Barbecue Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks are fall-off-the-bone tender and so flavorful! A delicious main dish for any occasion, and ideal for game day!
If you’ve never made chicken drumsticks in a crock pot, I’m here to tell you the results are otherworldly!
With a few simple ingredients and hardly any prep time, we’re left with succulent tender chicken with amazing BBQ flavor.
The way I see it, this easy recipe is ideal for any occasion including weeknight dinners or meal prep, and it also serves as great party food.
If you host people for watching football, put this one in the crock!
We simply season up some drumsticks with a spice rub, then slather them in barbecue sauce in the slow cooker. The crock pot does all the work for us! How easy is that?
I might be biased, but I find this is the best way to prepare barbecue drumsticks for the entire family because it makes a ton of food and the meat turns out tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
These slow cooker bbq drumsticks might be the new favorite way of preparing chicken for your whole family. Ideal for busy weeknight dinners or special occasions alike.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for slow cooker bbq chicken drumsticks.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Drumsticks:
Drumsticks: Pick up a large pack of chicken drumsticks from the grocery store, equivalent to about 4 pounds of chicken legs.
I recommend using fully thawed raw chicken instead of frozen drumsticks for the best result.
Use this as a bas recipe for all of your chicken slow cooker recipes.
You can use chicken breasts, bone-in chicken thighs, boneless thighs, and chicken wings. You can even butcher a whole chicken and use it in this easy slow cooker recipe.
Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Sea Salt, Black Pepper: This combination of spices makes an excellent dry rub for chicken!
Barbecue Sauce: The barbecue sauce is the shining star in this recipe, so be sure you pick one you love!
Use store-bought bbq sauce or homemade bbq sauce. You will need 2.5 to 3 cups, which ends up being about the size of a standard bottle of barbecue sauce.
I recommend using a sweet and savory sauce that has some brown sugar in it. Always feel free to use extra sauce!
Looking to try other variations of crock pot chicken drumsticks recipes? You can change up the seasonings and sauce to create all sorts of flavors! For instance, teriyaki sauce with a little soy sauce works great too.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for crockpot chicken legs, let’s make some slow cooker chicken drumsticks!
How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks:
Remove the chicken drumsticks from their packaging and pat off any excess moisture with paper towels.
In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper to combine.
Sprinkle the dry rub over both sides of the chicken.
You can perform this step in the package the chicken came in, or transfer the chicken to a zip lock bag or a large mixing bowl to toss everything together.
Transfer the seasoned drumsticks to the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour in 2 cups of barbecue sauce. If you’d like, you can use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to move the chicken pieces around until they are well coated in sauce.
Secure the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 5-6 hours on low heat.
For crispy skin, once the chicken has finished cooking, use tongs to transfer it to a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Brush the remaining ½ cup of barbecue sauce over the drumsticks using a silicone brush.
Broil chicken in the oven for 3-8 minutes, or until the skin reaches your desired level of crisp.
Serve these slow cooker chicken legs with extra barbecue sauce and any side dishes you love.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How Long To Cook Drumsticks in a Crock Pot:
The exact cooking time for chicken drumsticks in a slow cooker varies depending on how many pounds of chicken you use as well as their temperature going into the slow cooker.
On high heat, 3 to 4 hours works great, and on low heat, 5 to 6 hours is optimal.
While chicken is technically cooked through once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, I recommend cooking drumsticks or chicken thighs to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (up to 200 degrees). This results in the best flavor and texture!
For this reason, use my timing instructions as a guideline, but allow your meat thermometer to be the final decision in terms of exact timing.
I also like taking the step of broiling the chicken after it comes out of the slow cooker so that the skin has a nice crispy texture to it. Without the broiling step, the chicken skin is very soft and not as appetizing. Be sure to allot a few minutes for broiling!
Slow cooker drumsticks is one of those easy family recipes that produces tasty flavorful chicken every single time.
With only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, these crockpot drumsticks make the easiest delicious meal!
But don’t stop at crockpot chicken drumsticks! I highly recommend using this as a base recipe for slow cooker chicken thighs as well!
Looking for delicious side dishes to serve with chicken? Here are some of my personal favorites.
What to Serve with Chicken Drumsticks:
- Melting Sweet Potatoes
- Gluten-Free Cornbread
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Italian Salad
Make this chicken drumsticks in a crock pot recipe the next time you’re feeding a crowd!
Crock Pot Drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove the chicken drumsticks from their packaging and pat off any excess moisture with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper to combine. Sprinkle the dry rub over both sides of the chicken. You can perform this step in the package the chicken came in, or transfer the chicken to a zip lock bag or a large mixing bowl to toss everything together.
- Transfer the seasoned drumsticks to the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour in 2 cups of barbecue sauce. If you’d like, you can use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to move the chicken pieces around until they are well coated in sauce.
- Secure the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 5-6 hours on low heat.
- For crispy skin, once the chicken has finished cooking, use tongs to transfer it to a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Brush the remaining ½ cup of barbecue sauce over the drumsticks using a silicone brush.
- Broil chicken in the oven for 3-8 minutes, or until the skin reaches your desired level of crisp.
- Serve these slow cooker chicken legs with extra barbecue sauce and any side dishes you love.
Nutrition
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