Make a Crock-Pot Chicken Dish Your Family Will Love
When you're a busy mom, the best recipe for dinner is the one your kids will actually eat. Chicken legs – which contain both the thigh and the drumstick – let your kids have a little fun at the dinner table because they can pick up the chicken and eat it with their hands. This Crock-Pot recipe includes just enough herbs and spices to keep the chicken full of flavor and interesting for the adults, but not so much that the kids will reject the chicken for being too unfamiliar or spicy.
If you can't find whole intact chicken legs at the grocery store, or another cut of chicken is on sale, this recipe works just as well with just bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks (or a mix) on their own. The cooking time will remain the same.
Total Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken legs
- 10 garlic cloves, skins left on
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Use a 5- to 6-quart Crock-Pot, and place the garlic cloves in the pot.
- In a medium bowl, combine the rosemary, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Pour the olive oil into a separate medium-sized bowl.
- Brush the chicken legs with olive oil using a basting brush. Then dip the chicken into the spice bowl, rolling it until it's coated.
- Place the chicken legs in the Crock-Pot with the garlic. Add the chicken broth.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
Tip
- Resist the urge to lift the lid of the Crock-Pot to see how it's cooking. Each time you open the pot, the heat escapes and slows down the cooking process.
- If you have a little extra time and you want a richer flavor to develop, brown the chicken legs before adding them to the Crock-Pot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Once heated, add the chicken legs and let them cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side, just until the skin has a little color. After you take the chicken out, deglaze the pan with about 1/2 cup of white wine, water or chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, and add them to the Crock-Pot.
References
Writer Bio
Kelsey Casselbury has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Penn State-University Park. She has a long career in print and web media, including serving as a managing editor for a monthly nutrition magazine and food editor for a Maryland lifestyle publication. She also owns an Etsy shop selling custom invitations and prints.