let me wipe my face as I went to town on these thighs.
Okay let’s dish about this dish. So okay I’ve made a million chicken dishes and half of them have been made in a slow cooker but I’m telling you what guys, there is something truly magical about what this Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker does to the chicken. I have never had chicken THIS tender and juicy. And OMG the flavor! I am literally in love with this recipe. So much that we ate the 8 chicken thighs in 2 days! Yes, 2 days! And as soon as I finished the last one I made a special trip to the store to buy more chicken (and yes you can use other chicken parts in case you were wondering).
I’ve had the original proofer for years and have used it weekly. It’s flawless for proofing doughs, making yogurts, tempering chocolates plus so much more. Other than my pressure cooker this is one of the most used items in my kitchen. As you see this folds down to being super compact. When it’s closed the outside dimensions are:18 x 14.5 x 2.75″. When it’s fully opened, the inside dimensions are:15 x 12.5 x 8″. The aluminum base plate has a radiant heat up to 195F which is perfect for low and slow cooking.
Some of the more specs (for you nerds like me):
♦ Temperature range: 70-195F (21-90C)
♦ Anodized aluminum heating plate
♦ Stainless steel wire rack
♦ Aluminum water tray (typical humidity 60-80%)
♦ Reinforced polypropylene body, large viewing window
Now making this recipe is ridiculously slash borderline embarrassingly simple. You just season, place the stuff in a pot, set the temp and walk away. Okay sure if you want that crispy skin you can broil it and what I HIGHLY suggest is you reduce the cooking sauce. Like that stuff is legit! And FYI… if you have leftovers (but don’t be upset if you don’t) the sauce and meat is overthetop INSANE delicious on a pizza.
To make this just grab a heavy bottom pot – I tend to go with a dutch oven. You want to ensure that it has a tight lid. You need to make sure it holds in the steam/moisture and heat. Next just setup the Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker, place the pot inside. Place the pot lid on top and then the proofer top. Set the heat to 195F and go walk away. No for real, walk away. If you have nothing to do but sit there and stare at this while it cooks for 8 hours then you need to come to my house and help me finish this renovation.
So after 8 hours, remove the Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker lid and take the pot out of the proofer. Yes you will need pot holders for this. Next place it on the stove top, remove the lid on the pot and you’re ready to eat. BUT trust me on this – take a few more minutes to broil the thighs and reduce the sauce.
Okay fine I should disclose something about this sauce. When it boils/ reduces it’s a strong, STRONG smell. It’s vinegar so put on your exhaust fan. But I pinkie swear this is soooooooooooo worth it! It’s sweet with just a small tinge of heat. The teensy bit of red pepper flakes definitely are needed as you need that heat to balance out the sweetness. You won’t taste it but if you omit it, the sauce may be *too sweet*.
The sauce won’t necessarily thicken up while you reduce it. It will to a point but it’s not until it starts to cool (after it’s been reduced by half) will you get that killer syrup.
The first time I made these Mr. Fantabulous kept walking past the Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker and would look in, make a face then walk away. By the time dinner was on the table he said “where’s the bread?” Ha! He’s so used to seeing the proofer out and knows that produces bread he was actually disappointed that I didn’t have bread. So when I told him that I made these thighs he made another face. He said “How? There’s no flame or oven.” So when I explained how it worked the man was so impressed. Then the engineer in him came out. He poked, prodded and read all about it.
From an engineer standpoint, the design is impeccable. It’s actually really ingenious and one that is DEFINITELY worth it.
As Mr. Fantabulous sat down to eat I can’t tell the last time that man raved non-stop about a food. I mean to the point I got 2 bites of chicken in my mouth and he was already asking for another serving of chicken. He INHALED this chicken. He kept raving how it was so tender, so juicy.. that it was just falling off the bone. And the flavor of the sauce he went nuts over. That man actually grabbed a piece of bread to wipe it up off of the plate. Only once before in my life did I ever see him do that and that was with Sunday gravy!
That’s how I knew I nailed this recipe!
So if you’re you looking to add one AMAZING product for your kitchen you NEED this Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker!!! If you aren’t sure what to get someone for a bridal or wedding gift. Get them this Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker!!! Birthday? Get them Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker!
This is one of the BEST MULTI-FUNCTIONAL kitchen items I have ever seen/owned!!!
- 8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar (you want a really good quality one)
- 3/4 cup honey, divided
- 1 1/2 Tbl garlic, minced
- 2 Tbl dried minced onion
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 3 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Unfold the folding proofer and set it up to a ready-to-use position. On a platter, pat the thighs dry and sprinkle 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper on the chicken and place them in the bottom of a large heavy bottom lidded dutch oven.
- Mix together the vinegar, 1/2 cup of the honey, garlic, minced onion remaining salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken.
- Place the large pot onto the metal bottom of the folding proofer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and then place the folding proofer lid on top to close. Press the slow cooker button and set the temperature to 195F.
- Let this cook undisturbed for 8 hours. Do not remove the lids or peak.
- When 8 hours is up, remove the pot from the folding proofer (use pot holders) and place the pot on top of the stove. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack inside. Remove the chicken carefully and place it on top of the cooling rack.
- Once the chicken is removed, turn the heat on for the pan to medium high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil stirring/scraping the bottom to prevent burning. Once it boils add in the rest of the honey (1/4 cup, parsley and red pepper flakes). Reduce the liquid to about half and thicken it up. *Note it will thicken up upon cooling into a smooth syrup.
- While the glaze is reducing, turn the oven broiler on to high and place the chicken in the oven to crisp up the skin ~5-8 minutes.
- Once crisp, remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle some of the glaze on top prior to serving.
This post is being sponsored by Brod & Taylor featuring their incredible newly designed Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker. All opinions of this ABSOLUTELY AMAZING product are mine.
