Crock-Pot Sweet Chili Chicken Drumsticks

Everyone loves a great Crock-Pot or slow cooker recipe, and if it’s cheap and easy, that’s even better! I’ve made these Crock-Pot sweet chili chicken drumsticks several times in the last few weeks, and they’ve been a hit with our family. This recipe is one of my “Costco hacks,” because the main ingredients are a bargain at Costco.

I think of chicken drumsticks as being a lot like chicken wings, because you can flavor them almost any way you want, and serve them with a yummy dipping sauce. I always say “drumsticks are the new wings.” Drumsticks are a lot cheaper, though. At Costco I bought enough drumsticks to make 3 meals for about 10 dollars.

You can buy sweet chili sauce at Costco or most grocery stores, or it’s easy to make your own sweet chili sauce. If you make your own, you can control the amount of heat by deciding how many pepper seeds to use.

This recipe is adapted from The Asian Slow Cooker: Exotic Favorites for Your Crockpot, a terrific recipe book by Kelly Kwok. The one tricky thing about this recipe is that you have to leave time for the chicken to marinate. My strategy is to mix up the marinade and pour it on the chicken while I’m making dinner the night before. The chicken can marinate in the refrigerator overnight, and you can put it in the Crock-Pot the next day.

Sweet Chili Chicken Drumsticks Marinated

After the chicken has marinated for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, remove the drumsticks from the marinade. Usually by this time the chicken skin is out of place, so stretch the skin back out to neatly cover the meat. It’s like a sock that’s fallen down and needs to be pulled back up. Place the drumsticks in the Crock-Pot skin side up. It’s okay to stack them if necessary.

Cook the drumsticks in the Crock-Pot on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. I like to use a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easier. While the drumsticks are cooking, you can make the dipping sauce.

Once the drumsticks are thoroughly cooked, (to an internal temperature of 180 degrees), it’s time to put them under the broiler to brown them and make the skin crispy. The Crock-Pot is wonderful for making meat tender, but it’s not much for browning. Broil the drumsticks for 2-5 minutes or until they are almost beginning to char.

Brush the browned drumsticks with a little more sweet chili sauce, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped cilantro. I bought a big container of already toasted sesame seeds at Costco, and I keep them in the freezer so they stay fresh. The sesame seeds and cilantro are mostly to make the chicken look nice, but I think it’s worth it. When food looks pretty, my family seems to enjoy it more!

Sweet Chili Chicken Drumsticks

Serve the Crock-Pot sweet chili chicken drumsticks with the dipping sauce. I would serve these drumsticks with cooked rice, plus stir-fried snow peas and carrots. Because they’re small and have their own built-in handle, these drumsticks would also make a great addition to a party or game day buffet.

Slow Cooker Thai Sweet Chili Chicken

Marsha Maxwell

Chicken drumsticks cook up tender and flavorful in the slow cooker, with a Thai-inspired sweet chili marinade and a tangy chili-lime dipping sauce.

4.41 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Chicken

Cuisine Thai

Servings 8 drumsticks

Calories 101 kcal

Equipment

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs

Bastig Brush - Grilling BBQ Baking, Pastry, and Oil Stainless Steel Brushes

Kitchen Knives

OXO 11155800 Good Grips Small Citrus Juicer with Built-In Measuring Cup and Strainer,Yellow

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the drumsticks:

• 8-10 chicken drumsticks
• ½ cup Thai sweet chili sauce store-bought or homemade
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce optional
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons hot chili oil or chili paste optional
• Additional sweet chili sauce for brushing on drumsticks
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

For the dipping sauce:

• ½ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• ¾ teaspoon crushed garlic optional
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil or chili paste optional

Instructions

 

• Rinse the drumsticks and dry on paper towels. Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, grated ginger and hot chili oil in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup.
• Place the chicken drumsticks in a large plastic bag and pour on the marinade. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Remove the drumsticks from the marinade, and stretch the chicken skin to cover the meat. Place drumsticks skin-side up in the crock pot, and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours
• Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by whisking together all the ingredients. Set aside.
• When the drumsticks are cooked, preheat broiler. Remove drumsticks from crock pot and place skin side up on broiler pan. Broil until browned. This will take 2-5 minutes depending on heat.
• Brush the drumsticks with a little additional sweet chili sauce, so the garnishes will adhere to the chicken. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Serve the drumsticks with dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1drumstick with 1 tablespoon sauceCalories: 101kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 13gFat: 7g

Keyword Crock-Pot sweet chili chicken, sweet chili chicken

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