Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

Last updated on October 10th, 2018 at 07:20 pm

These Slow Cooker Chicken Wings are cooked in a tasty Honey BBQ sauce until fall off the bone tender. Quickly broiled until golden then served smothered in more sauce! This easy appetizer will be the hit at your next party or game night!

My love for chicken wings grows stronger each year! I fell in love with the oven method used in this Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Wings. Talk about extra crispy and crunchy wings without any deep frying!

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I also love recipes you can just toss and dump into a slow cooker while you get the opportunity to get other things done (or take a nap! I am always looking for ways to incorporate naps into my daily routine). These Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings come together very quickly. The spice mix uses ingredients you already have at home and the sauce has only 4 ingredients! Winner-winner-chicken-wings-dinner!

How to Cook Chicken Wings in the Slow Cooker

• First, pat dry your wings so the seasoning mix sticks to the chicken.
• Season the wings and add the sauce.
• Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.
• At this point, they are ready to be devoured. The chicken has absorbed all the flavors and the wings are finger-licking good! BUT if you want golden and crispy wings, you can quickly broil them in the oven.
• Let’s break this down – I line the sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleaning. I place a cooling rack on top so the wings stay elevated (important when you have sweet sauces like BBQ that can burn easily due to sugar content) AND most important the rack helps to get hot air circulating evenly.

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Can I Cook Frozen Chicken Wings in a Slow Cooker?

• Yes. Just keep in mind that frozen wings are ice glazed, meaning they have a thin layer of ice that prevents them from sticking to each other. The spice mix won’t adhere to the wings and the added liquid from the ice will water down the sauce a bit. The solution? Thaw out the wings or adjust the seasoning after cooking. For this recipe, you may also need to add extra cornstarch to the slurry to thicken the sauce (about 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch)

How Long Does It Take to Cook Frozen Chicken Wings in a Slow Cooker?

• From frozen, cook the wings for 3-4 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW.

Kathy’s Notes

• Serve these Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings with celery and carrot sticks and Ranch sauce for dipping.
• Need other appetizer or game night ideas? Check these out!
  Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip
  Fabulous Trio of Crostini
  Queso Fundido Dip
  Nutty Maple Brown Sugar Bacon Appetizer
  Creamy Shrimp Scampi Dip
  Hot and Cheesy Crab Dip 
• My friend Amy from House of Nash Eats has an amazing website and makes some of the most delicious recipes.  Amy has prepared a healthier version of one of the most popular dips at any party – Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip – yum!

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Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Total Time

2 hrs 10 mins

 

These Slow Cooker Chicken Wings are cooked in a tasty Honey BBQ sauce until fall off the bone tender. Quickly broiled until golden and crispy then served smothered in more sauce! This easy appetizer will be the hit at your next party or game night!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Crockpot Wings, Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 420 kcal

Author: Kathy

Ingredients

For the Spice Mix

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons season salt
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

For the Honey BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup BBQ sauce (I used original recipe)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (I use Frank's original)
• 3 tablespoons apple juice or apple cider

The Rest

• 4 pounds chicken wings, patted dry
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the spice mix ingredients. 

   
   

2. Place the chicken wings in the slow cooker and sprinkle the spice mix over the wings. Toss making sure all the wings get well coated with the spices.

3. Into a small bowl, add the Honey BBQ sauce ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour the sauce mixture over the wings and toss. You want to make sure all the wings are coated with the sauce.

4. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW.

   At this point the wings are cooked and can be served.

Broiling the wings to make them crispy and golden:

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top (you may need 2 baking sheets or you can broil them in batches).

2. Place the cooked wings on the cooling rack making sure they are not touching so they can brown more evenly. Set your oven to broil* and BROIL the wings for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully flip the wings and BROIL them for another 2-3 minutes. 

3. In the meantime, after removing all the wings from the slow cooker, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add the cornstarch mixture into the slow cooker and mix it well with the Honey BBQ sauce until it is well combined.. Cook on HIGH for 15 - 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken a little bit.

4. You can return the wings to the slow cooker and gently toss them until they are all well coated with the sauce and serve them with extra sauce on the side OR you can place the wings in a serving bowl and serve with the sauce on the side.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• * To Broil your oven racks should be set 3 - 4 inches from the heating element.

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THINGS YOU MAY NEED

Half Sheet Baking Pan and Bakeable Nonstick Cooling Rack
Crock-Pot Cook n’ Carry Programmable Countdown Slow Cooker
Barbecue Sauce