Slow-Cooker Honey-Orange Chicken Drumsticks

Rating: 4.3 stars
23 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 9
  • 4 star values: 12
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

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.

Carolyn Malcoun
Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2014

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Recipe Summary

total:
2 hrs
Servings:
6
Nutrition Profile:
Low-Calorie
Dairy-Free
Gluten-Free
Healthy Aging
Healthy Immunity
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Combine honey, orange zest, orange juice, soy sauce (or tamari), garlic, ginger, vinegar and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.

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  • 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 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat without touching bone, 2 to 3 hours on High or 4 hours on Low.

  • 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.

Tips

Equipment: 5- to 6-quart slow cooker

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.

For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.

People with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity should use soy sauces that are labeled "gluten-free," as soy sauce may contain wheat or other gluten-containing sweeteners and flavors.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 2 drumsticks
Per Serving:
252 calories; protein 28.8g 58% DV; carbohydrates 17.7g 6% DV; dietary fiber 0.4g 2% DV; sugars 15.7g; fat 7.1g 11% DV; saturated fat 1.8g 9% DV; cholesterol 150.1mg 50% DV; vitamin a iu 91.3IU 2% DV; vitamin c 4.3mg 7% DV; folate 8.2mcg 2% DV; calcium 29.9mg 3% DV; iron 1.8mg 10% DV; magnesium 33.9mg 12% DV; potassium 351.6mg 10% DV; sodium 416mg 17% DV; thiamin 0.1mg 13% DV; added sugar 15g.
Exchanges:

1 other carbohydrate, 6 lean meat

Reviews (23)

Read More Reviews
23 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 9
  • 4 star values: 12
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
09/27/2015
Excellent and easy Made this tonight...easy and so tasty. I put 3 drumsticks and 2 breasts in pot because my husband is a little fussy. He loved it! Such great flavor! I definitely will make again. Pros: Easy to make and so flavorful Cons: None Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
01/13/2015
Awesome So So So good. My fiance was impressed. VERY hard to believe this is healthy. Absolutely great:) Pros: Comes out fantastic. Restaurant Quality! Cons: Takes awhile to make the sauce and prep Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
12/03/2014
would this work if you don't have a slow-cooker? Read More
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rlocati1@comcast.net
Rating: 5 stars
01/25/2017
I make this frequently and it is one of my favorite recipes. I usually use less honey I have a good dark honey and it doesn't take as much to impart wonderful flavor. I have olive and vinegars that are orange infused and often use them in this too. Favorite and easy to do after you take the skin off the drumsticks. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 3 stars
09/30/2015
This was a tasty recipe but was lacking in seasoning. The soy sauce was not sufficient. I added extra salt so that the flavors would surely shine. Read More
MaryAnn Morsette
Rating: 5 stars
03/27/2017
Great recipe! I increased the orange juice and soy sauce to bulk up the sauce and made this in my Instant Pot with 1 cup water (15 minutes on Manual for frozen chicken legs 10 minutes for fresh). Very delicious I did reduce the sauce down because of the extra water needed to pressure cook and then thickened with a cornstarch slurry. I served over Jasmine rice with sesame seeds and sliced green onions and it was a hit. Another time I will serve it over coconut rice. This is also great to freeze remove the chicken skin and mix the sauce up add to a couple gallon sized ziplock bags (arrange legs in a single layer) and freeze. Worked perfectly to divide the batch into 2 meals for my small household and cooked wonderfully from fozen in my Instant Pot. Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
01/08/2015
slow coker honey orange chicken drumbsticks Loved the sauce on the drumsticks. Easy to do Pros: easy to do and so good Cons: NULL Read More
Yum - Rocky Mtn
Rating: 5 stars
11/13/2017
Loved it! Simple simple simple & delicious! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 3 stars
10/25/2015
Easy and Decent The picture looks more like roasted or deep-fried Asian chicken drumsticks. That's not what my final result was. Chicken was decent tender delicately flavored but not in the bowl you over kind of way. Wonder if cornstarch in the sauce would have made it thicker without reducing the amount of sauce which was very tasty. Pros: Easy quite tasty sauce tender chicken Cons: Sauce not thick enough copious enough Read More
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