2 Slow-Cooker Meals Sure to Make You Feel Downright Cozy

Oftentimes, cozy recipes require hours of forethought, prep, and stirring (really, why is there always so much stirring?). But submissions to our latest recipe contest proved that to not always be the case.

Of all the recipes we tasted, these two consistently delivered maximal coziness (with minimal stirring). Both homey, quintessential dishes updated for the modern cook, neither recipe loses out on flavor, complexity, nor texture, in spite of the nontraditional approach. Both not only tolerate the low-and-slow, hands-off method, but are made all the better for it.

The finalists are...

1. The Perfect Instant Pot Soy Chicken

In this one-pot-wonder of a recipe, the aromatics are fried, bird is braised, and sauce is reduced all in the insert of the cooker.

The Perfect Instant Pot Soy Chicken

2. Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

Recipe testers and tasters were impressed with how tender the chicken and potatoes got without being too soft, and how warming and complex the sauce tasted despite the recipe's large yield.

Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

Do join us in giving both finalists a virtual round of applause in the comments below!