The Italian dressing packet has a dinner job tonight. Its herbs season the brown sugar coating on these chicken breasts, and the mixture turns saucy as it cooks with the chicken juices inside the foil. Spoon those juices over the meat and let rice or mashed potatoes catch the rest.
The base recipe uses just chicken, light brown sugar and dry Italian dressing mix. Each portion gets its own packet, so serving is a matter of lifting the parcels onto plates and opening them carefully. Put a spoon on the table along with the forks; the sauce is part of dinner.
Use the Dry Mix for This Coating
Look for a packet of dry Italian dressing mix, not prepared bottled dressing. The powder stirs into the brown sugar without adding a separate liquid. Break up the sugar lumps with a fork so you can divide the seasoning evenly among the chicken portions.
This is a sweet chicken recipe, with the dressing mix supplying the savory seasoning. Plain rice, mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles give the juices somewhere to go without adding another sweet sauce. Steamed broccoli, roasted green beans or a simple salad can round out the plate.
The Three Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 medium pieces)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 packet (1 ounce) dry Italian dressing mix
You’ll also need heavy-duty aluminum foil, a small mixing bowl, a fork, tongs and a food thermometer. Choose chicken breasts of roughly similar thickness so one thin piece doesn’t finish long before the others.
About the Butter in the Photo
The butter shown in the photo is an optional extra. For that version, add one pat of unsalted butter to each seasoned chicken portion before sealing the foil. Use four pats altogether. That makes it a four-ingredient variation; butter is not required for the three-ingredient base recipe.
Close the Packets Before They Go in the Cooker
Leave enough foil around each portion to bring the long sides together above the chicken, fold them down, and roll the ends closed. A sheet that barely reaches around the meat is difficult to seal. Keep the folded seams facing up, and lift cooked packets with their bottoms supported.
The foil lining in the cooker is there to catch drips. It doesn’t guarantee a spotless insert. Check your appliance’s instructions for using foil and for minimum fill and liquid requirements; don’t assume every slow cooker can be used with a dry insert.
How to Make Brown Sugar Italian Chicken Packets
- Line the slow cooker insert with a single layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side up, to catch drips. Follow your model’s instructions for foil, minimum fill and liquid requirements.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and trim excess fat. If a breast is especially thick, you may slice it in half horizontally for more even cooking; keep the chicken divided among four portions.
- Combine the packed light brown sugar and dry Italian dressing mix in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until the seasoning is evenly distributed and there are no large sugar clumps.
- Tear off four large sheets of heavy-duty foil. Lay them shiny side up on the counter, leaving enough foil around each portion to fold and seal securely.
- Divide the chicken among the four foil sheets. Spoon the brown sugar mixture evenly over the portions, pressing it lightly onto the tops and letting some fall around the sides. For the optional butter version, place one pat of unsalted butter on each portion before sealing.
- Bring the long sides of each foil sheet together over the chicken and fold them down. Roll and crimp the ends to close each packet securely, keeping the seams at the top.
- Arrange the packets in the slow cooker in a single layer as much as possible, overlapping slightly only if needed. They should fit without being crushed, and the lid must close properly.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and a food thermometer reads at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of each portion. Thickness and cooker performance affect timing, so check the temperature rather than relying on the clock alone.
- Turn off the cooker and let the packets rest inside for about 5 minutes. Lift them onto plates with tongs, supporting the bottoms. Open them away from your face to release the hot steam, then spoon the juices over the chicken before serving.
- Let the insert cool before removing the foil lining and used packets. Wash the insert according to the manufacturer’s directions before putting it away, even if the foil caught most of the juices.
The Thermometer Matters More Than the Color
Check each portion in its thickest center. The brown sugar coating can make the surface look done before you know what is happening inside, and foil doesn’t prevent chicken breasts from drying out if they cook too long. This method cooks the meat in a moist packet; it does not include a separate stovetop searing step.
Keep raw chicken refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the packets, and wash hands, boards and utensils after they touch raw poultry. The 165°F temperature follows USDA guidance for chicken.
Prep Ahead and Keep the Leftovers
You can assemble the packets the night before, place them on a tray in the refrigerator, and transfer them to the slow cooker when you’re ready to cook. Keep them refrigerated until then. Follow your appliance’s handling instructions rather than moving a refrigerator-cold stoneware insert straight onto a hot base.
After dinner, transfer the chicken and juices to shallow, covered containers. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F, and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet, microwave or oven until the chicken reaches 165°F throughout. Don’t use the slow cooker to reheat chilled leftovers. See USDA storage guidance and safe reheating advice.
Before You Fold the Foil
Can I use chicken thighs?
You can use the same weight of boneless skinless chicken thighs. Divide them among the four packets and use the cooking range as a guide, checking that each portion reaches at least 165°F. The number of thighs per packet depends on their size.
Can I turn the chicken into sandwiches?
Yes. After cooking and resting, shred the chicken with two forks and spoon some of the packet juices through it. Serve on toasted buns with coleslaw.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken Packets Recipe
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Italian Chicken Packets
Ingredients
Method
- Line the slow cooker insert with a single layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side up, to catch drips. Follow your model’s instructions for foil, minimum fill and liquid requirements.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and trim excess fat. If a breast is especially thick, you may slice it in half horizontally for more even cooking; keep the chicken divided among four portions.
- Combine the packed light brown sugar and dry Italian dressing mix in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until the seasoning is evenly distributed and there are no large sugar clumps.
- Tear off four large sheets of heavy-duty foil. Lay them shiny side up on the counter, leaving enough foil around each portion to fold and seal securely.
- Divide the chicken among the four foil sheets. Spoon the brown sugar mixture evenly over the portions, pressing it lightly onto the tops and letting some fall around the sides. For the optional butter version, place one pat of unsalted butter on each portion before sealing.
- Bring the long sides of each foil sheet together over the chicken and fold them down. Roll and crimp the ends to close each packet securely, keeping the seams at the top.
- Arrange the packets in the slow cooker in a single layer as much as possible, overlapping slightly only if needed. They should fit without being crushed, and the lid must close properly.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and a food thermometer reads at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of each portion. Thickness and cooker performance affect timing, so check the temperature rather than relying on the clock alone.
- Turn off the cooker and let the packets rest inside for about 5 minutes. Lift them onto plates with tongs, supporting the bottoms. Open them away from your face to release the hot steam, then spoon the juices over the chicken before serving.
- Let the insert cool before removing the foil lining and used packets. Wash the insert according to the manufacturer’s directions before putting it away, even if the foil caught most of the juices.
