Ooooh wow, my house smells like a spice market!
While working on a freelance project this week, I came across this Five Spice Chicken cooked in a rice cooker, and it looked so good that I decided that I had to try it out myself, except in a slow cooker because I don’t yet own a rice cooker.
I fell in love with five spice powder last year when I was writing my cookbook, where I used it to make a quick spice rub for pork chops. It’s a heady combination of anise, cloves, cinnamon, and other spices that have both sweet and savory appeal. You can add it to just about anything for an instant boost of intoxicating flavor. I bought my five spice powder at my regular grocery store in the ethnic food aisle, but I’ve also seen it among more expensive spices in the spice aisle.
I changed up Daily Cooking Quest’s original recipe a bit by adding a little soy sauce and brown sugar to the five spice blend and cooked it for four hours in the slow cooker, which left the meat fall off the bone tender. After the meat spent four hours stewing in the spices, I finished it off with a few minutes under the broiler to get that nice brown crispy skin.
I paired the chicken with my favorite Yellow Jasmine Rice and had a meal fit for a queen! I’m going to be experimenting with a salad to go along with the two this weekend, so stay tuned!
Slow Cooker 5 Spice Chicken
Servings 10 1 piece eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.26)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.20)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp 5 spice powder ($0.60)
- 4 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken pieces ($7.22)
- 1 medium onion ($0.36)
- 2 Tbsp rice wine** ($0.27)
Instructions
- To make the spice rub, combine the garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, and 5 spice powder in a small bowl. Stir until combined. (Grate the ginger using a small holed cheese grater, or mince with a knife.)
- Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken pieces, getting between the skin and meat whenever possible.
- Dice the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the rice wine over the onion, then layer in the chicken pieces. Make sure the chicken pieces are closely packed in the cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours.
- After four hours, the chicken will be very soft and tender. Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken from the liquid in the slow cooker and place them on a baking sheet. Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the chicken will be 5 inches from the broiler (the broiler’s heat element is usually on the roof of your oven). Broil the chicken on high for 5 minutes, or until the skin is brown and crispy. Keep a close eye on the chicken while it’s under the broiler because every broiler is slightly different and it can burn quickly.
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Notes
Nutrition
Pictured with Yellow Jasmine Rice.
How to Make 5-Spice Chicken – Step by Step Photos
First make the five spice rub by combining 2 cloves of minced garlic, about 2 inches of fresh ginger (grated on a cheese grater or minced with a knife), 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp of Chinese five spice powder.
For reference, here is the five spice powder that I used and the toasted sesame oil. This really isn’t the best five spice powder, but it works. I found it in the ethnic foods aisle at my local grocery store, but you can sometimes find it among the fancier spices in the spice aisle. Toasted sesame oil has a deep brown color and a VERY strong, toasty aroma. If it’s clear, it’s not toasted.
I used four pounds of chicken pieces, which was 6 drumsticks and four thighs. I could have bought a split chicken and had two breasts, two thighs, two wings, and two drumsticks for the same price, but I preferred the thighs and drumsticks.
Coat the chicken really well in the spice rub. If the skin is lifting in some parts, try to smear it between the skin and meat.
Dice one yellow onion and add it to the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour two tablespoons of rice wine over the onions. If you don’t have rice wine, you can use a dry white wine or even a little chicken broth. The liquid helps make a flavorful steam to infuse the chicken.
Layer the seasoned chicken in the slow cooker, making sure the pieces are tightly packed. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours.
As they cook, the chicken pieces will give off quite a bit of moisture. The chicken stews in the liquid and becomes super tender and juicy. YUM.
But, you don’t want the skin to be soggy, so carefully lift the chicken pieces out of the slow cooker using tongs. Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet (I used cooling racks on top of the sheet, but it wasn’t really necessary). Adjust your oven rack so that the top of the chicken will be about 5 inches away from the broiler.
Set the broiler to high and broil the chicken for about 5 minutes, or until it’s deep brown and a little crispy. Watch the chicken closely, because it’s easy to burn things under the broiler (plus, every broiler is just a bit different).
And then you have gorgeous brown, flavorful, and tender chicken! I ate one right out of the oven… couldn’t wait!
As mentioned earlier, I served this with my Yellow Jasmine Rice. A perfect pair!
Chicken is $8.00/pound, not sure where you’re buying from or what quality you’re getting.
I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $3/lb for chicken. Usually less for bone-in chicken. Are you shopping in the US?
Doh! Look carefully at the labels on the chicken…
I’ve also never paid more than maybe 4 dollars a pound. I just picked up drumsticks and thighs for 89 cents a pound. That’s conventionally raised…are you buying organic?
Beth, You’ve really outdone yourself with this one. Absolutely amazing. I am so full and yet I cannot stop thinking about this dish. I am floored by the marrying of the flavors…. the crispy skin… the moist chicken…. the (of course) perfect pairing with (I agree) the most delicious rice. My wallet thanks you. My heart thanks you. My belly thanks you. My hips don’t fully appreciate bone-in skin-on but they can just suck it up, they get too much attention as it is.
Hahahah that was a great comment. Thank you. :)
What do you think to use this Chinese five spice ?
Hey Beth! Quick question please because I have been DYING to make this recipe. If I no longer have my slow cooker (sad face :( ) how could I make this dish? I have a very large pot, but not a slow cooker :(
BTW I absolutely adore your website, and have made at least 10 recipes from your site, with them all being exceptional and heavenly! Thank you SO much for everything you have done in making your website such a great success! I appreciate your time and thank you again!
Because this one doesn’t have a lot of liquid (like a soup or stew would), I would actually use the oven instead. Try to use some sort of oven safe cooking vessel, like a dutch oven or casserole dish that has a lid, to keep the moisture in. If you don’t have an oven safe dish that has a lid, you can try covering tightly with foil. Bake at 250 for an hour or two and then check the consistency of the meat. You want it to be tender enough to fall off the bone. I’m not sure how long it will take at 250 degrees, but that’s the closest you’ll get to the slow cooker. :)
I made this last night using the slow-roasted chicken leg method (on this site) in a deep, oven-safe skillet. I was lazy, though, so I only put the 5-spice rub over the top of chicken thighs. Next time, I will totally marinate the chicken in the rub for an hour before-hand (and get it under the skin like you said). The 5-spice rub is SO GOOD – it just didn’t get into the meat like it would, I imagine, in a slow-cooker. So juicy!!!
Have you ever tried this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
If I could give this dish 10 stars, I would!! Made it by following the instructions carefully, and the result was amazing. Beth, this one’s a keeper and I would definitely check out your other recipes. Both the chicken & rice were a hit with my family and are now on our dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing!
What if you cannot find the 5 spice powder? What can you use instead? Can you make your own?
You can make your own (here is a good recipe, and there are several more out there), but it may require some more obscure spices. McCormick makes a five spice blend, but you might have to go to a larger grocery store to find it. Make sure to check the Ethnic food aisles as well.
Hello, this recipe sounds delicious! I struggle with including onions in recipes as I am not a fan of the flavor. Was the onion flavor strong/noticeable in this recipe? Is there a replacement that you can recommend? Or do you think flavors will still stand without the onions? Thanks!
I didn’t find the onion flavor to be very strong at all. :)
Just made this! I bought a package of chicken thighs on sale at the grocery store last week, remembering having read this recipe. Absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
I just made this, and it’s sitting in the slow cooker right now! I can’t wait to eat it :) Also, I noticed a couple typos in the post:
“I changed up Daily Cooking Quest’s original recipe a bit by adding a little soy sauce and brown sugar to the five spice blend and cooked it for (FOUR) hours in the slow cooker, which left the meat fall off the bone tender.”
“2. (RUB) the spice mixture all over the chicken pieces, getting between the skin and meat whenever possible.”
Thank you for catching those!! ;)
Could I let this marinade in The spice mixtures overnight ?
Yep, that shouldn’t be a problem. :)
I made this a few nights ago with the turmeric jasmine rice (which was amazing and made great leftovers). It smelled incredible and the taste was good but the chicken was greasy and soggy. I’m weird about texture and could only choke down a few mushy bites. My SO said it could ‘be tweaked.’ Next time I’ll mix in some breast and rib meat for better texture and check the temp after 2 hours.
Taylor, did you broil the chicken after you took it out of the crock pot as Beth suggests? – try that, if you didn’t the first time. Mine was falling of the its bones, but once broiled for few minutes, it was moist but crispy when consumed.
Could I put it in the George Foreman grill instead of broiling it?
Hmm, that might work! I bet this rub would also be good for meat that goes straight into the grill rather than the slow cooker first.
Hi Beth!
Love your website!! Several of your recipes, including this one, are now in our regular rotation :)
Question for you: do you think the “broth” that this makes could be used for something else? I realize its a bit fattier than normal broth, but it just seems like such a waste to not use it for something else.
I’m super suprised to read that a few people had dry chicken! Ours is always swimming in juices by the time it’s done and just falling off the bone. We do like to use more expensive (even organize if are can swing it) chicken. Which makes this NOT so frugal… But soooo delicious!
Thanks!
Make that *organic chicken!
You probably could, yes! With this recipe it would be heavily spiced broth, but that might not be such a bad thing. :) I would try to capture the juices, then maybe simmer them with vegetable scraps and water for a good long time (or even do it right in the slow cooker), then strain out the debris.
Awesome! Thanks!
Do you have any recommendations for a good vegetable pairing with this?
I think some sautéed greens would be good (kale, mustard, collard) or even some creamed spinach.