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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Grandma Tonya says
This is my second time making this and I must say, IT IS GREAT. I made an extra batch of the spice rub and put it in a baggy. I will try it with my chops tomorrow.
OMG! Did I say how GREAT these wings were? The first time I made these wings, my mother was down visiting and she loved them.
Thanks for the recipe.
Claire says
Do you boil or cook the wings before you place them in the crockpot? I have seen recipes that call for 6 hours cooking time. 3 to 4 hours is not long. Thanks? Also would the time increase if we had more wings?
The Chunky Chef says
Nope, no pre-cooking necessary 🙂 As noted in the recipe, if you’re using frozen wings, then cooking time will be increased, up to 6 hours total. I’ve never cooked more than the amount specified, so I can’t say for sure.
Sheila says
I have these in the slowncooker right now and will post later.
Shawna Clanton says
These wings were the hit our tail gate party. Thanks for posting.
Linda says
I just made these! Doing a “trial run” for a dish to bring to the super bowl party this Sunday, I’ve never made any type of buffalo wings, I’m not even a big fan of them. Absolutely love these wings, a great mix of spicey & sweet! I did the extra part putting them in the oven on broil, highly recommend doing that. I will be doubling this recipe for Sunday’s game!
Amy says
Did you then put them back into slow cooker to serve? I want to bring to a super bowl party as well and wondering if I can just bring the crock pot for serving so they stay warm. Thanks!
rick Roessler says
you are right they have to be broiled wonderful wings
Jaileika says
These wings omg!!!! Big hit in my house. Top favorite wing recipe
Whitney Williamson says
In crockpot now. Will post pics when finished. Cant wait!
Janie says
Yummy!! Messy!! Definitely a keeper.
Dianne Helms says
Do you use the sauce from the slow cooker to make the sticky glaze?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, after you remove the wings to the baking sheet, just pour the sauce right from the slow cooker and into the saucepan 🙂
Marie says
In the slow cooker now! Will post again when done. Can not wait!
Gloria says
Do you cook the wings with sauce in slow cooker for sticky wings also?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Gloria 🙂 Yes, you cook the wings as directed in the recipe (in the slow cooker with sauce), then do the extra steps at the end for the sticky glaze.
Paula - bell'alimento says
So perfect for game day! Looks amazing.
Brady says
These look yummy! I am going to try one! Thanks!
Catalina @ Peas & Peonies says
Slow cooker is such a life saver! And I love slow cooker meals!
Allyson Zea says
these look seriously delicious!
Jac says
Anything made in a slow cooker will always have a place in my cookbook. I love the pairings of flavors for the sauce.
Andreya says
ooh!!! look so delicious. It’s tempting a lot. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Dee says
These look amazing, and they’re perfect for gameday!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I loved that you pared the hot sauce with molasses and honey! Perfect combo!
Krista says
Oh my gosh these look so good! I have got to make them for our next Football gathering!