Make buffalo wings the easy way, by cooking them in the slow cooker! Made stress-free and loaded with mouthwatering finger-licking flavors, this recipe is perfect for home-gating with the Crock-Pot® brand!
Are you ready for some serious home-gating? Try your buffalo wings in the slow cooker and watch how quickly they disappear! Plus, they’re hands-off, so you can enjoy the game and your guests!
These Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Wings are sponsored by the Crock-Pot® brand. All opinions are mine alone.
When I think of great game day food, there’s one quintessential food that everyone loves and asks for… buffalo wings!
There’s something so tempting about those little bites of crispy, sticky, juiciness… so deliciously spicy and just waiting to be dipped in some ranch or blue cheese dressing! Today I’ve partnered with Crock-Pot® brand to bring you this incredibly appetizer recipe!
True, there’s no dainty way to eat buffalo wings; at least not that I’ve seen or tried. You just have to go for it, with sticky hands and usually some sauce on your face. It’s so worth it though!
I know there are a LOT of chicken wing flavor combos out there, but my all-time favorite is the honey buffalo flavor.
I love buffalo sauce, but sometimes it can be overpowering, and a bit too spicy. The honey comes in and just mellows it out, not to mention it helps the sauce caramelize beautifully when you broil them!
Just as there are a lot of sauce flavors out there, there are also quite a few cooking methods. There’s the classic fried, there’s broiled, baked, and my new favorite, the slow cooked method!
Who knew making chicken wings could be SO easy!! I love a great appetizer that I can pop in the slow cooker and forget about for a couple of hours.
I can serve food right out of this slow cooker during a party… which means less dishes to wash… and it looks beautiful! It has all the great Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker quality you’ve come to expect from their products, plus I LOVE the NFL logo (go Bengals!).
For a true saucy consistency to the buffalo wings, just cook in the slow cooker and serve; but if you want a truly sticky glaze, there’s a little work at the end.
No worries though, it’s not super time consuming, and once it’s done, you can pop the glazed wings back in the slow cooker on warm for the party!
As far as what to serve these honey buffalo wings with, the sky is the limit! Traditional carrot and celery sticks, blue cheese sauce, ranch dressing, lime wedges, green onion garnish… you really can’t go wrong!
My personal favorite is blue cheese sauce, but my family is hooked on ranch dressing, so we usually end up with both.
The next time you’re hosting a game day party (home-gating for the win!), give these easy slow cooker honey buffalo wings a try! You’ll love how easy they are, plus how amazing they taste!
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker – There are so many types and sizes to choose from… but a locking lid is my “must have”
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
SPICE RUB:
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder or dried minced onion
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried parsley
HONEY BUFFALO SAUCE:
- 3/4 cup hot sauce (Frank's Original is what I always use)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tbsp molasses (optional but recommended)
WINGS:
- 4 lbs fresh chicken wings, patted dry
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add rub ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add chicken wings. Sprinkle rub over the top and use hands to massage the rub into all the chicken wings. I like to use nitrile gloves for this - easy clean up!
- In the empty rub mixing bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk to combine well. Pour over spiced wings and toss gently to coat.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or on LOW for 3-4 hours.
FOR STICKY GLAZE:
- Cook slow cooker recipe as directed above. Line a baking sheet with 2 sheets of aluminum foil, then place an oven safe wire cooling rack on top. Place cooked wings on cooling rack, then pour sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water to a small bowl and whisk to combine well, then pour into sauce and whisk. Cook over MED-HIGH heat until boiling, then reduce heat to MED-LOW and whisk as it cooks. Cook about 5 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency.
- Brush wings with thickened sauce, then broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce caramelizes a little. Brush with more glaze and broil another 2 minutes. Repeat this one more time and you should have perfectly sticky wings!
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Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Andrew says
Great recipe, I only came on here to get a cooking time but gained so much more information. I marinated 2lb of chicken wings in a store bought bolognaise sauce. Garlic and herb I think and didn’t really know a cooking time. The finished product was amazing and the idea of thickening the marinade as a glaze was perfect
Alexis McCloud says
Me & my family loved this wings must do again. Loved 💕💕💕💕💕💕😘🥰🥰🥰🥰
AJ says
Extremely tasty. I used your spice rub as-is, and it was perfect. I went for a honey bbq wing instead of a buffalo wing because I didn’t have enough buffalo sauce. I also seared the wings in my multicooker before using the slow-cook setting, but otherwise I followed your instructions and ended up with incredibly delicious crockpot wings. I will save this page for future reference.
Robyn says
I’ve made these twice now, and both times they have turned out fantastic! Thank you for an easy and delicious wing recipe.
TS says
Would not make again. Flavor was kind of weird.
Ashley says
Hi Amanda,
What are your recommendations if I want to use chicken breat instead of wings for this recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
I would cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until fully cooked. Keep in mind it will likely turn into shredded chicken (as is common when you cook chicken breasts in a slow cooker).
TraceyLee says
These are in my crockpot now! Super excited after reading the positive reviews!
Beth Sibole says
Please send me this recipe
The Chunky Chef says
Unfortunately, you scrolled past the recipe card to leave a comment. The recipe card has a large navy blue header color (to help it stand out), and there’s also a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page that will take you directly to the recipe card.
ZZT says
Hello Amanda: I’ve tried this recipe twice already following the recipe to the T except for the buffalo sauce. I use Frank’s honey buffalo sauce as that what I have in my pantry. The wings are delicious, the meat almost fall right off the bones, and most importantly my boys love love them. I’ve tried other recipes but none came close as delicious as yours. Definitely a keeper!!! Thank You!!!
Holly says
Hi, I’m thinking about trying these out and bring them to a potluck do you think it’d be okay broiling them then returning them to the crock pot on keep warm to bring them?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I know many readers have done that with good success 🙂
J. Bell says
Cooked for Super Bowl. My son had a basketball game and I needed to get things going. Just before I walked out the door the game was cancelled. Wings had already been on for an hour. Glad he had a game. These were the best wings ever. The meat fell off the bone and was so tender. This in my “YES” pile.
Kerri Sinn says
Love these wings. We make them often, especially during football season. I like that I can remove all the skin before cooking so we don’t get that extra fat.
Nichole says
Making this AGAIN today for Super Bowl. Best wing receipt & easiest.