Two Ingredient Chicken

It doesn’t get simpler than this. A whole chicken and a cup of sweet and spicy sauce go into the crockpot, and hours later you’ve got tender, fall-apart meat drenched in a sticky, caramelized glaze. Two ingredients. That’s all.

The breast-down position is the smart move here. White meat dries out fastest, and placing it face-down submerges it in the sauce and the juices that accumulate during cooking. The dark meat on top can handle the direct heat without drying out. It’s a simple trick that makes a big difference in how juicy the breast comes out.

Pouring sauce inside the cavity is the other key detail. It seasons the chicken from the inside out and creates steam that cooks the bird evenly. As the chicken releases its juices into the pot, they mix with the sauce and create a rich, ready-made gravy.

Pro Tips

• Remove the giblet bag from inside the cavity before cooking. Easy to forget, not fun to discover later.
• Adding molasses or honey to the sauce gives it a deeper, stickier glaze. Worth the extra ingredient.
• Don’t lift the lid during cooking. Every peek adds 15 to 20 minutes to the cook time.
• The chicken is done when the leg pulls away easily from the body and the juices run clear.

Variations

• Use barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, or salsa verde instead of sweet and spicy for a completely different flavor.
• Add quartered potatoes and carrots to the bottom of the crockpot for a complete meal.
• Shred the cooked chicken and toss it back in the sauce for pulled chicken sandwiches.