I’m going to try to refrain from going on and on and on about my love for slow cookers.
I feel like I’ve probably done that somewhere before… just like I’ve also whined to you about how little time and energy I have these days.
Another thing I love? CanadiAsian food.
Ever since I made this Sweet and Spicy Coconut Chicken, the whole “CanadiAsian” thing has kind of stuck with me. Or “AmericAsian” if you’re a little farther South. That’s about all I’ve got.
Basically, I can’t say I’ve ever been to anywhere in Asia, so I try not to label things “Chinese” or “Asian” or whatever, because I think we probably miss the mark sometimes.
I realized this the first time I went to Mexico. In Real Mexico (not Resort Mexico), I realized that the Mexican food I knew wasn’t really Mexican food. And I fell in love with Mexican food.
Anyway. I’m totally going to move on.
I love sweet and sour everything. And I love coming home to a perfectly cooked meal.
The cooking time with this can vary for a lot of reasons. How full your slow cooker is, how hot your slow cooker is, the size of your pieces, etc. Here are some tips to slow down or speed up the cooking process.
If you’re looking to leave the chicken in a long time (8 or more hours), you might want to try putting the breasts in frozen and whole and omitting the chicken broth. You could also put them in thawed and whole if you’re worried about them cooking completely. A whole chicken breast will always take longer to cook, but that might be something you want if your slow cooker is less than half full and you need to leave the chicken in for quite a while. If you find that chicken often comes out of your slow cooker overcooked, these might be some things you want to try.
If you want it to cook more quickly, chop into pieces and place in the slow cooker thawed. This is what I did, and mine was still in the slow cooker 8 hours. My slow cooker is a little on the cooler side though, so I wasn’t worried about the chicken overcooking.
And the only reason I know my slow cooker is on the cooler side is because last year right around this time I was going to put a frozen roast into my slow cooker and it slipped out of my hands. It obliterated my slow cooker. Thankfully, I was able to put it on my Christmas list and I didn’t go too long without. When comparing cooking times with my previous slow cooker, I found that this one was quite a bit cooler.
{Slow Cooker} Sweet and Sour Chicken
{Slow Cooker} Sweet and Sour Chicken: the perfect crockpot meal to come home to after a long day! Great served over rice or noodles.
Ingredients
- 3-5 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 tsp minced garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 7 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp corn starch
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, with or without juice (see instructions below)
Instructions
See post above for helpful tips regarding different methods for adding the chicken to the slow cooker
- Add chicken to slow cooker.
- Combine garlic, sugar, vinegar, chicken broth, ketchup, soy sauce and corn starch and pour over chicken. Set slow cooker to 8 hours on low.
- **2 hours before cooking time is up, add diced peppers and pineapple. If you find the sauce thin, add an extra 1-2 tbsp to some of the pineapple juice. If you find the sauce thick, add a little pineapple juice with the chunks until you reach desired consistency. If you like the consistency of the sauce, drain pineapple juice. Cover and cook 1.5 - 2 more hours.
- Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
- *If needed, you can stir together 1-2 tbsp additional corn starch and water to thicken the sauce.
Recipe Notes
**I like to add my peppers for the last 1.5-2 hours just so they aren't too soft. If you like your peppers to have a little texture to them, I recommend this. If you can't add them later or like them a little softer, that is totally fine. It will absolutely work to add them at the beginning, they just won't have any bite to them.
Sauce recipe adapted from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake.
You might also like these Slow Cooker Recipes:
{Slow Cooker} Philly Cheesesteak Potato Chowder
{Slow Cooker} Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Rose says
Can this cook safely on high for 2-3 hours if the chicken is thawed and diced?
Ashley Fehr says
I think that would be fine! Just always double check the temperature before serving to ensure it’s reached 165, but I don’t think there’d be any problems!
colet says
Made for the first time and the hubby is already asking for it again! Will be a recipe I keep handy! Thanks!!
Ashley Fehr says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Sweet and sour chicken is one of my great loves.. whenever I feel like something comforting I make it! Definitely going to try your slow cooker version, it does look delicious!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
This looks incredible! We love sweet and sour and I am drooling over all that wonderful sauce! The slow cooker is such a life saver these days, having dinner ready when you get home is the best:) Pinning!
Ashley says
It’s definitely my favorite appliance! Thanks Kelly!
Amanda says
This is a great idea, slow cookers are the best!
[email protected] says
Yay for slow-cookers! I seriously don’t think I could live without mine. That being said, I NEED this gorgeous chicken in my life—that thick sauce is calling my name! Pinning. 🙂
Ashley says
Thanks Sarah! It’s such a lifesaver!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
I neglect to realize sometimes how awesome the slow cooker really is. . I love that you made a slow cooker sweet and sour chicken!! and oh my gawd, I NEED to try your {Slow Cooker} Mongolian Beef ASAP!!! love!!
Ashley says
Thanks Alice! I can’t get enough of it! To be totally honest, tomorrow will be the 3rd day in a row that we’ve had supper in the slow cooker!
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
I broke my slow cooker the other month too and I had to rush to get a new one. I can’t live without it! This looks like the perfect way to test my new one out!
Ashley says
Thanks Julie! I would go crazy without it — we’ve had supper in the slow cooker yesterday and today!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) says
I am so into my slow cooker right now. I must try this!
Ashley says
I’ve used my slow cooker way more this fall than I ever have — I love it!
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
Sweet and sour chicken is the best, especially in the slow cooker! I love having a meal made and ready at supper time without having to actually DO anything! This looks amazing!
Ashley says
Thanks Stacey! The slow cooker really works with my totally lazy attitude these days.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Oh how I love my slow cooker. I’ve got some soup in there cooking away for me right now! This sweet and sour chicken sounds amazing, i will definitely be adding this recipe into our weekly rotation. Have the best Thanksgiving tomorrow friend!
Ashley says
Thanks Natalie! I had my (Canadian) Thanksgiving 6 weeks ago, but I actually have the day off for a doctor’s appointment, so it will almost feel like a holiday anyway! Lol.
Annie @Maebells says
I am with you, I love any type of Asian inspired food. I was intimidated by it for a long time because I wasn’t sure how to use those ingredients well but after playing around with it we have some great Asian type dishes in our rotation! I love that this is a slow cooker recipe. I find that since it is dark by four now I am so useless at night. I get nothing done after work! I need lots of good slow cooker recipes for these dreary winter days!
Ashley says
I think it’s mostly because I love sugar in everything…. and the whole sweet and sour thing totally works for me. Lol. I think being 8 and a half months pregnant has really made me resent making supper… so I use my slow cooker a LOT! I’d much rather be baking (and eating!) chocolate!