Slow Cooker Tropical BBQ Chicken

A new slow cooker recipe I tried out last night.  It comes from Taste of Home.


Slow Cooker Tropical BBQ Chicken


Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
4 tsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup water


Directions:
Place chicken in a 4-6 qt. slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, oil, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder; pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180°.


Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer 2 cups to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken.


Makes 4 servings.

This was pretty good.  I buy chicken drumsticks when they go on sale for less than a dollar a pound and stock up.  I remove all the skin and freeze the drumsticks individually so that when I am ready to use them, I can choose however many I need.  They make for really easy and cheap meals.

I really didn't change this recipe too much.  It called for leg quarters instead of drumsticks. I think you can use any cut of chicken you like.  Just keep in mind that if you are using boneless, that it won't take as long to cook.  I reduced the vinegar by one tablespoon and the garlic powder used to be garlic salt, but I don't keep that on hand.

The chicken was done before my sides were, so I did the step where you take the chicken out and thicken the sauce, and then I put the chicken and the thickened sauce back into the slow cooker while the sides finished cooking.  So the chicken was nice and coated in the sauce by the time I served it.

While it looks like a really long list of ingredients, it comes together very quickly and is perfect for a busy weeknight.  I served it with Ginger Scallion Rice and Asian-Style Zucchini.