Crockpot Chicken Wings (Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Wings)

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These Crockpot Chicken Wings are everything you love about classic Buffalo wings - juicy, tender, spicy, and perfectly saucy, but made effortlessly in your slow cooker. With just a handful of ingredients this easy recipe is perfect for game days, parties, or weeknight cravings.

Love wings but would rather not deep fry at home? Look no further. These Crockpot Chicken Wings are as tender as they come but crisp up in the oven right before serving. By slow cooking you can get things done or other dishes prepared in the meantime. While I use a homemade buffalo sauce for this recipe, you can use any sauce you prefer. If you’re pinched for time, I also have an Air Fryer version here. 

This is the crockpot I have and love!

Why You’ll Love These Slow Cooker Chicken Wings

• No deep frying needed. All the flavor, none of the mess or fryer smell.
• Wings are fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy.
• Perfect for game day, Super Bowl Sunday, or easy entertaining.
• Simple ingredients, big Buffalo flavor. But also, customizable depending on your sauce preference.

Ingredients

Frozen Chicken Wing Sections, Thawed

I typically use a bag of frozen “Party Wings” for this Crockpot Chicken Wing recipe but make sure I pull them out to thaw before slow cooking. These will typically contain a mixture of drums and flats.

Frank’s Hot Sauce

I start my sauce with the OG Frank’s Hot Sauce; however, you can use any hot sauce you like.

Butter

Butter and hot sauce build the base of your Crockpot Chicken Wing sauce.

Worcestershire Sauce

For a little smoky kick and flavor complexity.

Spice Blend

I like to use ground cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano.

How to Make Crockpot Chicken Wings

Prepare the Buffalo Sauce

For this Hot Wing recipe, I like to slow cook the wings in the buffalo sauce. I find it really infuses the flavor into the wings and makes them extra juicy.

Melt ¼ cup butter in a medium saucepan. Add half a 12 oz bottle of Frank’s hot sauce, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Mix together and simmer for 5 minutes.

Slow Cook the Chicken Wings

Add thawed wings to the crockpot. Next, pour your buffalo sauce over the chicken wings. Turn to coat. Cook on high for 2.5-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.

Prepare Tossing Hot Sauce

Prepare the rest of your buffalo sauce for these Crockpot Chicken Wings towards the end of their slow cooking time. To do this, add the rest of the butter, hot sauce, cayenne, and chili powder to the same pan. Bring to slight boil then simmer for about 5-10 minutes over low heat.

Toss Wings in Buffalo Sauce and Bake

Remove wings from the slow cooker and toss with buffalo sauce (or sauce of choice) in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and spread the wings out, so they’re not touching. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through. You can also broil for a few minutes if you don’t have as much time. This will crisp up the wings while leaving them extra tender on the inside.

Substitutions/Variations and Flavor Ideas

You can also purchase fresh/unfrozen wings for this Crockpot Chicken Wing recipe. It tends to be more cost effective to purchase the already frozen party bag if you’re serving a large group, but if you don’t have time to thaw them, you can purchase fresh from the meat section. Depending on the size of the group you’re serving you can easily double this recipe as well.

Sauce Variations for Crockpot Chicken Wings

While I’ve included my homemade buffalo sauce recipe, store-bought sauce works great too. I love these Buffalo Wild Wing sauces. If you’re not a fan of spicy, then teriyaki, BBQ, garlic Parmesan, or lemon pepper sauces are also great alternatives. I still recommend slow cooking the wings in some of the sauce and then adding the rest before baking.

FAQs

Can I slow cook the wings frozen instead of waiting for them to thaw?

I highly recommend thawing first or using fresh wings (and so does the USDA). Even if you do, you’ll need to add a couple hours to your cooking time to unsure they’re not undercooked, so I find it’s best to wait for them to thaw anyway. Ensure they’re 165 degrees internally before serving.

Fastest method for thawing chicken wings?

The most reliable method for thawing chicken wings is in the refrigerator. However, it does take longer that way. If I need to make wings same day, and they’re frozen, you can leave them in a bowl on the counter at room temperature. Fastest method for thawing chicken wings, though, is by placing them in a bowl of cold water. I never recommend thawing in the microwave.

How do I make these Crockpot Chicken Wings extra crispy?

My method for roasting or broiling the wings after slow cooking will ultimately yield a crispy exterior. However, if you’d like them even more crispy simply increase the bake/broil time to your desired preference.

Is this recipe keto or low carb?

Depending on the sauce used, yes, this recipe is considered low carb or keto. If using my buffalo sauce recipe that is the case. If you use barbecue sauce or other store-bought sauces, you’ll need to reference their labels.

What wing sauces are the best for this recipe?

My homemade hot buffalo sauce is my favorite, but any sauce works! BBQ, teriyaki, hot honey, lemon pepper, garlic Parmesan, soy ginger, Nashville hot, etc.

Are these chicken wings healthy?

Wings themselves contain more fat than a chicken breast, and the sauce for these Crockpot Chicken Wings has a decent amount of butter, but slow cooking and baking eliminates the extra calories and fat that standard deep-frying entails.

What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken Wings

Carrots, celery, and ranch (or blue cheese) are definitely the standard. If you’re serving these for a party, I’d also recommend accompanying them with Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos (Sheet Pan or Air Fryer), Easy Homemade Pizza Bagels, Hot Cajun Crab Dip with Cream Cheese (Oven Baked or Crockpot),  Extra Crispy Onion Rings,and/or Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla (with Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce).

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