Drop a whole bone-in chicken thigh pack into the slow cooker with 4 other ingredients and get a supper so good your mother-in-law won’t believe it cost under $10

Directions

1. Open the family pack of chicken thighs and place them skin-side up in the slow cooker insert, overlapping slightly if needed to fit them all in an even layer.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the dry onion soup mix, barbecue sauce, apricot preserves, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and well combined.

3. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken thighs, making sure the tops are well coated.

4. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and very tender.

5. Carefully transfer the chicken to plates or a serving platter and spoon the sauce from the slow cooker over the top before serving.

Variations & Tips

Make it extra savory: If you like a less sweet sauce, use a smoky or original barbecue sauce instead of a honey-style one. That small switch gives the finished dish a deeper, more savory flavor.

Skin texture tip: The slow cooker won’t crisp the skin, so I treat this recipe as a saucy, comfort-food kind of dinner. If you want better color, you can broil the cooked thighs on a sheet pan for 2 to 3 minutes after slow cooking, then spoon the sauce over them.

Easy meal prep: This is a great make-ahead option for busy weeks. You can mix the sauce the night before and keep it in the fridge, then dump everything into the slow cooker in the morning.

Use the sauce well: The cooking juices are delicious over starches, so I almost always plan mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles with this recipe. If you want a slightly thicker sauce, simmer it in a saucepan for a few minutes after the chicken is done.

Try a lighter fruit note: Peach preserves can work in place of apricot preserves if that’s what you have in the pantry. The flavor changes a little, but the sweet-savory balance still works really well with chicken thighs.