Instructions
Follow the steps and taste along the way.
Prepare the ingredients
Cut the potatoes into pieces about 3.5 cm across. Finely chop the onion and cut the apple into 1.5 cm cubes. Let the sauerkraut drain well; if it is very salty, rinse it briefly under cold water and squeeze it dry. Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel and salt them.
Brown the chicken drumsticks
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the drumsticks in a single layer, in batches if needed, for 6–8 minutes total, turning them occasionally until the skin is golden in places. The meat does not need to be cooked through; browning adds flavor, but the skin will not become crisp during slow cooking.
Fill the slow cooker
Arrange the potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker and pour in the broth. In a bowl, mix the sauerkraut, onion, apple, mustard, caraway, and black pepper. Spread the mixture over the potatoes, add the bay leaves, and arrange the browned drumsticks on top, skin side up.
Slow-cook
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Do not lift the lid while cooking. At the end, check the thickest drumstick with a thermometer; the meat must reach at least 74 °C (165 °F) near the bone, without the probe touching the bone. If it has not reached this temperature, continue cooking and check again after 20 minutes.
Finish and serve
Remove the bay leaves. Carefully stir in the apple cider vinegar and taste; if the sauerkraut was not salty, add up to 1 g of the remaining salt. Let the drumsticks rest in the slow cooker for 5 minutes, then serve with the tender potatoes and sauerkraut.
