Brown Sugar Crockpot Chicken

I offered to take dinner in to a friend with a new baby, not realizing I have zero ability to cook gluten-free, which they need. Evidently the crockpot lady cooks gluten-free, so I looked around her website and found an easy one that just might get eaten by my friend's picky 2-yr-old. Here it is:

Brown Sugar Crockpot Chicken

*12 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 6 breast halves (this is about 1.5 pounds)
*1 c. brown sugar
*1/4 c. lemon-lime soda
*2/3 c. vinegar
*3 cloves chopped garlic
*2 TBSP. soy sauce
*1 tsp. black pepper

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot. Put chicken in and pour other ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-9 hours or high 4-5 hours. Serve with rice and spoon the sauce over the top.
My husband literally ate every last drop of this and requested it be put on the repeat recipe list. In case you were wondering, it did pass the picky-2-yr-old test, she evidently asked for more! The meat was super tender, but the tops (exposed part) were a bit dry. I used a 4 qt. pot and only cooked 1 lb. of chicken in ours, so I'll use my 2.5 qt. pot next time. Also, if you have the time I'd probably open the pot with an hour or so left and 'baste' the chicken a bit. We decided you could get just about anyone to eat just about any veggie when cooked in that sauce, so double it, throw in some baby carrots or peas (in pods) or bell peppers or broccoli. The original author also suggested using cornstarch to thicken the sauce, but we liked it thin.