Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken with Cucumber Relish
Slow cooker Hoisin Chicken will be new your new favorite busy weeknight recipe. I find it challenging to find a flavorful crockpot recipe that is not some version of pulled beef. While that is delicious, we need something new to add to the rotation. These chicken quarters come out juicy and full of sticky goodness. They are good all on their own or over a bed of sticky rice. Sometimes I will season the rice with a furikake seasoning. Which includes sesame seeds and seaweed.
The pickled cucumber relish cuts through the sticky sweetness of the sauce. Giving this whole dish an elevated flavor. The relish is crunch, sweet, and briny. It reminds me of a fresh cucumber salad I often get from our favorite takeout spot in town. I make an extra large batch and eat it over rice and throw it into salads.
Searing the chicken helps to lock in the juices and create a more flavorful skin. Seasoning the chicken with Chinese Five Spice ensure that each bite will be just as delicious even without a ton of sauce! Chinese Five Spice is a great spice to add to your cabinet. Chinese Five Spice is my secret weapon in my recipe for ribs!
Another way to use this chicken is to slice it off the bone and use it in a spinach salad. Thin out the sauce with some olive oil, grate in some fresh ginger for a great dressing! Add some sliced carrots and sprouts to the mix for a hearty bowl.
Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken with Pickled Cucumber Relish
ingredients
4 chicken leg quarters
½ tablespoon Chinese five spice
½ tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup Kame Hoisin Sauce
2 tablespoons Kame Oyster Sauce
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon corn starch
¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
Chopped Cucumber Relish
¾ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup cucumber, seeded, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
instructions
1. Pat the chicken legs dry and season with Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium/high heat. Add the chicken legs to the skillet skin side down. Sear until the outside is brown about 4 minutes per side. Work in batches in order to not crowd the pan.
3. In the bowl of a slow cooker whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, and salt until well combined.
4. Add the seared chicken legs to crockpot, turning to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until the internal temperature measures 165 degrees.
5. Meanwhile prepare the cucumber relish. In a small saucepot bring the rice vinegar and fish sauce to a simmer. Then add the sugar stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
6. In a heat proof bowl, add the cucumbers and onions, season with salt and pepper. Then add the rice vinegar liquid over top. Toss to coat, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
7. Once the chicken is cooked through remove form the slow cooker and let it rest on a plate tented with foil.
8. Add the remaining liquid from the slow cooker to a small pot.
9. In a small bowl or cup add the cornstarch and one tablespoon of water, mix together until dissolved to create a “slurry.” Add this to sauce in the pot, bring to a simmer stirring gently throughout until the mixture thickens, about 5-6 minutes.
10. Plate the chicken and brush the hoisin sauce mixture over top of each leg. Then spoon cucumber relish over top. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve over white rice if desired.