Crockpot chicken wings are a game-changer for anyone who loves tender, juicy wings with crispy skin. The slow cooker method ensures the meat practically falls off the bone, while a quick broil in the oven delivers that desirable crispiness. Whether you're looking for a great snack, an appetizer, or even a meal, slow cooker chicken wings are a versatile and delicious option. And with a few simple tweaks, you can easily make them keto-friendly!
Why Use a Crockpot for Chicken Wings?
The crockpot is perfect for making wings. The meat gets so tender and practically falls off the bone just before you pop the wings onto a sheet pan and place them under the broiler in your oven to crisp up the skin. Slow cooking the wings in chicken broth makes them real tender and juicy.
Keto Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings
Make these keto Buffalo BBQ Chicken Wings for a crowd right in your Crockpot slow cooker! It’s easy to make yummy chicken wings that fit into your keto nutritional goals by using a sugar-free BBQ sauce (like this G Hughes brand) and Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce. For these wings, I equally combined these two sauces to get the best of both worlds! Turns out slow cooker wings are DELISH and so darned easy to make! Then I placed them back inside the slow cooker on warm until game time! It’s such a great way to serve a bunch of chicken wings to a crowd and have them keep warm. This recipe makes seven servings of about two to three wings each.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken Wings: You’ll need fresh or thawed chicken wing pieces. Both the drums and the flats are great. Pat thawed wings dry and place in slow cooker.
- Chicken Wing Seasoning: A simple mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder works wonders. Or, season them with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Broth: Some chicken broth will provide the liquid you’ll need for these crockpot buffalo wings.
- Buffalo Wing Sauce: Every good homemade buffalo wing sauce should start with some Frank’s Red Hot Sauce! It’ll get mixed with butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and if you’re in the mood for extra spicy you can add in some cayenne pepper!
- Keto BBQ Sauce: For keto Buffalo BBQ wings, use a sugar-free BBQ sauce (like this G Hughes brand).
- Butter: Adds richness to the buffalo sauce.
- Vinegar: Adds a tangy counterpoint to the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds depth and umami to the sauce.
- Cayenne pepper (optional): For extra heat.
- Italian salad dressing: Use homemade dressing or store bought.
- No-sugar-added ketchup: To make the keto BBQ sauce.
Making the Wings: Step-by-Step
- Prepare the Chicken: If you have frozen chicken wings and don’t have the time to thaw them, you can go ahead and just add them to the slow cooker frozen. Add the chicken wing pieces to a 6 quart slow cooker.Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add Broth and Cook: Add the chicken broth and cover. Cook on high for 1 hour and 30 minutes. All slow cookers vary a bit, so test for doneness and continue cooking if necessary. If wings are frozen I cook them on high for 1 1/2 hour and then turn it down to low for last 2 1/2 hours.
- Broil for Crispy Skin: Remove the fully cooked chicken from the slow cooker and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to allow skin to crisp. Keep a close eye on the chicken as it can burn easily.
- Air Fryer Option: Brush with the sauce and cook at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until the sauce has caramelized and the skin has crisped up.
Crafting the Perfect Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Combine Ingredients: When the wings are nearly done cooking, add all of the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The cayenne pepper will give the sauce a spicier flavor.
- Simmer: Heat on medium low heat until butter melts and sauce combines.
Keto BBQ Sauce
In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup and Italian salad dressing until smooth.
Combining the Wings and Sauce
With the chicken and sauce finished all that’s left to do is coat the wings in the buffalo sauce! You can just add them to a bowl with the sauce and toss to coat.
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Serving Suggestions
Serve these wings as a snack, an appetizer, or even a meal. My family is in the mood for chicken wings basically any day of the week, and this is a great weeknight dinner idea if you add a salad or favorite low-carb veggie side dish. For dipping, we always recommend our keto ranch dressing - it’s seriously the best!
Tips and Variations
- Hot Sauce Alternatives: Sure, but your results will be a bit different than mine as the sauce was formulated based on using Frank’s. You could also just purchase a wing sauce and use that in place of our homemade wing sauce.
- Adjusting Sodium: Frank’s Red Hot has quite a bit of sodium, which is why it’s so high. Try a lower sodium hot sauce if this is something you’re concerned about or reduce the amount of sauce you use.
- Cooking from Frozen: Yes, you totally can! This will add another hour or so of cook time. And If you do cook from frozen, I would season and then cook some of the liquid off first.
- Crispy Wings: Place rack on cookie sheet and spray with nonstick spray. I also put parchment on the cookie sheet just to make clean up a little easier. Place 1/2 of wings on the cookie sheet and use a brush to brush sauce from saucepan onto the top of the wings. Place in broiler for about 15 minutes, or until top gets a bit charred. I like my wings crispy, if you don't you can pull them out a bit earlier. Pull wings out, flip them and brush more sauce on other side, place back under the broiler.
Storing Leftovers
They should last for a couple of days in the refrigerator if they are tightly covered. Another option is to prepare the chicken wings and the sauce and store them separately until you’re ready to eat. The homemade buffalo sauce will last even longer in the fridge in a sealed mason jar. Yes, they should last for up to four days in the refrigerator as long as they are in a sealed container. They’ll reheat best in a hot oven or air fryer.
Understanding Chicken Wing Anatomy
They are the flats, which are the flat looking pieces, and the drumettes which look like tiny chicken legs (drumsticks). Like I mentioned when I cooked the Red Thai Curry Chicken Wings, I'm no butcher, but I follow a basic procedure: Each wing gets split into three pieces, using some sharp kitchen shears.
Asian Flavored Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
These slow cooked chicken wings are succulent and moist, and have wonderful Asian flavors. I make the marinade in a separate bowl but you could easily make it in the slow cooker bowl too! Add everything to the slow cooker or an Instant Pot with slow cooker feature. Cook for about 2½ hours on high. You can serve them super soft right out of the slow cooker, but I prefer the skin to be crispy.
Keto Considerations
Regarding carb count, this recipe is practically zero. The wings themselves are zero, and if you added the marinade it would come out as 4g net carbs per serving. 4g net carbs per serving (half the recipe) if marinade is consumed (not intended). Carb count is negligible without the marinade.
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