Y'all, it's cold outside.
At least that's what I hear.
I don't really know because, well, that would mean I would actually have to go outside. Uuum...I've seen the frost on the ground in the morning when I wake up.
Homey don't play that.
But for real though.
I really haven't gone outside in a while. Liiiike, maybe a couple of days. Well, maybe it's more like 10 days.
Don't judge.
I've got a wee one to attend to, and I live in the South. Do you really think Owen has a parka or a snowsuit or a pink bunny costume or whatever it is people wear when it's below 60 degrees out and the wind is whipping about? I couldn't bear it if my tiny little pumpkin's toesies turned blue and fell off in his socks because I just haaaaaaad to go to nowhere in particular.
That's like the one good thing about living in the country though.
There really isn't anywhere for me to go right now. I mean, I can't go to the walking trail 20 minutes away because it's cold out and the geese are probably frozen to the ice. Where's the fun in that? I also can't go 20 minutes the other way to the Dairy Queen to get a chocolate dipped ice cream cone b/c Lord knows I shoved enough of those in my mouth during my pregnancy, bless my heart. Plus, um hello, it's freezing out! I also can't eat ice cream when it's cold.
Ha! I keed, I keed.
But really, no, I don't feel bad about not stepping foot outdoors in the cold for the past 10 days and waking up every day around 10am after having already been up at 3:30am and 6:00am and then changing into yoga pants that I will wear for the remainder of the day until my husband comes home and I can finally shower off my sexy new baby spit up perfume and the sweat from the 18 minute workout I busted out before the baby woke up because I had to do at least something somewhat productive other than plastering my precious pumpkin with sugary, slobbery kisses and implementing the torturous task know as tummy time. Ya feel me?
No?
Ok, fine, so maybe sometimes I slap together something warm and sticky and sweet and savory into the crock pot so we can have a comforting, clean eating meal on these freezing cold nights.
Everyone loves a quick and easy supper that you can just toss into the slow cooker, and this honey pecan chicken really couldn't be simpler.
Just sear the chicken breasts, throw them into the pot with the other ingredients and walk away. Serve it along side some caramalized brussels sprouts and smoked gouda zucchini and squash casserole and your husband, girlfriend, wife, boyfriend, significant other, or friend with benefits will think you've been slaving away in the kitchen all day instead of catching up on Downton Abbey while nuzzled up in your king size bed with your kittle cattles now that the baby is asleep again and you finally talked your husband into getting Amazon Prime.
Wait, what?
Getting to know you...
How cold is it where you are?
How do you keep in shape during the winter?
Do you watch Downton Abbey?
Clean Eating Sticky Slow Cooker Honey Pecan Chicken
Print recipe| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 4 hours |
| Total time | 4 hours, 5 minutes |
| Allergy | Tree Nuts |
| Dietary | Gluten Free |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ⅔ cups honey
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning)
- A dash of ground cinnamon
- A handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (chopped)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper and place in slow cooker. In a small bowl, add garlic, herbs de Provence, and cinnamon to the honey. Stir and pour over the chicken. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Sprinkle on the pecans, and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until the chicken is just cooked through. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Once cooked, remove chicken from crock pot, cover w/ aluminum foil, and let rest for 5-10 minutes. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Once chicken has rested, shred chicken and add back to the sauce or serve breasts whole w/ the sauce drizzled on top w/ a handful of fresh parsley. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Serve w/ veggie &/or starch of choice. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Enjoy! | |
Mia says
This looks tasty! I wish I'd seen this before I left for work this AM so I could have thrown it in the slow cooker!
I have been living at the gym for the past couple weeks. The daytime highs have ranged from 3 degrees to 45 degrees - but I'm from the southwest and I hate all of this. Also...I thought I had until July to lose that last few pounds before the wedding, but I'm having my dress made and my dress maker says I need to try to be at my wedding weight by March 1st. AAAGH! So me and the gym are besties. I also bought a Jillian Michaels "DVD" on Amazon Prime...each routine is only about 20 minutes, and they are swift-kick-in-the-pants workouts. Perfect for when its too cold to go to the gym or when your cutey patooty has just dozed off for bit. (I did not get any money for this endorsement. But I totally should)
amber says
Good for you! I've been doing a plank & squat 30 day challenge for the past week, and those things are no joke!!!
Melissa says
I cooked this dish exactly as stated above for 7.5 hrs on low setting and it is beyond burnt. Everything in the crockpot is black and crispy.
Amber says
Oh no, Melissa! I'm so sorry! That definitely shouldn't have happened (clearly). I really don't have an answer for you. I've made this several times in two different crock pots on hi and low, and I have never had this issue. I've also cooked it as long as 8 hrs before, and it has never come close to burning. Every time I've made it the chicken has always released enough juice that it wouldn't really be possible for it to turn black and crispy. I will most certainly test the recipe again, hopefully tomorrow, and report back to you. In the meantime, have you ever had this problem with your crockpot before? Is it a new one? An old one? Again, I'm so, so sorry! 🙁
Melissa says
I cooked in this crockpot just last weekend and everything turned out great. I have read some other recipes that are similar which suggest to cook the chicken on high for 2 hours or low for 4. I will try again next weekend with these times and see what happens.
Amber says
Yes, please do and let me know how it turns out, and I'll do the same. Thanks so, so much for letting me know. I truly appreciate it and, again, I apologize!
Melissa says
I just read some reviews on my slow cooker, which is a Euro Pro, and it seems this cooker cooks in half the time of a traditional "crock pot"....maybe this was my issue. Again, I will try this recipe again next weekend for 4 hrs on low and see how it turns out. I must say my house smelled amazing all day today while this was cooking!
Amber says
Oh, wow! Yeah, that may be the issue. I swear the recipe is amazing! We ate it just last week. Let me know how it turns out if you try it again.
Melissa says
I tried it again today, cooked it for 3 hours on low. Much better. It is a little dry but I'm blaming the slow cooker that cooks fast. I think 2.5 hrs on low would have been sufficient in the Euro Pro. The flavor of the sauce is delicious. I will definitely make this again in the future (in less time, of course)
Amber says
Yay! So glad it worked out for you this time! I'm going to be re-testing the recipe this weekend, just in case my times are off. Thanks so much for trying again and for letting me know how it turned out!
Suzanne says
This was beyond overcooked. I followed the recipe exactly. I cooked it on low for 5 hours (hopefully to prevent overcooking), but the chicken was so dry that it was inedible.Even the sauce and pecans tasted overcooked. I was very chagrined at the waste of both the chicken and honey. So disappointing as it looked delicious.
Amber says
Suzanne, I'm so, so sorry this happened! I've had one other reader comment that she had a similar issue, but we figured out it was her slow cooker that caused the problem. Apparently it cooked in half the time of regular crock pots? Either way, after your comment, I have re-tested the recipe and made a few changes that I hope will work better for others in the future. I'm completely scrapping the pre-searing step (who wants to pre-sear any way) and I'm changing the cooking time to 3-4 hours on low with no recommendation for cooking on high. Thank you so much for your comment, and I sincerely apologize that your meal and ingredients had to be ruined. Can you find it in your hear to forgive me? Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Suzanne says
Thanks for the reply. It sounds like your suggestions might be just the thing. After reading the other replies, I tested my slow cooker on another chicken recipe, and by cutting the cooking time way down, was more successful. I might also suggest trying thighs, as they are moister to begin with. However, I did like the pre-searing. I like the "crust" and color it gives chicken. I think I may try this again, stovetop this time, and add the pecans later in the cooking. It did look and sound delicious. Thank you for your personal approach to your recipes and your readers.
Bloodbrew says
I made this last week and tried cooking it for eight hours on low; It came out overcooked. Trying it again this week with some changes : removing pecans, adding 1/4 cup Jack Daniels, 2 tsp.red pepper (cayenne), 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, keeping the honey and herbs with two tablespoons of salt. Putting them all in a mason jar with and orange till I'm ready to add to the slow cooker and get it started after searing. I also plan to wrap each breast in aluminum foil with enough space to add the sauce in each one so that each one has it's very own little cooking dome. This should remove the drying effect the heat has on the top part of the breast and allow for a more tender and juicy meal. Guess we shall see tomorrow... Yes, I am from the south, yes, I live in Louisiana.
Amber says
Yum! Your rendition sounds incredible! I've made some changes to the recipe too since it seems like it's coming out too dry for some.
Bloodbrew says
The chicken came out SUPER tender. After they came out of the pan I had to use a large sheet of tin foil to cover them in the slow cooker. At two hours in I turned them. 2-2 and a half hours on low after the turn and they were perfect.
To reheat: place only the chicken with some sauce covering it for 1 minute in the microwave. Then add your veggies and microwave them all together for another 2-3 minutes.
Hope you get to try it out.
Gretchen says
I don't see what I'm supposed to do with the coconut oil in the directions.
Amber says
Gretchen, I'm sorry! Just don't use the coconut oil. I made some changes to the recipe b/c I had a few readers say it was coming out too dry. The original recipe called for searing the meat first with coconut oil, but I have removed that step. Let me know how you like it. Thanks so much!
michael says
Sounds really good! I'm wondering whether you're using boneless or bone-in chicken?
Amber says
Hi, Michael! I used boneless chicken, but you could use home in if you wanted. I'd increase the cooking time by an hour or so if you do that though. Let me know if you try it!
Erica says
I'm in the upstate of SC and it's FUH-REEZING right now!!!!!!!!! Like- in the teens with a windchill lower than 10. No thank you!
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe! Thanks so much!
**I'd love for you to check out some that I've tried and shared info on! scgatormama.blogspot.com
Amber says
I haven't been outside in, like, a week because it's been so cold! My son also has the flu so I can use that as an excuse 🙂
Clair says
Hi, trying this recipe for the first time. I'm a Southern girl too so the title definitely caught my attention! The directions don't say where the coconut oil comes in though.... Should I just add it to the honey mixture????
Amber says
Hey, Clair! Yay for GRITS! You actually don't have to use the coconut oil if you don't want to. I originally had it in the recipe when I seared the chicken first, but I eliminated that step and forgot to remove it from the list of ingredients. I hope you like it! Let me know how it turns out.
stina says
Ok, I DID sear off the chicken first, then put it in the crockpot, salt & pepper on both sides. I mixed together the sauce in a separate bowl, found it a little cloying for my taste, so added in a spalsh (about 1/4c) of orange juice, since the honey I have is orange blossom honey. This took up about half the space in my crockpot, so I tented it with foil and then put the lid on top. Cooked on low for about 2 hours. The chicken was NOT dry or tough. It shredded up just fine. After shredding and mixing into the sauce, I added a ton of sriracha as my husband can't taste anything unless it's spicy (like, literally). Hmm. Sweet, floral, spicy, needs something else. I cooked up a package of bacon, chopped, and added half. It's better, but still missing something. I think maybe it needs something pickled.
For the side I took the bacon pan, deglazed it with orange juice, then sauteed/steamed broccoli in the pan for about 10 minutes. Salt & pepper, and voila, broccoli with bacon orange sauce.
Anyway, it was fun to try out something new and my husband loved it. Thanks for sharing!
Amber says
Oh, my gosh! Yuuuuuuuuuuum! Will you come over and cook it again for me, just like that? 😉