Skip the fryer, and make these saucy BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings instead!
Using your crock pot to make chicken wings means that they cook up super tender with meat that falls off the bone. And the long, slow cooking time helps them absorb so much sweet and spicy flavor!
Chicken wings in all of their tasty and saucy varieties are one of my favorite things to serve at parties. Wings are the perfect party food for New Year’s Eve, football game viewing, or holiday get-togethers.
They’re meaty and filling, packed with flavor, and fun to eat with your hands! Whenever I serve these slow cooker chicken wings with creamy homemade ranch dip, they are the first thing to go!
These crockpot chicken wings aren’t only an amazing and easy appetizer or party snack though. They’re perfect for dinner too. No matter the occasion, these incredibly flavorful slow cooker wings will fit right in.
I have plenty of other chicken wing recipes for you to try as well! Try my perfectly crispy baked chicken wings, or quick and easy air fryer chicken wings.
You can make wings in the traditional deep-fried way with my lemon pepper chicken wing recipe, or throw them in the smoker and follow my tips for making the best smoked chicken wings!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’re going to love making Slow Cooker Chicken Wings for several reasons, but the best one is that this method for cooking wings is mostly hands-off!
We’ll let the slow cooker do the work of making the chicken wings tender and flavorful, and then quickly broil them at the end to crisp up the skin a bit.
You won’t need to mess around with hot frying oil, or the cleanup that goes with deep frying chicken wings, so you can pay attention to more important things, like enjoying your time with your party guests!
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these crock pot chicken wings with BBQ sauce:
- Wings: Use fresh chicken wings or frozen wings that have been fully thawed. If your wings aren’t already cut into individual pieces, take the time to remove the tops and separate the wingettes from the drumettes.
- BBQ Sauce: Why use plain BBQ sauce when you can make it even more delicious? Here we will add hot sauce, honey, and spices to store-bought sauce. I’m using Sweet Baby Ray’s original BBQ sauce, but you can use any sauce that you enjoy.
- Homemade Ranch Dip: A creamy dipping sauce starts with sour cream, mayo, and milk, and it’s seasoned with fresh parsley, green onion, lemon juice, and simple pantry seasonings.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
- Prepare the Wings: First, season the wings with salt, pepper, half of the garlic powder, and paprika. Then, whisk together the BBQ sauce, hot sauce, honey, and remaining garlic powder. Pour one cup of the sauce over the wings, and save the rest for later.
- Cook the Chicken Wings in the Crockpot: Add the sauced and seasoned wings to the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on high, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Make the Ranch Sauce: Do this while the wings are cooking. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, and milk. Add fresh parsley, green onion, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Whisk to combine. If needed, add additional milk to get the thickness you like. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Broil the Wings: Preheat the broiler, and place a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with foil. Remove the cooked chicken wings from the crockpot and place the wings on the rack in a single layer. Brush the wings with BBQ sauce, broil for 4-5 minutes, then flip the wings over and repeat.
- Serve: Give your chicken wings a final glaze of BBQ sauce, and serve them hot, garnished with fresh parsley, and with ranch sauce on the side for dipping.
Tip!
3 ½ pounds of chicken wings should be around 36 wings, depending on their size. This is enough to serve 4 as a main dish, or 6-8 as an appetizer
Recipe Tips
- For super easy cleanup: Line the crockpot with a disposable liner before cooking the chicken wings.
- Don’t overcook: The wings only need about 2 hours on High in the slow cooker. If you overcook them, they’ll fall apart! Chicken wings are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.
- The broiling step is important. This is the only way to make slow-cooker wings brown and crispy on the outside. Watch the wings carefully under the broiler, as the sugar in the sauce can burn easily.
- Instead of this homemade ranch dip, serve your wings with store-bought ranch dressing, or make some homemade blue cheese dressing instead.
- Prep ahead: The ranch and BBQ sauces in this recipe can be made and kept in jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week!
Storing Tips
Cooked chicken wings can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. They’ll be most delicious if you eat them right away after broiling though!
Variations
If you’d like to make slow cooker wings with different flavors, here’s how:
- Buffalo Wings: Toss the wings with buffalo sauce before slow cooking. After broiling, brush with more sauce before serving with ranch or blue cheese dip.
- Honey Mustard Wings: Toss the wings with your favorite honey mustard sauce before cooking them in the crockpot. Then, follow the recipe as written to finish them.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make slow cooker chicken wings without sauce?
It works best to cook crock pot wings with sauce added to them for flavor. You can adjust the heat of the BBQ sauce by adding more or less hot sauce, or try this recipe with any other grilling sauce that you enjoy.
If you’d prefer the wings to be “naked”, season them with salt and pepper and arrange them in the crockpot, cook as directed, and add your favorite dipping sauce later.
Can I make frozen chicken wings in the slow cooker?
You technically can, but I don’t recommend it. It will take twice as long to cook the frozen wings in the crock pot, and you run the risk of having the meat at unsafe temperatures for too long. Thaw your wings in the fridge overnight before cooking them.
How do I separate whole wings?
Ideally, you’ll buy the wings already cut, but in case they aren’t, here’s what you do: You need a sharp knife and a cutting board. Use the knife to cut off the wing tip (that’s the pointy part that doesn’t have any meat on it), by cutting through the joint. Then, find the space in the joint between the other two pieces, and carefully cut them apart. Discard the tips and start cooking!
Make your next party unforgettable with this slow cooker chicken wings recipe! Pin this one – you’re going to want it for football parties and holidays in the future too.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Chicken wings
- 3 ½ pounds (1575 g) chicken wings drumettes and flats separated and wing tips cut off
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup (240 ml) barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) hot sauce
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Ranch dip
- ¾ cup (190 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (125 g) mayonnaise
- 3-4 tablespoons (45 ml) milk
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Wings
- Place wings in a large bowl and season with salt, pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and paprika. Mix together and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, hot sauce, honey, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the wings in the large bowl and mix together. Cover and refrigerate the remaining sauce.
- Place wings in a crockpot and cook for 2 hours on high or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F when checked with an oven thermometer. While the wings cook, make the Ranch dipping sauce.
Ranch dip
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, and milk. Add 2 tablespoons parsley, green onion, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add additional milk if desired to reach the desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Broiling Wings
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top. When chicken is done cooking in the crockpot, preheat broiler and using tongs, place chicken side by side without touching on the rack.
- Brush chicken with remaining barbecue sauce mixture. Broil for 4-5 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and brush again with sauce. Using tongs, turn wings over. Brush again with sauce and broil for an additional 4-5 minutes on this side of the wings. Carefully remove wings from the oven.
- Brush wings with a final glaze of the sauce and garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped green onion.
- Serve wings with Ranch dipping sauce, garnishing with remaining chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes:
- Serving Size: This recipe makes 36-40 chicken wings and will serve 4 as a main dish or 6-8 as an appetizer. Nutrition estimates given here are for 1 wing, so you can adjust as needed.
- For easy cleanup, use a crock pot liner.
- Avoid cooking the wings for too long in the crockpot. Any longer than 2 hours on high and the wings will fall apart!
- The broiling step is important. This gives the chicken wings the perfect color and texture. Watch the wings carefully under the broiler, as they can burn quickly from the honey and barbecue sauce.
- Instead of this ranch dip, try serving your wings with homemade blue cheese dressing.
- To Store: Keep cooked chicken wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
- The barbecue sauce and ranch dip here can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Sarah says
Best wings we’ve ever made! The sauce is exactly what we’ve been wanting for wings. perfect.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks so much for trying my recipe, Sarah! Glad you enjoyed it!