Do easy, flavorful, fall off the bone wings sound good to you? These easy Slow Cooker Chicken Wings are perfect for game day! No oven or deep fryer required!
Love going out for wings, but never tried making them at home? Now is the perfect opportunity! You can use your slow cooker to make the juiciest most flavorful wings with a minimal amount of work.
Slow cooking wings is great, because they stay juicy and don't have the added oils from frying.
I used beer in the slow cooker with my wings to add extra flavor then glazed them with a delicious honey lime bbq sauce to finish them off.
How to Cut Chicken Wings:
- spread out the wing and find the joints
- twist to separate the joints
- use a sharp knife to cut them apart (as indicated in the photo above)
- Discard tips (or save for making stock)
- See this in-depth tutorial that I used to teach myself how to cut the wings apart. Or purchase already split wings if you can find them.
How to Make Chicken Wings in the Slow Cooker:'
- After cutting the wings, place the drumette and wingette in the slow cooker
- Pour your favorite beer over the top to cover
- Let cook for 2-3 hours on high for 4-6 on low until cooked through
Do you put Sauce on the Wings Before or After Cooking?
While you can do either, when slow cooking these wings I wait until after. That way the wings can cook up in the beer and stay juicy with no worries of burnt (over-caramelized) sauce.
Once they are done cooking, I whisk up the bbq sauce with lime juice and honey and toss with the wings.
You can leave them as is or brown them at this point using one of two methods:
- Place on foil lined baking sheet and broil in the oven for a couple of minutes
- If using a multi-cooker, drain liquid and turn to sauté and let brown on each side for a minute or two.
What Kind of Beer Should you Use?
Any kind you like best! I'd suggest sticking with a lighter or more citrusy beer. Anything like a wheat or IPA would be great.
A Few More Notes:
- I don't recommend making these more than a couple of hours in advance as they don't reheat well.
- If you do have leftovers, I like pulling the meat from the bones and reusing for another recipe.
Favorite Wing Dipping Sauces?
I like blue cheese or ranch. What's your favorite?
If you love chicken wings in the slow cooker, make sure you also try my Slow Cooker Chicken Wings with Honey Buffalo Sauce.
Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 12 oz beer wheat, IPA or other favorite
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Place cut wings in slow cooker (see notes for how to cut if using whole wings)
- Add beer, cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6
- Mix together bbq sauce, honey and lime juice
- Remove wings from slow cooker and toss with sauce
- Place chicken wings on foil covered broiler pan and broil on high for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned and crisp OR drain liquid from multi-cooker and saute wings until browned
Notes
How to Cut Chicken Wings:
- spread out the wing and find the joints
- twist to separate the joints
- use a sharp knife to cut them apart (as indicated in the photo above)
- Discard tips (or save for making stock)
Can I cook the above chicken wings recipe on the auto setting on my swan slow cooker?
Hi there! I'm so sorry, I'm not familiar with that and can't make a recommendation. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Isn't it possible that this recipe can use chicken thighs? Or drumsticks?
Yes, just remember to increase the cooking time.
Simple but GOOD CHICKEN WINGS
Thanks Bonnie!