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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Ingrid says
Best non frying buffalo chicken drumlet recipe ever.Folliwed the recipe to a T and will make it again. I have two boys (19+21) that were thrilled to have this for dinner.
Nate says
I never comment but after reading so many comments of people that don’t follow the entire recipe then complain I have to. You did dat Chef!
To everyone else stop making the recipe your own before you make it the way the source said.
Theresa says
I made the wings tonight they were spicy but rubbery even after 10 minutes under the broiler will try again but I will back them first
Rachel says
I found this recipe a couple of years ago and fell in love. I have come back time and again to make this and they turn out fabulous each time! I have created a shortcut by measuring out the spice rub twice each I make the wings. I save the rub mixture in a small container in my spice cabinet and it makes for a super speedy prep the next time we want mouth watering wings. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Pat says
This didn’t work at all. Followed it to the letter and 2 hours later it was near fully cooked inside but was a rubbery skinned unappetizing mess of a wings just sitting in a pool of bland buffalo wing sauce soup water. Was not sticky at all. I had my doubts that this cook work cooking it in a crock pot and my suspicion was validated. Had to take them out and put them on a spring form baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and from them with wing sauce and bake them like I should have done from the beginning. Let’s chalk it up to the Crock-Pot method being an effective par boil so to speak but no way can you get the end product you are looking for and what this recipe is selling by just leaving them in a Crock-Pot. B.S. There is no way this author actually got this to work and I’m mad I had to do this about face in the coarse of the cooking process to change it up to something that so should have known was the way to to begin with
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sorry you didn’t find these to be your kind of wings. I think you must have missed the part in the recipe where I talk about how to create that sticky glaze. You DO have to broil them, nothing comes out of the crockpot crispy or sticky.
Toni says
Exactly. The glaze, if done correctly is amazingly dee-lish! Thanks Chef.
Danielle says
BEST WINGS EVER!!! I followed this recipe to a T and.. OMG they were Perfection! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! These will now be my husband’s “goto” wings!
Jay says
Don’t Listen to Pat’s negative comment. He clearly doesn’t follow instructions very well. This recipe is absolutely delicious
Denise A Miller says
These are fantastic, made them today! Best wings I’ve ever made!
Laura says
These wings were the best I have ever had! They were sweet with a little kick. Finger licking good
Lovliqueen says
I was looking for a recipe that can easily do because I work from home and have to be at my computer at all times. This fits the bill. I am going to try this today. Thanks!
Dez fox says
Currently making these tonight I’m super excited the house smells amazing will Ben back to Tate the final product! 🤤
Patrick Budnick says
Good recipe, I played around with it a little..and turned out very good..
Matthew Scott says
Unbelievable. Absolutely unreal. I’ve made these twice now. The first was perfect, never had anything like it and might not ever again. The second wasn’t as good unfortunately. Not sure what I did wrong, maybe got the sauce wrong or overcooked it. Anyway, I’ll definitely be making them again.
Hopefully I can replicate the first success.
Casandra Newkirk says
I have a bunch of chicken drumettes would that work instead of wings so I can use up the food I have. Thanks!
Charlie bodiford says
Best wings ever,thank you!delicious!
Connie Satterfield says
You are the first time in my 64 years I have ever seen the name Bodiford other than our family. It’s my maiden name. My dad was Horace Bodiford. If you would like to message me my name is Connie Satterfield email conniesatterfield@ gmail.com
Malia says
Did you do the optional broil step on the wings in the photo? Unsure if I would prefer the saucy consistency or the sticky glaze. Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes I did… I love the stickiness 🙂
Kris says
Could These be made a day ahead of time and then warmed up in the crockpot again? Would the caramelization keep? Thanks.
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t actually tested the recipe that way so I can’t say for certain, unfortunately.
Andy says
Holy mackerel these are delicious! I don’t like wings that are too spicy so I contemplated cutting down on the hot sauce, but I believe in following the recipe the first time I make a new dish. I’m so glad I did! The balance of flavors is perfect. And my partner doesn’t even like wings but started raving about them after the first bite and went back for seconds. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Kisha Komeya says
Can i use buffalo than original?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written, but you can certainly try it.
Nancy Williams says
Wow, these are wonderful!!
Noah says
I recommend 5-6 hours on low.
Ashley says
Such a good flavor, perfect amount of sweet and spice! Amazingly sticky