Go Back
Crockpot chicken wings tossed in buffalo sauce on a white plate.

Crockpot Chicken Wings (Easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Wings)

5 from 1 vote
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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 145
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 lb frozen chicken wing sections (or fresh) fully thawed
  • 1 12 oz bottle Frank's Red Hot Original sauce, divided or favorite hot sauce
  • ½ cup butter divided
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoon ground cayenne divided
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder divided
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano

Equipment

  • Crockpot

Method
 

  1. Thaw chicken wings completely.
  2. Melt ¼ cup butter in a medium saucepan.
  3. Add half a 12 oz bottle of hot sauce, Worcestershire, 1 tsp. cayenne, 1 tsp, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano and mix together.
  4. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Add thawed chicken wing sections to crockpot. Pour sauce over and mix to coat.
  6. Cook on high for three hours or low for 5-6.
  7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  8. In the same saucepan melt the other ¼ cup of butter.
  9. Add the rest of the hot sauce and the other 1 tsp. cayenne and 1 tsp. chili powder.
  10. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer about 5-10 minutes.
  11. Once wings are done in the crockpot, toss with buffalo sauce in a large bowl.
  12. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Spread out so they don't touch.
  13. Cook for about 30 minutes or until crispy, turning once halfway through.

Notes

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. 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.
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.