Recipe: Slow-Cooker Honey-Orange Chicken Drumsticks

Yield: 6 servings

Servings: 6

Serving Size: 2 drumsticks

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 2-3 hrs on High or 4 hrs on Low

Total Time (mins): 120

Equipment: 5- to 6-quart slow cooker

Recipe Description:

This slow-cooker chicken recipe makes a perfect alternative to standard tomato-based barbecued chicken. Both kids and adults will devour these drumsticks, doused in a honey-sweetened sauce spiked with orange, ginger and garlic.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 12 medium chicken drumsticks (3-3 1/2 pounds), skin removed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Recipe Steps:

1. Combine honey, orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce (or tamari), garlic, ginger, vinegar and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.
2. Coat a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add drumsticks, pour in the sauce and mix to coat. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat without touching bone, 2 to 3 hours on High or 4 hours on Low.
3. Transfer the drumsticks to a bowl. Very carefully pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce over the drumsticks and stir to coat. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

• To remove the skin from chicken drumsticks, grip the skin from the meaty end of the drumstick with a paper towel and pull down toward the exposed bone until it comes off completely.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 245 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 150 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 15 g added sugars; 16 g total sugars; 28 g protein; 0 g fiber; 404 mg sodium; 362 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (33% daily value), Potassium (16% dv)

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. EatingWell cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.

Copyright:

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.