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Get It NowI’m usually a meat-off-the-bones kind of girl, but an easy Crock Pot chicken wings recipe (or some crispy chicken thighs!) can convert even me. And, these slow cooker wings definitely did. Season the wings, coat them with a garlic butter and then let the slow cooker do the work. The garlic parmesan chicken wings are cooked until tender and then crisped up in the oven until golden brown. No deep frying necessary!
I like to make low carb slow cooker recipes year round — the convenience is just impossible to beat. A couple of my favorites are creamy Tuscan garlic chicken, pulled pork, and beef barbacoa. I’ve even modified my popular easy broccoli cheddar soup for the slow cooker after people started asking for it. Try one of these slow cooker recipes next time!
Why You’ll Love These Crock Pot Chicken Wings
- Savory garlic parmesan flavor
- Tender on the inside, crispy on the outside
- Simple to make in just a few steps
- Just 10 minutes to prep
- Easy to make ahead
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this slow cooker chicken wings recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken Wings – I prefer to get my organic chicken wings delivered right to my door, but any wings that are separated into chicken wing sections will work.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
- Butter – I prefer grass-fed butter for nutrition and flavor, but you can use any unsalted butter. If you use salted, you’ll need to reduce the sea salt.
- Garlic – I used fresh minced garlic, but you can also use the kind from a jar, or substitute 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic.
- Parmesan cheese – I recommend shredded parmesan, but grated will also work.
- Green onions – Optional, but they make a great garnish for Crock Pot chicken wings. Chives can also be used.
How To Cook Chicken Wings In A Crock Pot
This section shows how to make chicken wings in a slow cooker with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Season chicken wings. The first thing to do is place the wings in the bottom of the slow cooker. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Make garlic butter. Heat butter and garlic together in a medium bowl or saucepan.
- Coat chicken wings. Pour garlic butter mixture over the wings and stir so they are coated evenly.
- Slow cook. Cook time on High is about 3 hours, or about 6 hours on Low, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Crisp up. Spread cooked wings in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spritzed with cooking spray. Give them a quick broil for about 5 minutes until crispy and golden. This step is key for crispy skin.
- Finish. The last step is to remove the wings from oven and top with shredded parmesan cheese. Broil for another 1-2 minutes, until melted. Garnish. Your delicious chicken wings are ready!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can put raw meat into a slow cooker, you just want to be sure to use the correct cooking temperature and time and cook it to a safe temperature.
Can you use frozen chicken wings in the slow cooker?
Yes, but not directly. Do not place frozen wings right into the slow cooker. There are two problems with this:
- There’s some controversy around whether this is safe. The USDA recommends against it, and while they tend to be conservative, in this case there is no reason to risk it. The reason is that placing frozen chicken wings in the slow cooker may leave them in the “danger zone” temperature (between 40 and 140 degrees F), where bacteria can breed, for too long. So even though the risk of food borne illness probably isn’t huge, it’s best not to risk it.
- The ice crystals will melt and water things down. This isn’t a good thing anyway, since we are going for crispy chicken wings and want the garlic butter sauce to stick.
So, what to do instead? How to make garlic Parmesan chicken wings if all you have is frozen wings?
Simply thaw the frozen chicken wings first. Pat them dry before using in the recipe.
The easiest way to do it is in the fridge overnight, but a few hours in the morning is fine, too. Alternatively, if you’re in a hurry, you can use the defrost function on the microwave.
How do you make chicken wings not soggy?
The best way to get crispy chicken wings in the slow cooker? Finishing them off under the broiler. The slow cooker cooks them so they are nice and tender and then they can crisp up in the oven.
Storage Instructions
Store the chicken garlic parmesan wings recipe in an airtight container the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
If you want to prep these ahead, cook the wings in the slow cooker and then arrange on a sheet pan and refrigerate.
When you’re ready to eat your slow cooker chicken wings, turn on the broiler and finish the remaining steps. On the day of, they’ll take just 12 minutes in the oven set to broil – 5 minutes on each side, then 2 minutes to melt the cheese. It’s a quick appetizer recipe that you can prep ahead.
Can you freeze this garlic parmesan chicken wings recipe?
Yes, you can freeze the cooked wings for 2-3 months.
Reheating instructions:
For best results, heat wings in a 375 degree F oven, until hot. The cooking time will vary slightly depending on wing size.
What To Serve With Crock Pot Chicken Wings
Serve slow cooker wings with celery sticks and carrot sticks along with your favorite dip or dressing: blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, or hot pepper sauce. These sauces also go great with other chicken wing recipes.
More Easy Chicken Wing Recipes
If you like this garlic parmesan chicken wings recipe, you might also like some of these other easy recipes for chicken wings:
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – A vegetarian option.
And see even more chicken recipes here!
Tools To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
- Slow Cooker – Can’t make the best slow cooker chicken wings without a slow cooker! This is a trusty one that won’t break the bank.
- Sheet Pan – Crisp up the garlic parmesan chicken wings on a sheet pan before serving.
Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Recipe
Crock Pot Chicken Wings (Garlic Parmesan)
Learn how to make Crock Pot chicken wings that are actually CRISPY! These garlic parmesan slow cooker chicken wings need just 4 ingredients.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Place the chicken wings in the bottom of a slow cooker. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
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In a small bowl or saucepan, stir together the melted butter and minced garlic. You can melt it on the stove or in the microwave. If melting on the stove, saute the garlic for about a minute before removing from heat.
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Pour the garlic butter mixture evenly over the chicken wings. Stir to coat.
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Cook the wings in the slow cooker on High for 3 hours.
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Toward the end, preheat the oven to Broil. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and grease well. (Wings will probably stick anyway, but it helps.)
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Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer on the pan. Broil for about 5 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden.
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Remove the garlic chicken wings from the oven. Top with shredded parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes, until melted.
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Garnish with green onions or chives, if desired.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 5 chicken wing pieces (drumettes and flats counted separately)
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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93 Comments
Bernadette Kubal
0Can I use boneless wings?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Bernadette, I don’t recommend using boneless wings in this recipe.
Richard
0I made the mistake of only buying a 2 1/2 lb bag of wings with no idea how I would make them ( my wife isn’t particularly fond of spicy). We agreed on this recipe. My grandsons, who are VERY picky eaters, loved it. Need to by 2 bags of wings next time.
Linda
0Can I substitute chicken thighs bone in skinless?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, Yes, that would work.
Debra Shockley
0These were delicious! The meat was falling off the bone. We have a picking eater and he loved these so we will be having these often. I am also going to use this recipe for regular chicken breasts. Yummy!
Charsetta
0Loved loved this it was mmmmm good 😋😋😋
Bernadette Franklin
0I fixed the crock pot wings last night for myself, very good, only took 1 hour to cook wings on high and 2 minutes in oven on broil to melt Parmesan cheese and make crispy and golden, as opposed to recipe saying 3 hours to cook wings and 5 minutes in broiler, I will fix again
Caylee
0If I plan to use only 1 LB of chicken wings, what would my measurements be for the other ingredients?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Caylee, You can change the serving size to 2 and it will give you the measurements for the other ingredients.