This healthy Slow Cooker Lemon Feta Chicken Drumsticks recipe only has 5 ingredients, not counting salt and pepper. Drumsticks, seasoned with lemon, oregano, and spices, are slow cooked in the crock pot, then topped with freshly grated feta.
Slow Cooker Lemon Feta Chicken Drumsticks
Every now and then, I like to take recipes I normally make in the oven and try them in my slow cooker. Often, they convert well to the slow cooker with some slight modifications. This recipe was inspired by my Roasted Lemon Feta Chicken. The juicy, tender chicken fell off the bone, and the only difference was that, rather than adding the feta and broiling them in the oven, I served the drumsticks on a platter and added freshly grated feta, which melted from the heat of the meat. I served them with this massaged raw kale salad, using feta instead of parmesan. It was such a simple, inexpensive meal.
Why This Slow Cooker Drumsticks Recipe Works
This easy slow cooker chicken recipe is an excellent dish when you don’t have much time to prep a long list of ingredients. All you have to do is remove the chicken skin and add everything to the crock pot. Then, set it and forget it. And if you don’t have time to make a side dish, just microwave a bag of frozen rice!
- Budget-friendly: Drumsticks are an affordable source of protein.
- Tender and juicy: Cooking the dark meat low and slow keeps it moist and flavorful.
- Minimal ingredients: You probably already have most of them in your pantry.
- High in protein: Two drumsticks with feta contain 28 grams of protein.
- Fast and easy prep: Although the chicken takes hours to cook, the prep takes only a few minutes. Just toss everything into the crockpot and go about your day!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Just a few simple ingredients transform chicken drumsticks into a Mediterranean feast. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Chicken drumsticks: Cut off the skin with sharp kitchen scissors to make them leaner. It also lets the spices stick to the meat rather than the skin, giving the dish more flavor.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano
- Lemon juice for a bright citrus flavor
- Feta cheese: I recommend buying a block of feta and grating it yourself; it’s moister and tastes much better than pre-crumbled feta.
How to Make Lemon Feta Drumsticks
You don’t need to add any extra liquid besides the lemon juice because the dark meat will release liquid as it cooks. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano, and lemon juice.
- Slow cook the drumsticks on high for 4 hours. Cut into one to check that it’s not pink in the center. You can also use a thermometer to confirm the temp is 165°F.
- Add the feta to the chicken, put the lid on the crockpot, and let it sit until the cheese melts.
Variations
- Chicken: Replace drumsticks with bone-in chicken thighs. Trim off the skin, then cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. I wouldn’t recommend chicken breasts because they can dry out.
- No slow cooker? Follow my Lemon Feta Chicken recipe with oven instructions.
- Add herbs: Before serving, garnish with fresh parsley or dill.
Serving Suggestions
Pair these lemon feta drumsticks with a salad, roasted vegetables, or a starchy side such as pasta, rice, or potatoes. You could also remove the meat from the bones and serve it in a rice bowl or a pita wrap with tzatziki, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers.
Salad
Vegetables
Other Side Dishes
Storage and Meal Prep Tips
- Refrigerate the lemon drumsticks for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Then, thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F or in the microwave until warm.
More Chicken Drumstick Recipes You’ll Love
For healthy dinner recipes, try one of the drumstick recipes below or check out my Chicken Recipes collection.
- Sheet Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Zucchini and Corn
- Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime
- Crock Pot Maple Dijon Chicken Drumsticks
- Honey Teriyaki Drumsticks (Skillet or Instant Pot)
- Easy Braised Tomatillo Chicken Drumsticks
Slow Cooker Lemon Feta Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 skinless chicken drumsticks, (about 30 oz total)
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- juice of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup feta cheese, fresh grated
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and lemon juice.
- Place in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH 4 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center near the bone.
- When chicken is cooked through, sprinkle with grated feta and cover until cheese is melted.
Love this recipe! Not a big drumstick fan so used chicken thighs instead. Turned it great! So easy!
After reading the reviews I had to try this recipe. We love drumsticks and this recipe did not disappoint! It was so easy and so delicious! I will definitely be making this again and for guests too. I served it with ST crispy oven potatoes. I would make this chicken to go on a salad or in a rice bowl. It just falls off the bone.
The best diggity-bomb lemon chicken you will every make. It’s a staple in our house and I serve it with roasted potatoes. Chicken falls off the bone and everybody swoons.
I’ve made this recipe several times now and we love it.
I do make one big change, though, and that’s using boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead of drumsticks. Neither of us love drumsticks and I especially don’t love removing chicken skin, so the thighs work perfectly for us.
I add somewhere between a half and a full cup of low-sodium chicken broth to prevent burning, since there are no bones in my chicken to release liquid while cooking, then I just set it for 3ish hours on low.
Topped with the feta and served over rice with a vegetable as a side, it’s a perfect meal that’s quick to prep and cook (well, quick to cook for a slow-cooker meal, that is). We love it!
I am a huge fan of drum sticks in the slow cooker so I knew this would be good. I did around 4 to 4 1/2 on low because my slow cooker cooks pretty warm. I used a paper towel between the pot and lid so there was no excess liquid as I knew the drums would give off plenty as cooking. They had a lot of taste, were cooked nice on the outside and juicy inside. The seasoning was so good. I’m with others wherever when eating drums I don’t like the fatty pieces but this eliminates that problem! Served with some IP baby carrots and potatoes. Perfect!!
I had purchased a large pack of drumsticks at an amazing price only to realize I really don’t like them much at all because of the tendons and fatty pieces. I have been trying different recipes to use them up and finally found one I really enjoyed. The meat literally fell off the bone and I was able to quickly separate out the icky bits I don’t enjoy. Definitely do not skip the feta!
Tasty. I was worried about there not being much liquid since my slow cooker runs hot. So I added 1/3 cup of chicken broth just in case. I also appreciate that it’s minimal ingredients.
This was wonderful!
Husband gave thumbs up and i will definitely make this again!
So i tried it with chicken breast, i did 3 peices butterflied. I doubled the lemon juice and seasonings.
I prepped night before so sat in juices and seasoning night before, I figured ow for 6 hrs.
* i used lemon juice from the bottle not from a lemon
I checked on it at 4.5 hrs on low, chicken temps were 180+
And chicken was dried out even though it was covered in juices.
Didnt have much flavor either. You could tell it had a tartness but ehh.. i was so hopeful but this may be a recipe just for drums
I shredded the chicken and will make enchiladas with it.
You should definitely try this again with drumsticks and with real juice. Chicken breast are always too dry.
If I wanted to make this but cook it on low. How long would you suggest? Would it still be 4 hours or longer?
I’ve tried slow cooking chicken thighs before on low for 6 hours. That might work for this recipe.
LOVE this recipe. Easy to do and taste delicious. My family couldn’t stop eating these drumsticks. Made the kitchen smell amazing too.
Why isn’t this a keto-friendly recipe (when the non-slow cooker version is)? I love this meal but just started the keto diet so I hope I can still have it!
Yes, it is!
Great, thanks!! Also, do you recommend fully defrosting the chicken (mine is frozen) or would I be able to cook it a bit longer in the crockpot without first defrosting?
I have never cooked frozen.
Do you think this would convert to the instant pot?
Same question: has anyone tried it in the Instant Pot?
Hello Gina I really love this recipe a lot and for whatever reason today I forgot to take the skin off of the legs. do you think it’ll still turn out?
Sure!
Hi there! Can you do boneless chicken breasts for this recipe? If so, do you know how many points this would be? Thanks!
Is boneless chicken breast ok? And HIGH 4 hours as well?
This recipe totally changed my view on drumsticks! I love them now that I know how to remove the skin. This recipe is excellent!
Please help! Making this tomorrow for a crowd. Do breasts need more liquid? Should the liquid just come up to the meat???
This was such an awesome recipe! It took less than 5 minutes to prepare, and I had all of the ingredients except for the chicken (which was super inexpensive). I like this recipe because it inspired me to cook with drumsticks, which I normally wouldn't pick because I don't love the texture. However, with the skin removed and cooked in the crockpot, they are incredible! The meat just falls off the bone and is so tender. What a great way to make a tasty, inexpensive meal!
I thought this recipe was wonderful – thank you!
I cooked mine for 7 hours on low. I have a programmable crockpot (HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this.. I got the one Gina has), and it switched to warm after that. It was probably on warm for 2-3 hours after that. It turned out GREAT – falling off the bone tender!
My store only has drumsticks with the skin on. It's easy to remove the skin using a paper towel. Otherwise, it's a little slippery to remove the skin.
I found that while not having skin on them, the drumsticks still had a nice slightly crispier layer on top. The juice from the lemon was plenty of liquid to keep the chicken moist and delicious. The salty flavor from the feta really compliments the meat!
Oh great!…glad you liked this recipe
I was really skeptical about the only liquid in this being the lemon juice so I set this to cook overnight instead of while I was at work, in case I needed to come up with a back up plan. Happy to report that there was plenty of liquid. Can't wait to eat for dinner tonight!
Lol…good…glad you liked it
Wow! Ruined my chicken. I cooked on low for 4 hours and it was dried out. Needs more liquid. I will stick to cooking it in the oven for only 30 min.
Whatever works…every crockpot is different
Gina how would you cook make this an instant pot cook time?
I have made this as a slow cooker and enjoyed it. Want to have this my book of meals as instant pot version because the family loved it.
Can you make this with just chicken thighs? If so – how would I adjust the cooking time?
Can I keep the skin on the drumsticks if I am not concerned about the WW points?
Hi there. This is one of the reasons I might be using thigh instead of the drumstick. It's also my favorite part of the chicken you know. I'm thinking this recipe wouldn't be too much of the cholesterol overload. The slow cooker could be extracting the chicken oil and extra fat (I guess). I've always believed in this article I came across with, http://bit.ly/1xF84sE so long as I am eating at the right time and in moderation then, I should be good.
Can chocken breasts be substituted for the drumsticks?
I have seen this question posted a few times, but haven't seen the answer. Can those who work during the day cook them on low for 8 hours? Or is 4 hours on high the preferential method? thank you!
i dont think it would hurt to try…they will probably fall off the bone
I too would like to know if I can use chicken breast if so would the time be the same? 4 hours on high? or can I cook it for 8 hours on low as I work during the day.. Thanks!
A delicious meal. Catherine. I will try it for my kids.
If I add more chicken legs – do I have to increase my cook time?
Hi Gina!!
I love your recipes! I just received an email that ZipList was disbanding or something. In that case, will you be transferring your "Save this recipe" over to Epicurious or another site of the sort? Or will we need to start/continue pinning your amazing recipes? I just love them so much so I don't want to lose them. I want to make sure I can keep adding them to a safe, easy to access spot. Just wondering what you were planning to do! Thanks so much!!
What a delicious idea! Love that it's not the usual barbecue recipe 😉 And so pretty!
I'm not a fan of drum sticks, can I use boneless thighs or boneless chicken breats?
I am NOT happy that ZipList is shutting down, hopefully the new option that is being offered is as user friendly as ZipList is.
GINA Can I cook them on low for 8 hours or is 4 he's on High more recommended.
Does the lemon juice provide enough liquid to keep the drumsticks from burning ? I have this problem frequently in our crockpot as it seems cook quickly…(And since I work full time its on for more than 8 hourse sometimes…..)…
Can I substitute chicken breasts? Would the cooking time be the same?
do they 'crisp up" or is the skin soft/soggy?
The legs used should be skinless per the recipe, so no skin to get crispy. Just tender, flavorful dark meat. My fav!
This looks amazing! though I will probably make the oven version as I don't own a slow cooker.
My grocery store had chicken legs on sale this past week and so I stocked up! I was just sitting here pondering different recipes I could use with them. Definitely putting this on the menu this week!
Great Heather!
Gina, can chicken breasts be used instead? Would the cooking time be the same?
Ahhh tender drumsticks are so good! I'd say this would serve 2 and not four though, y'know because…it's chicken drumsticks 😀 Great recipe Gina! x
A delicious meal. Catherine
These look delicious. I love the slow cooker. I have been cooking many of the recipes in your book and they have been a hit in my house, can't wait to try this one as well!
Yum! I love all of these flavors! We are on a feta cheese roll right now, so this will work perfectly for my fiance and I 🙂
Well, having lived in Greece for many years, I LOVE this. I cooked a whole chicken in the slow cooker the other day and was a bit disappointed – too messy when I took it out. I think this is the better way to go!
I will definitely be trying this! I love lemon and feta, but don't think I've had them together. Can't wait to try this!
http://www.simplyhsquared.com
Hi Gina! I received and email from Ziplist that they are going to be shutting down December 10th. I am very disappointed to hear that as I use the app almost exclusively, and cook from your site all the time. I was wondering if you had any thoughts as to what you will use going forward?
I'm actually stressed about this, lol. I cook from here all the time and use ziplist exclusively also. Not liking that other app.
I'm really upset about this too! I asked them if they had thoughts on creating another service, hoping it is in their future.
They are switching over to Epicurious.
I use Pinterest to catalog recipes, which works fairly well! I just have a board specifically for recipes I want to try.
I registered for Taste of Home and am able to add recipes from Skinnytaste in my recipe box there. Very convenient!
Yum!! I never really cook with drumsticks, but that will be changing soon! Looks so simple and bright 🙂
Looks delicious! I think I would substitute the drumsticks for chicken breasts though, I like them better 🙂
www.littleblackshell.com
Hi Gina, my chicken is frozen. Will 8 hours on high work for frozen or should I just let them def
This looks DELISH!! What do you think the calories would be for breast only?