Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

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! These crock pot chicken wings are always a crowd pleaser!

My love for chicken wings grows stronger each year! I fell in love with these extra crispy Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Wings made in the oven and of course when I am short on time, there is nothing like  these tasty and spicy Buffalo Wings made in the Instant Pot. Talk about extra crispy and crunchy wings without any deep frying!

I also love chicken wing recipes you can just toss and dump into a slow cooker while you get the opportunity to get other things done, go to work (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!

Ingredients to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

• Chicken Wings – I use both the flats and drumettes.
• Barbecue Sauce – I use store bought BBQ sauce original flavor.
• Honey
• Hot Sauce – I use Frank’s original.
• Apple Juice or Apple Cider – If you don’t have any juice, you can use chicken broth.
• For the Spice Mix –  Brown sugar, Seasoned Salt (I use Lawry’s), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Ground Black Pepper and Chili Powder.

How to Cook Chicken Wings in the Slow Cooker

• In a small bowl, mix the spice mix ingredients.
• Pat dry the wings so the seasoning mix sticks to the chicken. Season the wings with the spice mix.
• In a small bowl mix the Honey BBQ sauce.
• Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or on Cook 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. See the instructions below.

IF Broiling The Chicken Wings:

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleaning.
• Place a cooling rack on top of the baking she so the wings stay elevated ( this is 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.
• Place the crocked pot chicken wings on the rack and broil for a few minutes or until golden brown. Flip the wings and broil the other side.
• You can return the chicken wings to the crock pot and toss with the sauce or you can serve them with the Honey BBQ sauce on the side.

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.

Tips and Notes to Make Crock Pot Chicken Wings

• Serve these Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings with celery, carrot sticks and Ranch sauce for dipping.
• Pat dry the wings completely as much as possible so the spice mix stays attached on the wings.
• Crock pot wings are not as high in calories as deep fried wings.
• These delicious mouthwatering Slow Cooker Chicken Wings are always a hit. They are a must for game day and easy for tailgating. Keep them warm in the slow cooker during your party.
  

Check Out These Other Delicious Appetizer Ideas:

• Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip (Slow Cooker or Baked)
• Creamy Shrimp Scampi Dip
• Hot and Cheesy Crab Dip 
• Slow Cooker Corn Dip
• Warm and Cheesy Taco Dip
• My friend Amy from House of Nash Eats 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 – go check it out!

This post has been updated with new photographs, still the same great chicken wings recipe!

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5 from 9 votes

Honey BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

Kathy McDaniel

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! These crock pot chicken wings are always a crowd pleaser!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings 8 servings

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

• In a small bowl, combine the spice mix ingredients. 
• 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.
• 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.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW.

  At this point the wings are cooked through and can be served. However, you can follow the instructions for broiling the wings to achieve a crispy/golden wing.
  
  
  
• THE SAUCE: If you wish to make the sauce a bit thicker, mix the cornstarch with cold water (about 1-2 tablespoons). Stir in the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and turn the crock pot to high for 10 minutes. 

Broiling the wings to make them crispy and golden:

• 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).
• 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. 
• 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.
• 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.

Video

Chef's Tips

• * To Broil your oven racks should be set 3 - 4 inches from the heating element.
• The cornstarch is used only if you want to make the sauce thicker. If you are happy with the sauce consistency, skip it.

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 37g (12%)Protein: 23g (46%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 94mg (31%)Sodium: 1130mg (49%)Potassium: 319mg (9%)Sugar: 31g (34%)Vitamin A: 455IU (9%)Vitamin C: 3.7mg (4%)Calcium: 30mg (3%)Iron: 1.6mg (9%)

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Course:Appetizer

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Crockpot Wings, Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

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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