Ingredients
- 1lb green beansfresh or frozen
- 1/2cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1package McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon marinade
Materials
To Freeze and Cook Later
- Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
- Add all ingredients to your freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze.
To Cook
- Thaw freezer bag overnight in refrigerator or in water in the morning.
- Pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot.
- Cook on "low" setting for 4 hours in a 6-quart crockpot or 8 hours in a 4-quart crockpot.
*Freeze green beans separately and add last 30 minutes of cooking if you prefer al dente vegetables.
This looks yummy but I’m trying to avoid store-bought spice packets. Can you suggest a recipe for a homemade version of the McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon marinade packet? Perhaps a few tablespoons of real bourbon plus some brown sugar and other spices? Thanks.
did you happen to try this? because i really want to make this but don’t have that packet…but of course have some bourbon haha
I found the ingredients for the marinade mix online, hope it’s useful as a starting point.
Ingredients :
‘SEA SALT, BROWN SUGAR, EVAPORATED CANE SYRUP, SPICES (INCLUDING RED PEPPER), MOLASSES (REFINERY SYRUP, CANE MOLASSES, CARAMEL COLOR), GARLIC, ONION, RED BELL PEPPER, NATURAL FLAVOR (INCLUDING MALTED BARLEY WHISKEY EXTRACT), SUNFLOWER OIL, AND EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA.’
Here’s what I came up with, but feel free to ignore/change it to suit your tastes. I’m just riffing.
DIY GRILLMATES BROWN SUGAR BOURBON MARINADE MIX
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Smoked salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp Diced red bell pepper
1 oz (2 Tbsp) Bourbon
Thanks you for sharing 🤗‼️
Thank you for this!
This was amazing! I baked at 375 for 1 hour because on that particular day, that worked best for us! I’ll probably add two bags of frozen green beans. They were delicious!
Great idea!
Did you thaw it first?
Could I sub pork chops ? If so would it be the same cooking time
Yep.
When you use Grill Mates marinade, do you use the dry ingredients only, or do you mix it with the water and oil like the directions say and then add it to the crockpot?
Only the dry ingredients!
This looks really dry. It won’t burn in the crock pot?
The chicken releases plenty of juice as it cooks. I usually add about a tablespoon of water to the freezer bag to help get the seasonings out that were stuck to thebag and then I pour it into the crock pot just to start but as it thaws and cooks, the chicken always releases plenty of juice.
I would be interested in a home made version of the packet also. I’m trying to stay away from prepackaged items. Thank you!
Here’s what I came up with based on the packet ingredients list, but feel free to ignore/change it to suit your tastes. I’m just riffing.
DIY GRILLMATES BROWN SUGAR BOURBON MARINADE MIX
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Smoked salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp Diced red bell pepper
1 oz (2 Tbsp) Bourbon
I’d love to hear how this turned out! Thank you!!
If I use fresh green beans (that haven’t been frozen) will they be limp and soggy if I let them cook the entire time in the crockpot? I like them crisp and firm.
Yes, the green beans will get over done. Add them at the end, for the last 20-30 min or so, for a fresher bean taste and texture.
Oops… I just started mine with the fresh green beans on my lunch break… hopefully it will still be good. Fingers crossed.
So Kelly, what would you use instead of store bought dry spice thing?
I couldn’t get this into my (manual) slow-cooker at the right time so I made it in the Instant Pot, adding 1 cup chicken broth for steam and then thickening with cornstarch after removing the beans and chicken. It cooked for 6 minutes on high pressure. I think it would have been a lot easier to use the slow-cooker, but the chicken was very moist and everyone liked it! The beans were a good texture too, in my opinion.
Great! Thanks for sharing!
How do you change serving size
Add the recipe to your shopping list. You can edit the menu there.
Hi Kelly, I have added the recipe to my shopping list. Have tried to edit to 2 and keep getting for 6 or 8 servings. How can I get the serving for 2.
Do I have to use vinegar or is there something else I can use?
I would do something acidic. You could probably use some kind of citrus juice in its place – lemon, orange, or lime.
I tried this recipe and it was so good! This will be one of my favorites!
This is in the crockpot now and smells sooooo good!!! *mouth watering*
Are there instant pot instructions for this one?
We didn’t love this one. Not much flavor.
I substituted a pork roast for the chicken…it was fantastic!
Great idea!
The entire family loved this one, including the picky six year old!
Yessssss
DUMB NEWBIE question – sorry I never used a crockpot before – if I happen to have fresh chicken from the store not frozen, can I still use those breasts or do I need to adjust the cooking time? Or am I better off freezing them and starting from zero?
It will all come out of the freezer frozen. Then you should defrost everything, at least a bit. Fresh or frozen chicken should work the same
The flavor was really good, but it was kind of “dry”. I wish there was some kind of sauce. I ended up dumping a can of cream of chicken soup on top of it to make up for the lack of a sauce.
Question: I don’t have the Grillmates packet but have the jar of it. Can you tell me how much to use? What’s the size of the packets?
I just added the packet to my shopping list. It is 1.25 oz.
Made this tonight and my very picky eaters went back for seconds and thirds. Big hit! Definitely making it into regular rotation.
Any IP instructions for this? Even setting an alarm to start cooking it in the slow cooker didn’t make it happen today. 😂
Not sure if I did something wrong or not, but it turned out very oily/greasy.
Did anyone else have this problem?
My son liked it though, 🙂
Made this last night. It is a favorite now. I am adding this one to my meal rotation. Thank you Kelly for all you do.
I couldn’t find the Grill Mates Packet, but found it in a shaker jar where the spices are. Could this be used or do I need to make the marinade? Or just put it in for seasoning? I think I will add some chicken broth also. Just to make sure it isn’t dry. I would be very disappointed if I spent all this money and time and it turn out dry. Thanks for any suggestion.
Hi! The packet is 1.25 oz of dry mix, so if you have a scale I would measure that out from the bottle. You shouldn’t need chicken broth added as this is accounted for with the oil. So you really do have the same product, just in bulk 🙂
We absolutely LOVE this recipe!! I added about a quarter cup more apple cider vinegar and about half a cup of balsamic vinegar for a flavor boost and also to help keep the beans from burning in the early stages of cooking. It came out fantastic! We will definately be making this again.
Hi! We made this exactly as written but it was entirely too salty for us because of the Grill Mates packet. I would definitely make this again but will try the DIY spice suggestions! Otherwise great taste! Thanks!!
I made this fresh in the crockpot and instead of green beans, added a peeled, cubed sweet potato. It was delicious and will definitely make again. So easy