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WW Recipe of the Day: Low Carb Slow Cooker Five Spice Chicken
One of my goals this summer is to clean out my freezer and pantry as much as possible. And then refrain from stockpiling.
How I accumulate so much food is a mystery. And unnecessary. We are a family of two that enjoys eating out, as well as in. And, there’s a grocery store within walking distance.
So Saturday I pulled out a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs from deep in the freezer that I used to make this really simple five-spice chicken in my crockpot.
Chinese Five Spice Powder is a spice blend available in either the spice section, or the Asian or ethnic food section, of most major supermarkets.
My bottle is a blend of China cassia cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves.
Recipe Notes
In addition to chicken and five spice powder, the recipe calls for garlic, onion, celery, ginger, lemon zest and chicken broth.
While I loved the combination of flavors and textures, you could definitely adapt this to suit your likes and dislikes. Next time I’m going to add sliced fennel. Carrot and bell pepper would work well too.
I served this over a rice blend from the pantry with roasted butternut squash and a simple green salad.
If you’re watching your carbs cauliflower “rice” or zucchini “noodles” would be great accompaniments.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Slow Cooker Five-Spice Chicken?
According to my calculations, each serving of five-spiced chicken has just 227 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 PointsPlus (Old plan)
This is going in my make again file. Enjoy!
If you like this lightened up slow cooker 5-spice chicken, be sure to check out some of my other easy, healthy, Weight Watchers friendly slow cooker chicken recipes including Slow Cooker Goddess Chicken, Creamy Italian Chicken Made Lighter, Shredded Salsa Chicken, Slow Cooker Creole White Beans and Chicken and Caribbean Jerk Chicken
If you’ve made this Crock Pot Five Spice Chicken, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Five Spice Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8 thighs, about 5 ounces each)
- 1 cup chopped onion (I softened my chopped onion in the microwave (affiliate link) for about 3 minutes before adding to the slow cooker)
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Ideal slow cooker size: 4-Quart.
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and place them in the slow cooker.
- Top with garlic, onions (I like to soften mine for about 3 minutes in the microwave (affiliate link) before adding), celery, ginger, 5-spice powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- Add chicken broth.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or until chicken is fork-tender.
- Serve over rice, cauliflower “rice” or zucchini noodles, if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan) 3 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 3 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 6 PointsPlus (Old plan) I served this over a rice blend from the pantry with roasted butternut squash and a simple green salad. If you are watching your carbs cauliflower “rice” or zucchini “noodles” would be great accompaniments.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: recipe adapted from Pillsbury Doughboy Slow Cooker Recipes (affiliate link)
Watch this video to learn how to make your own Five-Spice Powder at home:
If you like easy Crock Pot 5-Spice Chicken, you may also like
- Five Spice Roasted Chicken Legs (SkinnyTaste)
- Asian Baked Kabocha Squash (Simple Nourished Living)
- Slow Cooker Asian Lettuce Wraps (Simple Nourished Living)
- Slow Cooker Cuban Chicken with Citrus (Simple Nourished Living)
This was excellent! Definitely a keeper!
May I ask why you soften the onion prior to putting it on the chicken please, as it would cook well over 5-6 hours in the slow cooker.