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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!!!
Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs
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Ingredients
- 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 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- 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 teaspoon 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.
Dear Kitchenwisperess,
May I ask you, if you ever used the folding proofer as a slow cooker again afterwords? If yes, would you mind to give me a hint: which kinds of dishes did you use it for?
I own this gadget for a year now and use it almost every week as a proofer for dough and am absolutely pleased by the results I get. I fermented a yoghurts in it and will do it again. But my attempt to use it as a slow cooker was a failure. Now I’m in search for either successful cooking user or for those who will tell me to stop wasting groceries and effort. But most people that have (and use) the proofer never tried it as a slow cooker.
After I found your balsamic chicken recipe here and compared it with the one from the B&T recipe booklet…. I hope you can help me to make a decision.
Thanks in advance
Hi! Oh absolutely! I love the product! I use it in any recipe where you’d use a regular slow cooker. So from slow-cooked chicken, beef, pulled pork, ribs – you get the idea.
What type of cooking vessel do you use when you use it as a slow cooker? Also, what happens when you do use it as a slow cooker? If you can expand a bit more on what happens perhaps I can help you out.
I know when I use it, I tend to use an enameled cast iron pan with a tight lid. You want it to have a good seal. And just like when you use a regular slow cooker, you don’t peek to open up the lid. When you do that, you lose heat and it takes at least 30 minutes to return to temperature for a regular slow cooker.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thank you formyour reply!
As for my failed attempt: it should have become an italian style stewed sauce with fine cubed meat, tomato, some veggies and spices in it. I used a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot (as highly recommended by B&T: https://brodandtaylor.com/pages/faq#/collection/1013/article/4006), browned the meat and the veggies in it on the stovetop, added the spices and the liquids, put the lidded pot (stil hot, directly from the stovetop) on the surface in the B&T Box, closed the box and didn‘t open for about 3 hours… The temperature was set on the highest possible option.
After that time the meat seemed cooked through but some of the veggies had still a raw taste and a raw crunch in them. It was edible but not what I was expecting.
I can’t compare it to a „regular slow cooker“ since I have none (otherwise I would just resume to use it without testing the abilities of the proofing box for slow cooking).
As I see, you give your balsamic chicken in this recipe 8 hours in the pot and afterwards additional 5-8 minutes under a hot broiler while „original“ B&T -Recipe only asks for 2-3 hours in the pot. That brought me to the idea that maybe there is a possibility to use the box as a slow cooker but you need adjusted recipes. I was unable to find anyone else (except you and B&T itself) who would post a slow cooking recipe with the proofing box. Thats why I asked you in the first place. Is it that the meat can possibly cook through but the veggies (e.g. garlic) need to be fully cooked beforehand – at least in a sour tomato environment? How long did a falling apart pulled pork take in the box and which recipe did you use? B&T recommends to either use a „shiny pot“ or to wrap the pot in aluminum foil – since you wrote that you use an enameled cast iron: did you wrap it in foil? did it work out without? Sorry for all those questions.
I’m a tad confused. Are you using the Brod & Taylor folding proofer that has a Slow Cooker function or are you using the original one that does not? You can’t or shouldn’t use the proofer that is not designed for slow cooking. You are using this one, right – https://brodandtaylor.com/collections/folding-proofer-slow-cooker/products/folding-proofer-slow-cooker?ghref=3046%3A90601?
I’m assuming you used some root-type veggies (carrots, potatoes, etc) that do take quite a bit of time in a slow cooker. Even at “high” cubed potatoes will take about 4 hours. Using this proofer I listed below, it’s literally treated like a standard slow cooker. To make a roast you’d put the roast, veggies, liquid, close it up, and cook for X hours undisturbed.
No, I never wrapped my pot; no need to when you have a good seal. The lid rests directly on the pot. I used a pot like this one https://amzn.to/3fonoE2.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hi again. Yes I have the new one that has a designated temperature controller for slow cooking (apart from that the design is the same, so that if you can cook with the new one, you can with the original one too).
Thank you for replying. I got the answers I needed.
huh! very interesting…I’ve never heard of a proofing box before and how handy that it folds up like that. I would use that all the time for my bread. I wouldn’t have thought it would get hot enough to cook chicken but sure looks like it does!
This box is incredible! Slow cookers on low are 190F. This box has the range to do 190F.
I absolutely love it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I am 79 yrs old and living on Social Security so can’t afford this proofer although I wish I could, but anyway can I do these in my crockpot and if so what setting (low or high) and for how long? Want to try these out on my son on one of his weekend visits and also on some of my other family when they come to see me. I can scarcely wait to try these, NUMMOLA!!!!
Hi Judy!
Yes you can most certainly do this in a slow cooker. Cook it on low for about 6 hours.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
My god these look amazing! I just ordered the proofer and can’t wait to make these! Because of you I now LOVE to bake and cook. Thank you for all that you do!
★★★★★
You’re going to LOVE that proofer Jayce!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
When I said slow cooker I meant crockpot.
Hi Big John!
When my Mom made them, she would use the same roast recipe I have posted but just using venison. You can use this recipe (http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2016/05/14/pressure-cooker-moms-classic-pot-roast-with-savory-onion-gravy/) but instead of using the pressure cooker put it in the crock pot on low for 8 hours. Low and slow is what you need with venison.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I’m looking for a slow cooker recipe for venison rump roast. Anything available?
These look positively mouth watering! I’m drooling over these. I am definitely buying the proofer and making these!
★★★★★
oh my freaking god those look incredible!!!!! I need this in my life right now! I just ordered this off of Amazon and it’ll be here in 2 days. I’m going shopping this weekend for all of the ingredients! I cannot wait to make this!
Thank you for another incredible recipe!
★★★★★