chicken drumsticks + slow cooker = ???

May 1, 2015 7:36 AM

I am looking for the best recipe that requires both chicken drumsticks and a slow cooker.

I impulse bought 12 chicken drumsticks and I like using the slow cooker. These are basically the only requirements! Looking for a wide variety of options here, I would like to branch out from my usual recipe sources and try something different. I live in a major American city and can probably get most any ingredients.

Super mega extra double bonus points if it's a recipe you have personally made (or eaten).

posted by everybody had matching towels to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

Best answer: I've made these Maple Dijon Drumsticks before, and they're totally fabulous. Just note that often, the bones pull completely out of the meat when you're done slow-cooking because everything is so tender.
posted by xingcat at 7:40 AM on May 1, 2015 [7 favorites]

This may be plain, but I like them with salt, pepper, and a ton of butter. Nothing else is needed, but sometimes I add onion. In four hours, the chicken is falling off of the bone and swimming in delicious shmaltz. Strain and save the shmaltz! The shmaltz is useful in so many ways and utterly delicious. The chicken is flavorful and so tender. Boil the bones and any uneaten skin for stock. You get delicious chicken, shmaltz for frying, and stock for soup. This is the recipe that keeps on giving.
posted by domo at 7:58 AM on May 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

I do something very similar to domo, but I add lots of oregano, a few smashed garlic cloves and some garlic salt. Then chicken stock and let them cook into deliciousness.
posted by guster4lovers at 8:04 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There's a recipe for slow cooker chicken wings in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker that I've done several times. It's delicious.

The recipe isn't online, but...
This recipe has a sauce which is apricot, lime, soy and garlic which is essentially the same. Make the sauce.

Brown the legs in a frying pan, put in the slow cooker, add sauce, cook on high for 1.5 hours (?).

Remove chicken to a plate, sauce into a, well, saucepan and reduce 50%, pour over the top.
posted by plinth at 9:24 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I find that many pressure cooker brasises work well in a slow cooker (for a longer time of course). Kenji Lopez-Alt has been posting some great chicken stew pressure cooker dishes lately on Serious Eats. I made these chicken enchiladas and they were great.
posted by rossination at 9:34 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Chicken legs, canned tomatoes (crushed or diced), some red wine, garlic, and mirepoix (carrots, onion, celery). Spices as desired (salt, pepper, thyme, oregano). Result is something like osso buco but without the veal and the effort. Serve over risotto or (for less effort) orzo.
posted by devinemissk at 11:18 AM on May 1, 2015

Most chicken braising / slow-cooking recipes that I've seen list chicken thighs rather than drumsticks, so I would use that for your searches and then substitute. I think you'll find a lot more that way. I know I've seen Cooks Illustrated / Americas Test Kitchen use chicken thighs for this all the time.
posted by madmethods at 11:54 AM on May 1, 2015

1. Put chicken in cooker
2. Cut up 1 onion, dump into cooker
3. Toss in some garlic
4. Top with good pasta sauce
5. Let cook on low for 8 hours
6. Make pasta then toss that in the pot too
7. Serve and enjoy!
posted by gideonswann at 1:22 PM on May 1, 2015

Chicken confit.

Pat meat as dry as possible. Arrange in slow cooker vessel. Top with thyme sprigs. Cover all with whatever fat or oil you have on hand, anything from rendered duck fat to olive oil. Cook on low for 12 hours or overnight.

Let cool. Remove from fat; I use a large slotted spoon. Debone.

Keeps for a few weeks if refrigerated in jar, covered with oil. Many, many finishing and plating variations; the same as for duck-breast confit, really.

It's not as greasy as it sounds.
posted by wonton endangerment at 2:47 PM on May 1, 2015

Easy- get a jar of, or make your favorite marinara sauce, and plop in the chicken legs. You can sear them first if you want for extra flavor. Serve over spaghetti. Or, add a jar of salsa and serve with tortillas and trimmings. Teriyaki? barbecue? you guessed it.
posted by halhurst at 6:34 PM on May 1, 2015

Best answer: Crockpots are magical. I've got two of the vintage ones from the 70's and they are both superb. I normally start whatever recipe on high for the first hour and then drop it down to low for the duration. I had no idea how easy it was to make great pulled pork and boneless beef roast. I've got Chicken White Chili finishing as I type this.

I don't get the bonus points for having tried this recipe (yet), but I do have the Slow Cooker Revolution and the CrockPot slow cooker recipes (over 650 recipes between them... should keep me busy for a while). This recipe sounds delicious to me.

Indian-Style Curried Drumsticks
12 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (about 3 lbs total)
1 cinnamon stick
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion diced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground pepper
8 medium red potatoes (about 1-3/4 lbs total)
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas

1. Place drumsticks and cinnamon stick in slow cooker

2. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir until softened. Add tomato paste, cumin, ginger, garlic, salt, tumeric, coriander, and black pepper, cook & stir 2 minutes. Add onion mixture to slow cooker.

3. Add potatoes and broth to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours or until chicken is almost falling off the bone.

4. Remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon. Stir in peas. Cover & cook on LOW 5 minutes to warm peas. Serve warm.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: To skin chicken easily, grasp skin with paper towel and pull away. Repeat with fresh paper towel for each piece of chicken, discarding skins and towels.
posted by spock at 6:51 PM on May 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

doro wat is a beautiful recipe to make in a slow cooker.
posted by freyley at 10:34 PM on May 2, 2015

Response by poster: These are ALL GREAT! We made the maple dijon ones, I'm having left overs for lunch right now. Mmmm.

Marked a handful of best answers, looking forward to impulse-buying chicken drumsticks again.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 10:29 AM on May 5, 2015

Best answer: An oldie but a goodie, how about Coq Au Vin?
posted by bgal81 at 11:33 AM on May 5, 2015