Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Finger Lickin' Good, Sticky Slow Cooker Drumsticks


This recipe is sooo good and incredibly easy!  Spicy, sweet and sticky chicken legs that have been slow cooking for hours for fall of the bone, tender goodness that basically just melt in your mouth!  This is truly a dish that the whole family will enjoy eating together.  I made this during a very hot spell we had last week whenever I wanted a grilled chicken taste without having to go outside in the heat and sit by a hot grill.    

You may ask, what's the crumpled foil for?  Well, it keeps the drumsticks more crispy and "dry-rubbed", rather than the usual braised crock pot meat.  (I love braised, but maybe not for this recipe.)  I heard about this trick, and I decided to try it here for the first time.  It worked out great!  They had more of the look and taste of bbq or smoked chicken legs.  I made these with some baby potatoes that I also put in the crock pot and delicious molasses baked beans--my mouth is watering as I speak--they are that good!


For an easy family meal, please try these finger lickin' good, crock pot drumsticks and don't forget to wash it down with some fresh lemonade or sweet tea! 


Sticky Slow Cooker Drumsticks

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. thyme leaves

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 lbs. chicken drumsticks, skinned if desired
(I skinned mine)

1/2 water

1/2 c. chicken broth or stock
(Or use can just use water if you don't have this on hand.)

foil for crumpling up in crockpot


Mix the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.


Rub into the chicken legs.


Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.  When hot, place the chicken in the skillet to sear on all sides, for a crispy crust.   You don't want to cook it through, just brown the meat.


Place the foil in the bottom of your crock pot.  Pour the water and chicken broth (or like I said, just water if that's all you have) in the bottom of the crock pot, underneath the foil.  This will allow more steam to come up and keep the chicken moist.

Place the chicken legs on the foil.


Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until very tender.
 (Mine were just right after about about 7.)


Serve with additional bbq sauce if you like.
Eat and enjoy!


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13 comments:

  1. I gotta try this! I love crock pot recipes. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  2. This does look delish, and easy. Thanks for sharing..... I over from Kim's WOW party.

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  3. This looks scrumptious! Absolutely will have to try this one-love those crockpot receipes.

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  4. I loved these drumsticks leslie! The photographs look perfect and the chicken looks tempting! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
    http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

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  5. Hi Leslie! Thank you SO much for your incredibly sweet comment on my blog! That means so much to me! These look absolutely amazing and I am pinning them right now! And that pic of the key lime pie is tempting me too! Definitely a new follower, love the look of your blog! I'm so glad you found me, so I can go poking through your blog now!

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  6. You are making me look good! I have made these twice now for the family I nanny for and they think I am awesome. These even moved the 4 yr old over his hang up of not eating food with brown marks(from cooking). Thanks!

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  7. Made this today.. the chicken meat turned out so good and juicy, i personally didn't like the spices used here (just my personal taste) but i should've have really paid attention to the time because with my crock pot it didn't take but about 5 hours to cook on high... Usually mine is really slow to cook. But I will be using this method from now on when cooking chicken legs... thanks for posting it! Tierra Fletcher

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  8. Hi Tierra,
    I'm so glad you tried this recipe. Yes, the meat is usually fall off the bone tender and juicy! I can understand if you wanted to change the spice rub to suite your taste, because I do that to a lot of recipes.
    I've recently bought another (new) and smaller crock pot that I made these in and it only took 5-6 hours on low. I find the new models tend to get hotter and cook faster. I need to make a note of this in the blog post.
    I hope you try other recipes here, too!!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  9. I tried this recipe this evening, I was a little unsure as everyone in the comments think it is a good recipe but no one directly said they tried it, except Tierra.

    I had my crock pot on low for 7 hours and the meat fell off the bone, literally!The recipe is great, I loved it and will make it again. I did add double the garlic though and I put 1 tsp of onion flakes instead of onion powder (My husband hates onions! ='(, he is such a picky eater)

    Thanks for the recipe I will def. make it again!

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  10. Yay Natasha, I'm so glad you gave a try and loved it so much! It's super tender isn't it?! Thanks for taking time to comment and let me know your change too... Extra Garlic sounds great! Come back again soon.
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  11. Sorry how much water did you add? Only a half cup?

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  12. Hi Cassandra! I know it doesn't seem like much, but only about 1/2 cup or enough for there to be about 1 inch of liquid on the bottom under the foil. The meat never really touches this, but it creates the steam that helps the slow cooking process and keeps the chicken moist. I hope this helps and you like the recipe the way we do!
    Blessings

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  13. Hi! I looks delicious! Can it be made with chicken bottoms?

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Thank you for sweetening my day with your cozy comments!