Jun 18, 2012

Jerk spiced chicken


I must declare my love for the ever enduring slow cooker!  Apart from some browning of meat (which I've been known to forgo many a time), you simply throw your ingredients in, whack it on and leave it alone for hours to simmer away ever so slowly.  In fact, even lifting the lid to give said dish a stir is not recommended as this breaks the seal of the lid and cooking time needs to be increased.

I knew that anything requiring such little effort, that could produce such succulent and delicious results after a bit of neglect would be a staple in my kitchen.  And indeed the slow cooker comes out at The Shady Pine as soon as the cold weather announces itself.



I've had fun experimenting with slow cooker recipes for a while now.  However this recipe for Jerk spiced chicken drumsticks in a newly purchased slow cooker book won me over initially because of the name.  It continued to win me over because even though there is a long list of ingredients, everything except the chicken , is whizzed up into a paste in the processor so there is no lengthy prep.

You simply pour the paste over the chicken and let it cook away.  Ultimately, what really won me over was the fantastic taste.  The flavour from the paste is perfectly balanced.  The initial recipe called for 2 chillies, hower after tasting the chilli I had bought I decided to only use one.  This proved to be a good decision as one chilli was more than enough to impart some heat without taking over.  So I'd recommend checking the heat of the chilli to be used and adjust according to your heat tolerance.

I also decided to add the juice of a whole orange instead of the two tablespoons the recipe called for to make a larger quantity of sauce.  This also worked and I poured extra sauce over the steamed rice that I served with the chicken.  In fact, this sauce is so delicious, I'd be happy to eat it with steamed rice in its own right!


Jerk spiced chicken drumsticks
Adapted from recipe in Women’s Weekly Slow Cooker 2, pg54
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
8 chicken drumsticks
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 fresh green chilli, chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt flakes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp mixed herbs (I used Italian brand, Ariosto mixed herbs for chicken.  This is a really lovely mixture of herbs including basil, marjoram, sage and more)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
A slow cooker and food processor are required for this recipe; I used a 4.5L capacity slow cooker.

1.       Heat a pan over high heat.  Spray pan with oil and brown the chicken drumstick in batches.
2.       Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3.       In a food processor place spring onions, ginger, garlic, spices, herbs, pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar and orange juice.  Process this to a fine paste.
4.       Pour the paste over the chicken in the slow cooker and mix well.  Place on the lid and cook on slow setting for 2.5 hours.  After this time, increase the heat setting to high and cook for another 1 hour.
5.       Serve chicken with rice and steamed vegetables with extra sauce if desired.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The spices sound and look great!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

This looks really full of flavour! I like the spiciness in jerk chicken-it can be so hot! :) If you forget to brown the meat, does it really affect the end dish? It's the sort of thing that I'm quite likely to forget! :P

Hotly Spiced said...

Oh, what a coincidence. I posted chicken legs last night too! I love the look of yours. I don't have a slow-cooker but every winter I talk about buying one and one day I know I will. I love jerk chicken, it's so full of flavour. Great recipe Anna xx

Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen said...

These look sooooo delicious. I don't buy chicken drumsticks nearly often enough...they're so much more flavorful than breasts, so I really should.

chopinandmysaucepan said...

Dear Anna,

I love the fact this is slow cooked especially during winter because all the beautiful flavours of the spices are nicely infused into the chicken. Looks so hearty and comforting!

Jenny @ Ichigo Shortcake said...

Chicken drumsticks brings back memories of my childhood, I used to have these SO much...:D Love your recipe, looks totally delicious and beautiful for dinner!

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy said...

Anna I love this recipe. My partner loves anything slow cooked and everything spicy so I think I will try this out on him!

JasmyneTea said...

I really need a slow cooker, if only to make yummy recipes like these. Sigh.

Vijitha said...

Hello Anna,
I am so glad that I found your blog.I love anything savory and this chicken dish looks so delicious. I briefly browsed through your posts and I am sure that I will be back often to check your recipes. Let's stay connected.

Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen said...

Anna, this sounds just the dish for the cold autumnal weather. I can imagine how wonderful it is to lift the lid of the slowcook after a stroll through autumn leaves. Yum!