Aunt’s Saturday Thighs In Slow Cooker. This is Aunt Linda’s quick Saturday chicken. She mixes it fast in the slow cooker before shopping or watching games. Frozen chicken legs with bone and skin go right in with only four easy kitchen items. By dinner, the meat is soft and falls off the bone. The shiny, dark sauce tastes like you worked hard all day. It’s cheap, kids love it, and feeds lots of people with few dishes.
Aunt Linda’s no-mess chicken thighs cook from frozen in a slow cooker with ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Sweet and salty sauce turns glossy and thick. Super tender meat over rice or noodles, with veggies on the side. Family favorite—ready with zero fuss!
We love putting these juicy thighs on soft white rice or noodles with butter. They grab all the yummy sauce. Add easy steamed beans, baked carrots, or salad from a bag for a full meal. Soft rolls or cornbread wipe up the sauce. For more folks, try mashed potatoes and slaw so everyone makes their plate.
Ingredients
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3 to 4 pounds frozen chicken thighs with bone and skin (about 6-8 pieces)
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1 cup ketchup
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1/2 cup packed brown sugar
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1/3 cup low-salt soy sauce
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2 teaspoons garlic powder
Aunt’s Saturday Thighs: Directions
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Put the frozen chicken thighs flat in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. It’s fine if they stick a little—spread them out.
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In a bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder until smooth. This makes your sweet-salty sauce.
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Pour the sauce over the chicken. Spoon some down around the pieces so it gets under them too.
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Put the lid on. Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours or LOW 7-8 hours. Chicken is done when super soft, falls off bone, and inside hits 165°F.
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Halfway done, spoon sauce from bottom over the tops for better color. Put lid back fast.
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When ready, take lid off. Cook on HIGH 15-20 more minutes with lid cracked open. Sauce gets thick and dark.
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For crispy skin (if you want), move thighs skin-up to a foil pan. Brush with sauce. Broil high in oven 3-5 minutes till golden. Watch it! Put back in cooker if you like.
Serve hot with lots of sauce on top. Meat pulls right off—super juicy!