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GET IT NOW- Why You Need My Crock Pot Chicken Wings
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Cook Chicken Wings In A Crock Pot
- My Recipe Tips
- Sauce & Seasoning Variations
- Storage & Meal Prep
- Serving Ideas
- More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Crock Pot Chicken Wings (Garlic Parmesan) Recipe card
- Gratitude Moment
- Recipe Reviews
I used to be a meat-off-the-bones kind of girl, but these Crock Pot chicken wings converted me years ago. And now I can’t get enough wings… as long as they are crispy! Now, let’s be real, crispy is not usually the word you’d use to describe slow cooker chicken wings (or slow cooker anything). But I’ve developed an easy method that will leave them not only super juicy inside, but also crispy on the outside. And you’re going to love this garlic parmesan coating. Make these with me for tender, flavorful — and very crispy — wings with minimal effort!
Why You Need My Crock Pot Chicken Wings
- Fall-off-the-bone chicken with crispy skin – It seems impossible, but it isn’t! It’s not unusual for slow cooker chicken wing recipes to turn out amazingly juicy and tender, and these definitely are, but my method also gets you that crispy skin.
- Buttery, garlicky flavors – My simple garlic butter coating with parmesan is rich, savory, and I’ll say it, irresistible. But I also have several variations for you below if you prefer a different flavor.
- Fuss-free slow cooker cooking – I make slow cooker recipes year-round, from Tuscan chicken and these Crock Pot wings to pulled pork and beef barbacoa, because they’re just so hands-off. And this recipe needs just 4 simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper).
- Perfect for any occasion – Whether it’s game day, a weeknight dinner, or just a weekend pick-me-up, these wings will be a hit with your family. They’re easy to make and disappear fast!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my slow cooker chicken wings recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Chicken Wings – I prefer to get my organic chicken wings delivered from here, but any wings that are separated into drumettes and wingettes will work. If you want to use chicken breasts or thighs, make my garlic parmesan chicken instead.
- Butter – I like this brand of grass-fed butter, but you can use any unsalted butter. If you use salted, you’ll need to reduce the sea salt to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Garlic – I highly recommend fresh minced garlic here! You can also use a tablespoon of the kind from a jar, or substitute 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder in a pinch, but fresh tastes the best.
- Parmesan cheese – I like shredded parm on my Crock Pot chicken wings because it gets more melty, but grated works if that’s what you’ve got.
- Green onions – Just an optional garnish for a pop of color! Chives make a good substitute.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Cook Chicken Wings In A Crock Pot
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Season the chicken. Place the wings into your slow cooker. It’s fine if they overlap! Season with the sea salt and black pepper, and mix to disperse the spices evenly.
- Toss with garlic butter. Heat the butter and garlic together to melt the butter. You can do this in a medium bowl in the microwave, or a saucepan on the stove. (The stovetop option will give you extra flavor because you can saute the garlic for a minute!) Pour the garlic butter mixture over the wings and stir to coat evenly.
- Cook the chicken wings in the slow cooker. The time will vary depending on whether you use low or high, so just see my recipe card below for details.
- Get them nice and crispy! This is where the magic happens. After slow cooking, a quick trip to the broiler gives these wings a crispy, golden-brown finish. Spread the wings on a lined baking sheet, and broil until crispy and golden, flipping halfway through. Don’t worry, this step is super quick, but so important!
- Add the parmesan. Top the Crock Pot chicken wings with with shredded parmesan cheese, then broil again until the cheese melts.
My Recipe Tips
- Thaw your chicken wings before slow cooking. This avoids any food safety risks (source from the USDA) and ensures that the garlic butter sauce sticks. Plus, frozen wings can water things down, making it harder to get that crispy texture later. If you don’t have time to thaw, make my frozen air fryer chicken wings instead.
- Use a liner for easy cleanup. If you want easier cleanup, use reusable slow cooker liners like this. Just lift out the liner and toss it in the dishwasher when you’re done.
- Do you really have to broil them? No, but I highly recommend it because the skin is pretty soggy if you don’t include this step. After broiling, you get the best of both worlds — super juicy, tender meat inside and crispy, golden skin on the outside.
- Watch closely when broiling. The time to brown can vary. I recommend placing the wings 6 inches from the heating element for this step, and when I do this my slow cooker wings usually take 5 minutes per side to brown.
- Don’t want to use your oven? You can also crisp up the wings in your air fryer! Just preheat to 400 degrees F, then air fry for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy. You’ll need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the basket, which is why I usually prefer the oven for a large batch like this recipe.
- You can serve the chicken wings in the slow cooker if you like. Just drain the liquid and wipe it down, then place the wings back in after broiling — like my picture below. I like to do this and keep my Crock Pot on the warm setting, so the wings stay warm!
Sauce & Seasoning Variations
I’m obsessed with these garlic parmesan wings, but my method will work to get crispy, fall-off-the-bone Crock Pot chicken wings with any sauce you like — or no sauce at all!
Saucy Options:
For most sauces, I use 1 cup to cook the chicken wings in the slow cooker and then an extra 1/2 cup at the end. You can use:
- The buffalo sauce from my buffalo wings recipe
- Regular or sugar free BBQ sauce (similar to my Crock Pot chicken legs)
- Your favorite hot sauce (mixed with butter or olive oil)
- Teriyaki sauce for some sweetness
Just toss the wings with sauce before slow cooking, then brush on more sauce either before or after broiling.
Seasoned Options:
You don’t have to use a sauce for these to turn out juicy and crispy! If you want to keep it simple, just season the wings in the Crock Pot, slow cook, spritz with olive oil spray, and broil.
The seasonings from my baked chicken wings taste great, or try 2 tablespoons of my lemon pepper seasoning.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Season the wings and prep the sauce ahead of time, then refrigerate separately. You can also cook Crock Pot chicken wings and hold off on the broiling step. I find that if I wait to broil them until the day-of, they taste like I made them fresh!
- Reheat: You can reheat the chicken wings in the slow cooker again, but they don’t turn out crispy that way. So, I prefer to reheat them in the oven at 375 degrees F, or my air fryer at 350 degrees F.
- Freeze: Arrange the wings on a line sheet pan in a single layer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip lock bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you know you’ll be freezing them, wait until after thawing to broil.
Serving Ideas
Crock Pot chicken wings are really versatile in that they can be a main dish, an appetizer, or even a snack. Here are some ways I serve them:
- Dipping Sauce – These garlic butter wings are already plenty flavorful on their own, but I really like them with ranch dressing. If you make my buffalo version in the variations above, blue cheese dressing pairs well with that, too.
- Raw Veggies – Wings wouldn’t be complete without the classic celery sticks and carrot sticks. Sometimes I mix it up with radishes and bell pepper strips, too.
- Pizza – I love slow cooker wings and pizza for a comfort food dinner! Try my pizza casserole or cauliflower crust pizza for lighter options.
- Salad – For a complete meal deal, add one of my crisp salad recipes! My creamy radish salad or simple cucumber tomato salad are so easy.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
If you like my Crock Pot chicken wings recipe, you might also like my other ways to cook them up crispy:
Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Crock Pot – I love mine that has 30-minute time increments and it’s the perfect size for family meals.
- Sheet Pan – I have this baking sheet in every size because it’s that amazing. I also have the version with a wire rack — use it if you want even crispier wings.
Crock Pot Chicken Wings (Garlic Parmesan)
My recipe will make your Crock Pot chicken wings actually CRISPY, with fall-off-the-bone chicken and 3-ingredient garlic parmesan coating.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Place the chicken wings in the bottom of a slow cooker. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Mix well.
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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 for 2.5-3 hours on High or 5-6 hours on Low, until almost fall-off-the-bone tender.
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Toward the end, preheat the oven to Broil. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, or you can use foil and grease well. (If using parchment paper, make sure there isn't any excess to prevent burning under the broiler.)
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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 chicken wings from the oven. Top with shredded parmesan cheese. Return to the oven (under the broiler again) for 1-2 minutes, until melted.
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Garnish with green onions or chives if you like.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/8 of the entire recipe, or about 5 chicken wings
- Tips: See the details in the post above! I’ve got tips to help you get your slow cooker wings nice and crispy, an easy cleanup trick, notes on using frozen wings, an alternative to your broiler, and more.
- Flavor variations: See the details in the post above! I’ve got ways you can make these with buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, simply seasonings, and more.
- Storage: Up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Meal prep: Cook the chicken wings in the Crock Pot, keep in the fridge, and wait to broil them until the day you’re serving them.
- Freeze: Up to 3 months in the freezer. I recommend freezing on a sheet pan first to prevent sticking, then transfer to a zip lock bag.
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Crock Pot Chicken Wings
Gratitude Moment
I’m definitely grateful for my slow cooker on busy days! The only hard part is remembering to set it earlier in the day, but that’s what my phone reminders are for, lol.
These slow cooker chicken wings have saved me on more than one occasion. And if I know I’ll have an extra busy day, I even slow cook them the day before and broil the day-of.
How often do you use your slow cooker? I’m curious if I should focus on slow cooker recipes more, or not. Let me know in the comments below!
114 Comments
Sara
0I never thought about broiling them after, but it totally works! I love cooking them in the slow cooker because it saves so much time. And parmesan + Garlic = LOVE
Melinda Tanner
0This has become one of our weekly favorites!! So easy….and all the picky eaters in the house love it.
Arena
0Can’t wait to make this however I only have boneless chicken thighs. Any idea how much one serving should weigh?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Arena, This sounds delicious with boneless chicken thighs! Usually a serving is about 4 ounces, but it depends on what else you serve it with. I’ve definitely had more than that for meals before.
Chris
0I am trying to figure out how you got the nutrition facts. When I put them into my plan there is so much more of everything then what you have. Is there some kind of special chicken your using?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chris, The nutrition info for ingredients comes directly from the USDA Food Database. No special chicken 🙂
Kathleen Bushey
0Is there a difference in the nutritional value between the wings and drumlettes? If so, how do you count it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathleen, I’m sure the amount of meat varies very slightly form wing to wing, but overall it’s about the same and I wouldn’t worry about counting them differently.
Kathleen Bushey
0Is it possible to double the recipe and place it in the Crock Pot all together? Can’t wait to try it except that I will also being using thighs because that’s what I have available.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathleen, Doubling the recipe is fine as long as it all fits in your slow cooker. Same with different types of meat. However, for wings, when you roast them at the end in the oven, they do need to be in a single layer at that time. Multiple layers in the slow cooker are fine.
Alex
0This looks good! Question- can you set crock pot on low for like 6 hours instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Alex! Yes, you definitely can!
Ashley
0I’m making these today except with thighs! How long should I cook in the slow cooker? TIA! These sound soooo good
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ashley. You cook the wings for 3 hours on high in the slow cooker. Thank you!
Patricia Bissonnette
0I just made these parmesan chicken wings….Very, very good! I made half the recipe and it was definitely worth the effort! The chicken meat literally fell off the bone! I followed the recipe and crisped them up under the broiler….perfect! The worst thing I can say is due to my ventilation, or lack thereof, my kitchen filled with smoke from the broiler. But that has nothing to do with how yummy these chicken wings were! Really, really yummy & easy!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Patricia! I’m glad you liked them. Sorry to hear about the ventilation issues, but like you said, I don’t think they are related to this recipe.
Cindi
0I’ve been making these for about 30 years! At first, I made them in my oven and lately in my air fryer… they are always a hit…
Dan
0I was wondering the purpose of separating the flats from the drumettes in the list of ingredients. When you put them in the crockpot, add the garlic butter and stir don’t they just get mixed up anyway?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dan, It just means breaking them apart, you don’t have to actually keep them separate.
Karen
0Hi Maya – thank you for the recipe – looks good! I am just wondering if you should only cook a single layer of wings on the bottom of the crock pot? Or can you do more than one layer? Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, More than one layer of chicken wings in the slow cooker is totally fine. Just make sure they are in a single layer in the pan when you broil them after.
Michelle
0How many wings are you cooking in the slow cooker at one time? How big is your slow cooker? I’m asking because I don’t want to overcrowd.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michelle, I have this slow cooker and cook all the wings (4 lb) at once. You don’t need to worry too much about overcrowding because they go under the broiler afterward. Just make sure they are in a single layer when you broil them.
Doreen
0OMG! These are SO tasty! Luckily I had some chicken thighs in the freezer (OK, NOT chicken WINGS LOL!), but as soon as this recipe appeared in my email inbox, I couldn’t wait to try it. So GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN WINGS became GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN THIGHS. But I have to say, the finished result was really, really tasty and SO low in carbs. Thank you Maya! Another winner and so easy! You’re a lifesaver. BTW, I did these in the instant pot as you advised and they turned out beautifully.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Doreen! Great idea to try it with chicken thighs. I’m also glad to hear it worked well in the Instant Pot, too.
Marsala
0Hi Maya. Thank you for this recipe, I’m looking forward to making this! Do the wings need to be thawed before going in the crockpot?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Marsala, Yes, it’s best to thaw and pat dry first. The butter/garlic mixture will stick better when they are thawed, and the water from the ice crystals won’t water it down. Also, there is some controversy about whether it’s safe to place frozen chicken directly into a slow cooker, due to the amount of time it would spend in the “danger zone” temperature range and the possible risk of food borne illness. Given both of these reasons, just thaw the wings overnight and pat dry before following the recipe.
Maria Lybrand
0Can these be done in the instant pot? If so, how long do they cook in the instant pot?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Maria, I haven’t tried that yet but you definitely can. This is how I would do it. Add a cup of chicken broth to the bottom, then place the trivet inside and the wings on top of that. It’s probably best to mix the garlic butter with the wings separately first before placing them inside. Set the Instant Pot to 5 minutes and then at the end, let pressure release naturally for 5 more minutes before switching to quick release. From there you can broil the same way as the instructions on the recipe card.
Mariessa
0This just doubled my excitement!
Lori
0These look delicious. Can frozen wings be used? If so, is there an adjustment needed for the cooking time? Thanks so much!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Lori! You can use frozen wings, but thaw them first.