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Orange-cumin drumsticks with sweet potatoes and cranberries is a slow cooker dinner that tastes like autumn. Chicken drumsticks rub with cumin, turmeric, garlic, and orange zest, then braise over sweet potatoes until the meat slips off the bone. Dried cranberries and green onions go in at the end, and the pan juices thicken into a glossy sauce.
Pro Tips
- Rub the spice mixture directly into the chicken before adding the orange juice and oil. Massaging the rub in seasons the meat instead of just flavoring the liquid.
- Layer the sweet potatoes underneath the chicken so they cook in the drippings. Potatoes sitting on top steam instead of braising in all that flavor.
- Add the cranberries only in the last thirty minutes. Earlier and they dissolve into mush; late, they plump into juicy bursts.
- Reduce the pot drippings on the stovetop before serving. That five-minute simmer turns thin braising liquid into a proper sauce that clings to everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless chicken thighs?
Yes, though drumsticks give the sauce more body from the bones. If using thighs, check them an hour early since they cook faster than bone-in drumsticks.
Are dried cranberries paleo?
Look for naturally sweetened ones sweetened with apple juice rather than refined sugar. Even regular dried cranberries work in this small quantity if that is what you have.
Can I make this without a slow cooker?
Braise it covered in a Dutch oven at 325°F for about two hours, adding the cranberries in the last twenty minutes. The results are just as tender.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Zest and juice from 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons (29 ml) avocado oil or other high-heat cooking oil
- 2 pounds (907 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 1/3 cup (40 g) dried cranberries (naturally sweetened, if you can find them)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Place the drumsticks in a large bowl and sprinkle the salt, cumin, turmeric, garlic, and orange zest over the top. Rub the mixture into the chicken to evenly coat, then add the orange juice and avocado oil.
- Mix well.
- 2 Place sweet potatoes in a 4-quart (3. 8 liter) slow cooker.
- Pour the chicken and marinade mixture over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- 3 During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the cranberries and green onions to the slow cooker. You don’t need to mix it.
- 4 When the chicken is cooked through and the cranberries have plumped a bit, remove the chicken and sweet potatoes, using a slotted spoon if necessary, into a serving dish and cover to keep warm.
- 5 Transfer the pot drippings to a small saucepan and cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
- 6 Pour the sauce over the chicken and sweet potatoes before serving.
