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Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings are the ultimate fall off the bone game day wings, slow cooked until tender then baked with a sticky homemade BBQ sauce. I first made these for a football Sunday when Jason wanted wings but the oven was full, and the slow cooker did all the heavy lifting. If you love our buffalo chicken tenders, these sticky BBQ wings are your next party must.
The slow cooker makes the wings incredibly tender, then a quick bake with homemade BBQ sauce gives them that irresistible caramelized, sticky finish.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 5 hours 40 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 5 hours 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 507kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, smoky, sticky
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our buffalo chicken tenders
Quick Answer
Layer seasoned chicken wings in the slow cooker with beer and cook until tender, about 5 hours on low. Whisk and simmer a homemade BBQ sauce, then transfer the wings to a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, basting with the sauce, until the wings are caramelized and sticky.
Jump to:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings FAQs
- Other Recommended Game Day Recipes
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The slow cooker makes them tender. Low and slow cooking renders the wings fall off the bone tender before they ever hit the oven.
- Baking creates the sticky finish. A quick bake evaporates the cooking liquid and caramelizes the sauce into that craveable sticky glaze.
- Homemade BBQ sauce is better. A quick from scratch sauce with brown sugar and ketchup beats anything from a bottle.
- Beer adds depth. Cooking the wings in lager adds savory depth without any strong beer flavor in the finished wings.
- Hands off and crowd ready. The slow cooker does the work, so you can prep ahead and bake just before the party.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The slow cooker does the work, making these perfect for game day and parties.
- They turn out fall off the bone tender with a sticky, caramelized BBQ glaze.
- The homemade BBQ sauce is easy and tastes so much better than store bought.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes these slow cooker BBQ chicken wings so good. Simple ingredients, big flavor.
- Chicken Wings: Whole wings cut into flats and drumettes. Fresh or thawed frozen both work.
- Lager Beer: It tenderizes the wings as they cook and adds savory depth to the sauce.
- Brown Sugar and Ketchup: The sweet, tangy base of the homemade BBQ sauce.
- BBQ Seasoning: Seasoning every layer builds flavor right into the wings.
- Vinegar and Mustard: They balance the sweetness with tang for a classic BBQ flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These slow cooker BBQ chicken wings are easy to adapt.
- Spicy: Add cayenne or hot sauce to the BBQ sauce for a kick.
- Store bought shortcut: Use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce instead of homemade.
- No beer: Swap the beer for chicken broth or ginger ale.
- Extra crispy: Broil the wings for the last few minutes for crispier edges.
- Honey BBQ: Stir a few spoonfuls of honey into the sauce for honey BBQ wings.
How to Make Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings
- Layer the chicken wings in the slow cooker, seasoning each layer with BBQ seasoning.
- Pour in the beer and slow cook on low for 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours until tender.
- Whisk the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, beer, mustard, and spices in a saucepan.
- Simmer the sauce until thick, then transfer the cooked wings to a foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then flip and baste generously with the BBQ sauce.
- Bake, flipping and basting again, until caramelized and sticky, then serve with extra sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Season every layer of wings in the slow cooker so the flavor is even throughout.
- Do not skip the bake, since it evaporates the liquid and caramelizes the sauce into that sticky glaze.
- Use a foil lined sheet for easy cleanup, since the sticky sauce can be messy.
- Baste in layers, flipping and brushing more than once for the stickiest wings.
- Broil at the end if you want extra caramelized, crispy edges.
- Reserve extra sauce in a bowl for dipping at the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These slow cooker BBQ chicken wings are made for game day. Pile them on a platter with extra BBQ sauce, ranch, or blue cheese for dipping and watch them disappear.
Serve them as part of a big appetizer spread with celery and carrot sticks, chips, and dips. They also make a fun main with fries and coleslaw.
Round out the party table with our grape jelly meatballs and a batch of buffalo chicken tenders for the ultimate game day feast.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings FAQs
Yes. For these slow cooker BBQ chicken wings, you can swap the beer for chicken broth or ginger ale and still get tender, flavorful wings.
Baking is what gives these slow cooker BBQ chicken wings their sticky, caramelized finish. The slow cooker makes them tender, but the bake sets the sauce and evaporates the liquid.
Yes, just thaw them first. Frozen wings release too much liquid if cooked from frozen, which keeps these slow cooker BBQ chicken wings from getting sticky.
Yes. Slow cook the wings and make the sauce ahead, then do the final bake and baste just before serving for the freshest, stickiest wings.
Absolutely. You can use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce in place of the homemade sauce for these slow cooker BBQ chicken wings to save time.
Store leftover slow cooker BBQ chicken wings in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven or air fryer until hot to keep them sticky, not soggy.
Planning a game day spread? Add our grape jelly meatballs next.
Love BBQ chicken? These smoked chicken legs are a cookout favorite.
Craving comfort food? Make our Ritz cracker chicken.
Round out game day with our pulled pork sandwiches, a saucy, shareable BBQ favorite.
Add our BBQ chicken pizza to game day next to a platter of wings for a smoky, saucy spread.
After these BBQ chicken wings, stand a whole beer can chicken on the grill for a showstopping cookout.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds whole chicken wings cut into flats and drumettes, tips removed
- 2 tablespoons bbq seasoning
- 12 ounces lager beer
For the sauce:
- 1 ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup lager beer
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken layered in the slow cooker set on low heat. Between layers, evenly season with bbq seasoning.4 pounds whole chicken wings, 2 tablespoons bbq seasoning
- When you have layered all the wings, slowly pour in the beer. Let cook for 5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.12 ounces lager beer
- When wings are cooking, place the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, beer, mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and whisk until combined.1 ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 ¼ cup ketchup, ½ cup white vinegar, ½ cup lager beer, 2 teaspoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the pan over medium heat, stirring until the brown sugar dissolves, 1-2 minutes. Let the mixture come to a boil for 3 minutes and continue to stir constantly, making sure it doesn’t boil over.
- Take the sauce off the heat and let cool until ready to baste chicken wings.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
- After the wings have slow-cooked, place them on the prepared sheet tray in a single layer.
- Let them bake for 30 minutes, so most of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker evaporates.
- Turn wings over with a tong, and brush with the bbq sauce. Let them cook for 10 minutes.
- Take wings out again and flip, basting in more sauce. Let cook for an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized and sticky.
- Serve with any leftover bbq sauce in a small bowl on the side for dipping.
Notes
- We like to use a lager for this recipe, we have included some suggestions above but any beer can be used.
- These game day snacks can easily be doubled to serve more people.
- You can use fresh or frozen chicken wings, if using frozen let defrost.
- You can use whole chicken wings and break down or you can buy wingettes.
- These delicious wings can be cooked on low or high depending on your time frame.
- Use your favorite bottle of bbq sauce.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Evenly layer in the crockpot with the BBQ seasoning then pour on the beer. The sauce comes only when baking in the oven. I hope you like them, thanks!
Hi, this recipe looks amazing. I’m making them tonight as one of our appitizers for New Year’s Eve. Quick question though, when you say “evenly layer in crockpot with BBQ sauce” is that just BBQ sauce and beer? Then BBQ sauce blend goes on after when you bake? Or do you put the BBQ sauce blend on wings in crockpot too?
Thank you!!
YAY, I’m so glad you tried the recipe and loved it. Yes on ribs would be amazing!! Thanks again!!!
This was DELICIOUS!!! The sauce was AMAZING!!! My husband doesn’t like bbq sauce too much, but he really loved this one. This will work very well with ribs. Thank you!!!
awesome! thanks girl! 🙂
They were thawed, he will looove them!!
did you use thawed or frozen wings? looking forward to making these for my sons birthday party!
How did you “brown” them?
YAY, so glad you enjoyed them, thanks for letting us know how they came out!
These wings are the most awesome wings that I have ever tasted! The bbq sauce is so rich and tasty that you fill up quickly 🙂 I used 5 lbs of wings. I browned the wings before putting in the crock pot- put them in my crockpot and only needed to cook them on high 3 hours. Put them in the oven for 15 minutes and then brushed on the bbq sauce. Baked another 10 minutes turned and basted on the other side-baked 10 minutes more. They were cooked perfectly and so delicious!
I would set yours to 4 hour high, I cooked mine on 5 hours low. These didn’t fall completely off the bone but they are very tender, just be careful when you take them out of the slow cooker. I would use a slotted spoon to help. Thanks for the questions and coming by!!
These look yummy. I love trying home made BBQ sauces. Just one question… Or maybe 2 :). The 5 hours in the slow cooker on high or low? Mine has 4 settings: 4hr & 6 hr high and 8hr &10 hr low… Also my only issue with slow cooking is whenever I do bone in chicken it just falls right off the bone, is this an issue with these?
Thanks
Wow Miss Dana! Looks like you throw one heck of a party! I love that you cooked the wings in the slow cooker for most of the time. A lot of them have to be fried and I just hate to do that. Looks like ya’ll had an amazing time 🙂
I see these happening for the superbowl! Would love for you to come over and share at our link party! http://mommyondemand.com/happiness-homemade-1/