Since I had leftover lemongrass from making Bo Kho and I always have coconut milk in the pantry, I decided to make a slow cooker chicken drumstick dish with these ingredients. After scouring my Asian cookbooks and the interwebs, I came across this recipe for Roasted Lemongrass Chicken. I Paleo-ized the recipe, added some five-spice powder, and threw the ingredients in the slow cooker instead of the oven. Super easy and delicious!
The recipe and step-by-step photos, after the jump!
Here’s what I gathered to feed 4-6 people:
- 10 drumsticks, skin removed
- 1 thick stalk fresh lemongrass, papery outer skins and rough bottom removed, trimmed to the bottom 5 inches
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, microplaned
- 1 cup coconut milk (+¼ cup optional at the end)
- 2 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh scallions, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Here’s how I made it:
I placed the drumsticks in a large bowl and seasoned them with salt and pepper.
(I always rip the skin off drumsticks with the aid of a paper towel because it makes the slippery skin easier to grab.)
I placed the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and five spice powder into the Vitamix blender and blitzed until a smooth sauce formed.
I poured the marinade onto the chicken and mixed it well.
I dumped the onion into the bottom of the slow cooker and put the drumsticks and marinade on top. I set the slow cooker on low and cooked it for about 4-5 hours.
When it was done cooking, I transferred it to a storage container to chill in the fridge for a couple days.
When I reheated the drumsticks, I placed it in a pot and brought it up to a simmer. Then, I tasted for seasoning and plated it.
Update: If you don’t mind dirtying your blender again, my pal Ben, gave me a great tip on how to get an extra creamy sauce at the end. When the stew is done cooking, remove the chicken and put the sauce and onions into a blender. Puree the sauce, and add ¼ cup more of coconut milk into the blender at the final moment. Put the sauce and chicken back into the cooker and keep warm.
As a final touch, I sprinkled on some chopped fresh scallions.
Remember – don’t cook it on HIGH and don’t go over 5 hours or you’ll end up with a big pot of BLECH.
Looking for more recipes? Head on over to my Recipe Index! You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPad® app, and in my New York Times- bestselling cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel 2013).
