These chicken wings are so tender, perfectly spicy, and delicious. Plus, they’re made in the Crockpot or slow cooker, making them super easy. Perfect as an appetizer or main course, especially during tailgating season, holidays, or parties!
Why these Crockpot Chicken Wings Are So Good
- This recipe is seriously weirdly good. The wings are tender and succulent, and the sauce is just perfect.
- These Crockpot wings are super easy. They’re pretty much dump and go, with a little broiling for extra crispy wings.
- You can easily make them paleo and Whole30 by simply using ghee instead of butter and use serve with my Dump Ranch dressing!
How to make Crockpot Chicken Wings – Step by Step
- Season the chicken wings with salt and place in crockpot.
- Mix hot sauce, butter, onion and garlic powder in saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Whisk until totally smooth. Pour 1 cup over wings in crockpot and toss to coat.
- Cook on high 1 3/4 – 2 hours or until about 160 internally.
- Preheat broiler.
- Spread the wings on baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes turning in between until browned in spots and crispy.
- In meantime pour out the liquid in the crockpot.
- Place wings back in crockpot and Toss with remaining 1 cup sauce . Let cook 5 minutes on low heat until sauce is absorbed
- Serve with blue cheese or ranch and celery sticks
Instant Pot Version from My Paleo Instant Pot Cookbook.
If you don’t have a crockpot, you can also make these delicious chicken wings in the Instant Pot!
- Place the wings in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add water and 1 cup of hot sauce. Secure the lid with the valve in Sealing position then cook on Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. Quick Release.
- Meanwhile, stir together the hot sauce, butter, onion and garlic powder together and set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with cooking spray. Preheat your oven to broil with the rack about 6 inches from the broiler.
- Using tongs, carefully remove wings from Instant Pot and transfer to the wire rack on top of the baking sheet.
- Broil for 5 minutes then, using tongs, flip and broil another 5 minutes.
- Using a brush, baste the wings with the buffalo sauce you made and broil for another 3-5 minutes, basting again halfway. Flip and repeat on the other side, basting, broiling, and basting after about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
- Keep a close eye on them: they’re done when they’re getting nice and crispy, with just a couple brown spots in places. Don’t over broil.
The Slow Cooker Makes Them So Easy!
Chicken wings don’t have to be hard work when you have a crockpot! By slow cooking the wings, you will always have juicy and succulent chicken every single time! So little prep time is needed for this classic appetizer, so it’s a great choice to serve when you are hosting a crowd.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken Wings Crispy
You may think that if you cook chicken wings in a crockpot that they won’t be crispy, but that’s not the case with this recipe! By giving the chicken a quick broil, you end up with crispy and tender wings without them drying out. I love that you can get crispy wings without the need for deep frying!
Can you make these chicken wings ahead of time?
These chicken wings are best served when freshly made so that the skin stays nice and crispy. If you do need to wait before you serve them, you can keep them warm in the crockpot for a little while.
Top Tips for Making Crockpot Chicken Wings
- Use organic chicken wings if possible that haven’t been raised on antibiotics.
- Be sure to season the wings before adding them to the crockpot.
- Keep an eye on the wings while you are broiling them so that they don’t burn.
- Serve with a blue cheese or ranch dip and celery sticks.
Be sure to check out these other easy slow cooker chicken recipes!
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Crockpot Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Crockpot
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bottle hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot), divided
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 lbs chicken wings cut into drumette and flats
to serve
- blue cheese or ranch dressing
- celery and/or carrot sticks
Instructions
- Season the chicken wings with salt and place in Crockpot.Â
- Mix hot sauce, butter, onion and garlic powder in saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Whisk until totally smooth. Pour 1 cup over wings in Crockpot and toss to coat.
- Cook on high 1 3/4 - 2 hours or until about 160 internally.
- Preheat broiler.
- Spread the wings on baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes turning in between until browned in spots and crispy.
- In meantime pour out the liquid in the Crockpot.
- Place wings back in crockpot and Toss with remaining 1 cup sauce . Let cook 5 minutes on low heat until sauce is absorbed
- Serve with blue cheese or ranch and celery sticks
Notes
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Liya says
Amazing recipe, so crispy and I only had to cook for 1 hour. It was little over 160 degrees
Cheryl Malik says
Awesome! I’m glad you loved it!
Francesca @francescaverri.com says
This recipe looks amazing. Do you have any substitutes for the butter?
Cheryl Malik says
A dairy free butter would work.