BBQ Slow Cooker Wings at home

These BBQ Crockpot Chicken Wings are incredibly straightforward to cook, come out evenly soft, and you don’t have to worry about the sauce sliding off of them thanks to the way they’re cooked.

You will come back to these Crock Pot Chicken Wings

There is so much to love about these barbecue wings. They’re a hit around here for a lot of reasons.

• Straightforward to cook – This chicken wings recipe is so straightforward to cook. You put them in the crockpot, top them with the seasoning and sauce, then let them cook.
• Soft every time – You don’t have to worry about dried out, tough wings with this one. You get soft, pull apart chicken every time.
• The sauce sticks! – There’s nothing like the sauce sliding off of wings to ruin the experience. These wings have a thick coating of sauce (thanks to the way they’re cooked) that caramelizes and sticks to them the whole time.

What you’ll need for Slow Cooker Wings

• Wings – grab a package of the trimmed wings and drumettes. Sometimes they are referred to as “party wings” on the packaging. This recipe uses fresh chicken wings. You’ll want to thaw them if you purchased frozen chicken wings.
• Salt – you’ll want to use kosher or sea salt here. Using normal table salt will make it a bit too salty with these measurements.
• Pepper – Fresh ground black pepper is well-balanced in this, but standard ground black pepper is fine as well.
• Garlic powder – Be sure it isn’t expired. It makes a big difference! You can check this by giving it a good sniff test. If it has little to no smell, it’s time to toss it.
• Barbecue sauce – grab your favorite thick barbecue sauce. Whether that’s brown sugar based or vinegar based, you’ll want it to be thick.

Best barbecue sauce for wings

While the flavor of the barbecue sauce is going to be entirely up to personal preference, you should still look for a thicker sauce. Use your favorite bbq sauce, make sure it’s thick.

By using a thicker sauce, it will help it stick to the wings rather than running off.

Some of our favorite barbecue sauces to use are:

• Sweet Baby Ray’s
• Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce
• Bone Suckin’ Sauce
• Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce

Equipment to make crock pot bbq wings

Crockpot

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Tongs

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Measuring spoons

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How to make Crockpot Chicken Wings

1. Place the wings in the slow cooker and season with garlic, salt, and pepper powder.
2. Top the wings with 1 cup of barbecue sauce.
3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
4. Add an additional cup of sauce and toss to coat.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for a house favorite BBQ chicken wings

• We recommend patting the wings dry before seasoning them. It will help the seasoning stick to the wings. Pat them dry with a paper towels before putting the in the crockpot.
• This recipe works with additional wings as well so you can double or even triple the recipe if needed.

Substitutions and Alterations

If you like a sweeter barbecue flavor, you can add a little bit of brown sugar to the seasoning.

If you like a spicy kick, add some cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix when you add the garlic powder.

How to serve Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

These wings make a great appetizer or finger food for a party, but you can also turn them into the main dish for dinner. Try pairing them with:

• Potato Salad
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Potato Wedges
• Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Garlic Butter Asparagus

Dipping sauces for wings

There are so many options when it comes to dipping sauce for wings! The great thing about these barbecue wings are that you don’t need a dipping sauce for cooling it off or to add flavor. However, if you are a big fan of dipping your wings here are some of our favorites.

• Wingstop Ranch (a true copycat ranch dressing!)
• Buffalo Ranch
• Honey Sriracha

Storing Crockpot Wings

Allow the chicken wings to cool completely before storing. This will help prevent condensation inside the container.

Place the wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze the wings by placing them in a freezer safe, airtight container for up to 3 months.

If do decide to freeze the wings, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.

When you’re ready to reheat the wings, the oven is your best bet. You’ll avoid overcooking them or ending up with a mushy mess.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and cook them for about 20 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and let them cook for 1 more minute to crisp up.

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Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings FAQs

Prep 5 minutesCook 3 hoursMakes 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb wings
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup bbq sauce + extra for coating wings afterward if desired

Method

1. Place the wings in the slow cooker and season with garlic, salt, and pepper powder.
2. Top the wings with 1 cup of barbecue sauce.
3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
4. Add an additional cup of sauce and toss to coat.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• We recommend patting the wings dry before seasoning them. It will help the seasoning stick to the wings.
• This recipe works with additional wings as well so you can double or even triple the recipe if needed.