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2 chicken drumsticks, plated with brown rice.

Chinese 5 Spice Soy Sauce Chicken Drumsticks in a Slow Cooker Recipe

Chinese five spice soy sauce chicken drumsticks made in a slow cooker will save you so much time because it just takes a few minutes to prep and then you let the slow cooker do its thing. All you need to round out your meal is rice and a simple side dish of vegetables for a complete meal.

Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword 5 spice soy sauce chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 275 kcal
Author Sharon Wong @ Nut Free Wok

Ingredients

  • 3-4 stalks scallions
  • 1 1-inch ginger approximately thumb sized
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 piece Chinese brown slab sugar pian tang or peen tong or substitute 1 packed tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice blend Spicely
  • 12 chicken drumsticks 2-3 trays (maximum 2 layers of chicken)
  • 1 cup soy sauce Kikkoman or San-J
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  1. Wash and trim scallions, tear in half, add to slow cooker.

  2. Wash, scrape off the ginger's outer layer and slice, add to slow cooker.
  3. Add garlic, brown sugar, and Chinese 5 Spice powder.

  4. Arrange chicken drumsticks in 1-2 layers and add soy sauce and water.
  5. Cook on High for 4 hours for tender, fall off the bone chicken. If you are in a hurry, the chicken is cooked and safe to eat after 2.5 hours but it won't be as soft and tender.

  6. Depending on the size and shape of your slow cooker, the top layer of chicken might not braise in the sauce, so you can either serve the bottom pieces first OR rearrange the drumsticks about halfway through the cooking time.

Recipe Notes

Alternatively, you can cook this dish in a pot. Assemble in the same order, bring chicken to a boil and simmer for in a large covered pot for 30 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Calorie amount is an estimate and based on not eating the skin.