Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken Wings
The easiest wings you will ever make. Just throw everything into the crockpot and you’re set for the most tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken wings!
I’ve made quite a few wings recipes in my day, mainly because Jason is pretty much obsessed with any kind of wings – hot, buffalo, asian-style. You name it.
I’ve also tried deep-frying and baking them, but I’ve never made wings in the slow cooker until I tried this. And boy was I in for a treat for the easiest, most effortless wings ever.
There’s absolutely no hot oil, no deep frying, no dreading, nothing. Just throw everything into a slow cooker, press the high or low button and that’s it. Really. It’s just that easy.
And the results are unbelievably amazing. These babies are cooked absolutely perfectly, soaked in all that flavor for hours on end. And the meat literally falls off the bone!
Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the sauce
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, honey, garlic, Sriracha, ginger powder, pepper and onion powder.
- Place wings into a slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high heat for 1-2 hours.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place wings onto the prepared baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred.
- Serve immediately with remaining sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I can’t remember the last time I thought “I’m going to be hungry for chicken wings four hours from now!”
These were AH-mazing! I changed a couple things, since we were out of brown sugar I used a little honey and white sugar, out of balsamic vinegar so we used 1/4 cup rice vinegar. Finely minced onion, ginger and garlic… I skipped the sauce thickening step and opted for basting the wings. Ours also had to broil a bit longer than suggested. about 5 minutes, then flip and baste and 5 more minutes for the other side for that nice copper brown color. Absolutely delicious and SO MUCH EASIER and less mess than frying. Gonna try this with some other sauces and possibly sauce-less (so others can add different sauces) To me a sign of a good recipe is one that can be used in more than one application! Thank you!
Hello everyone,
I was curious as to what side dishes you all paired with the chicken wings?
We had white cheddar mac and cheese and broccoli. Mashed potatoes or rice would also be lovely options.
These wings were delicious! My husband loved them. I did add a little bit more cornstarch/water mix to make the sauce a little thicker, and I broiled them a tad bit longer to make them more crispy. I think next time I will put even more of the sauce on them because the sauce was awesome, and I love extra sauce. Thanks for this super easy, delicious recipe! I’ll be making these again.
I have yet to try this recipe, but can’t wait. All of the flavors that you put together are right up my alley!
However; I’m also thinking about cooking the wings on a propane grill, making the sauce seperately, then toss them in a bowl.
What do you think?
I haven’t tried it myself but that sounds like a great idea!
LOVE your enthusiasm, and will let you know how it turns out. Would rather use a charcoal grill, we’ll see how it unfolds.
Thanks again!
made these tonight, for dinner, tasted great but could not get sauce to thicken 🙁 next time im gonna try on a pork or beef roast as well or chicken breast chunks..
if im using 5lbs of wings what would the adjustments be (im not good at math) for the sauce
You can simply double everything as needed.
i look forward to making these they sound delicious, ive never used the broil on my oven, is it easy and how do i know what temp its at?
Yes, it’s very easy! And there is no temperature gauge for broiling. All you have to do is select the “broil” function.
Im useing 4lbs. from frozen…I know you call for less and thawed, but and tips for adjustments? pieces are large as well. 🙂
You may have to adjust cooking time as needed to ensure that the chicken is completely cooked through.
Mine also fell apart and were not sticky as the sauce was just liquid. Yes, I followed the recipe to the letter. I added a little more cornstarch/water which helped. IF I do these again, I’ll reduce my cooking time by 30 mins. to see if that helps.
Were not the least bit sticky. Taste was fine, but, honestly, I’d just as soon deep fry them outside and use the traditional method of dumping which ever flavors of sauces I choose. That way I can have mild, medium, hot, extra hot, teriyaki, honey mustard, and on and on.
This recipe may be better for a one meal situation with larger pieces of chicken (skinned due to fat).
David, thank you for trying my recipe! Have you tried broiling these for 2-3 minutes at the end of cooking time? That really helps coat the wings to get that sticky-crisp effect!
OMG!!! We used chicken breasts. we chunked them up… they where soooooo good!!!! My husband and picky teenagers LOVED it! We served over brown rice!!! Thank you for a AMAZING recipe!!!!
Mine didn’t exactly come out sticky but they were so delicious it didn’t even matter! I woke up in the morning and made these before school, and when I got home I had the most amazing chicken ever waiting for me! So easy! My family absolutely loved this, too! Thank you so much 🙂
Oh I also left out the sriracha because my family isn’t a fan of spice but it came out super good even without it
Thank you for replying.. this is what I am thinking of doing but wasn’t sure if they would taste good at all.
THanks!
I made these today for a Super Bowl potluck. They were the runaway hit for the evening! I loved their ease of prep, and with the 2-3 minute broiling, they actually looked quite pretty! Thanks for this great addition to my recipe file. I’ll make them again!
Chungah,
I had tried your recipe end of Oct. 2014. I made a double batch (10 lbs) frozen, thawed in refrigerator prior night.
I saw a KEY tip on another site. Prior to placing pieces into crock pot, bake in oven on aluminium foil on baking sheet. Bake 400 degree’s for 20 minutes , salt/pepper lightly. This bakes out the water & fat’s and makes for easy clean-up. No extra time needed in preparation, as I’m making sauce while its baking.
This may be what had happened to a few having a watery sauce or the floating fats on top. Causing more of a Cachitorri or fall of the bone issue.
This recipe came out amazing, compliments from everyone! I needed a crockpot recipe, it took 4 hr’s total. Placed in Tupperware for travel, rewarmed in crock pot when I arrived.
I’m going to place back in oven this time recoating with sauce and get them a little crispy on outside prior to serving. 5-6 minutes under broiler, turning over once.
Thanks for the great crock pot recipe !
do you have any suggestions for cook times if I am making this recipe with just the wingettes and not the entire wing?
Thanks!
Melody, the cooking time should not really have to change when using wingettes, but please use your best judgment when making substitutions.
Theses look and sound amazing. I just had a question…you had mentioned broiling them at the very end in one post then in another you said u prefer to broil without the sauce. Can you please clarify? And how do you feel about baking them? Would they stay intact more?
Thanks
Yes, that’s exactly right. You can broil them at the very end without the sauce, or you can baste the sauce if you’d like – it’s really up to you. As for baking them – unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how this will turn out in taste/texture. Please use your best judgment.
Oh man these were incredible. I broiled them but the skin didn’t get too crispy. Still so tender and amazing flavor. Bravo
Chungah,
I want to make 2 lbs chicken wings with same ingredients and sauce. Would that be ok or too salty? Thanks.
Connie, as the recipe calls for 3 pounds of chicken wings, I do not recommend using the same amount of sauce. It would be best to adjust the ingredients accordingly to obtain the best results possible.
what about all the oil that comes from the chicken! hectic amount……..sauce tasted great after i spooned off the fat first then added the cornflour.
thanks for the recipe:)
Do you use frozen wings or thawed?
It is best to thaw the wings first.
Thank you!
Chungah, what are your thought on Pre-broiling the wings before putting them in the crock? I am planning on making these for Christmas Eve tomorrow and so I would like guests to be able to just take the wings from the crock and not have to deal with a mess of taking them out, broiling them and then putting them back in since I won’t be in my own kitchen.
These look delish! I am thinking maybe if I cook the wings up a short time before they go into the crock that might help with the falling off the bone problem that some people mentioned?
Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure if this will work as I haven’t tried it myself. I also prefer to broil at the very end to let the sauce really soak right into the chicken!