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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What size crock pot you used
I used a 3-qt slow cooker but any size should work just fine.
What if I just cut up some chicken breast chunks and put them in the crock, would I use pretty much the same amount of ingredients and directions? cooking time, etc.? What are your thoughts?
Joe
It should be fine to use chicken breasts. I haven’t tried it myself but I recommend using the same amount as indicated in this recipe (about 2-3 pounds).
This recipe was delicious. But the 5-6 hours on low cook time is WAY TOO long. I had a pile of bones and a pile of meat. Not Cool.
Oh no – so sorry about that! I’ve had successful results at 5-6 hours but I know some of my other readers have had the same issue. I hope you can try it again with a shorter cooking time!
On your chicken wings do you broil with all the sauce or just the wings. How many wings are you figuring to make up 6 servings. Also are the drumettes or the joints of the wing better?
Carol,
1. I prefer to broil without the sauce.
2. There are about 8-11 wings/drumettes in 1 pound. This recipe calls for 3 pounds (24-33 wings/drumetes) so with 6 servings, I am averaging about 4-5 per person as an appetizer.
3. This is really based on personal preference. I prefer drumettes but the fiance prefers wings.
If I want to make the chicken wings in advance for a company potluck, including broiling in the oven to crisp them up, can I reheat them in the crockpot the day of?
I actually do not recommend leaving it in the crock-pot longer than directed. A lot of readers seemed to have issues with the meat literally falling off the bone!
I had the same results as Ann..it just made soupy skins and bones in a fantastic sauce. Fortunately I saved the day. lol It tasted wonderful.
Hi Chungah,
I prepared the sauce for the chicken wings this morning and have hardly been able to concentrate all day as I look forward to chomping down on those wings…
Question: my partner will be turning the slow cooker on while I’m at work so I won’t see this part happening with my own eyes. Is it important that the chicken is completely immersed in the sauce? The sauce didn’t look like it would totally cover 3 lbs of chicken wings.
Thanks!
Surita
No, the wings do not have to be completely immersed, but I found it helpful to toss it every once in a while to make sure the wings are evenly coated.
How long will I cook this recipe using double the amount with chicken thighs? Thank You, Lyn x
Lynn, it will take a bit longer if using twice as much chicken thighs. Unfortunately, I cannot advise on the appropriate cooking time as I have not tried this myself. Please use your discretion to increase cooking time to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked through.
these were ah-mazing! I did half the time in the slow cooker on high heat. Tonight I am going to use either use boneless, skinless chicken things in oven or use thighs with skin, crisp those suckers up then in the oven. Can’t decide. I will double the sauce I think…it was soooooooo good! going to toast those sesame seeds, too. Oh man, dinner will not come soon enough
All i have to say Chungah, is these are DAMN DELICIOUS!
Thanks for saving me an expensive trip to Wingstop or Buffalo Wild Wings!
Hi, I was hoping to make this tonight for dinner but still need to go to the store! Do you think this would come out as good if I cooked it on high heat for 4 hours?
Yes, that should be fine. You can even do it for a shorter amount of time if you’d like as some readers were mentioning that their meat was too tender and falling off in the slow cooker.
Thinking of making this for work….20 or so people. How many wings do you think I should cook? And what size crock pot should I use? I won’t have access to a broiler to crisp them up.
Roberta, this yields 6 servings so please feel free to make the adjustments accordingly to serve 20 people. I would recommend a 6qt crockpot if you were to double or triple the recipe.
Hi I was wondering if I doubled the recipe.. Would that change the cooking time?
Yes, cooking time may need to be adjusted as needed to ensure that the chicken is completely cooked through.
I followed the recipe and the meat fell off the bone in the crockpot.
I’m not sure what went wrong as I was not in the kitchen with you. Maybe next time you can reduce cooking time as needed. Hope that helps!
I just made this recipe using half a chicken that I cut up. Delicious!
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but the wings completely fell apart in the crockpot. It came out more like stew vs. individual wings. The flavor was amazing. I may just use this recipe for larger pieces of chicken in the future.
Ann, I’m not sure what went wrong either. These should be fall-off-the-bone tender but they shouldn’t be falling apart!
I tried this a few weeks ago and they were AWESOME. I made them as a late night snack for my boyfriend to come into the house to after a bachelor party. I’m actually going to give it a try with chicken thighs now-I’m thinking the consistency of the skin and meat will lead to a similar delicious outcome, plus they are way cheaper!
This looks so delicious! Slow cooker really helps a lot, it’s easy and time-saving. This is why I always use this to prepare food for my kids. I’ve also read about the best recipes you can cook with the slow cooker, they’re: Stout and Chicken Stew, Barley Risotto with Fennel, Fennel and Pork Stew, Swedish Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham, Shiitake and Noodle Hot and Sour Soup, Slow-Cooker Picadillo
can you overnight these and reheat after work the next day or do i need to serve immediately?
You can certainly give that a try but these are really best when served immediately.
Do you think I could use a jarred sauce? I work for a condiment company and we make all kinds of yummy sauces. If so, how much do you suggest?
Cheryl, you can certainly substitute jarred sauce but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Was i to skin the wings first. This was sauce & wing soup.
Margaret, I worry that perhaps the sauce did not thicken up for you – did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?