Sweet and Spicy BBQ Crockpot Chicken Wings + Video
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Crockpot Chicken Wings are so juicy and tender — they practically melt in your mouth. Take them to the next level with this sweet and spicy chicken wings recipe! My homemade sauce features the bold flavors of honey, garlic, and chili paste. These slow cooker BBQ chicken wings are a game changer.
Crockpot Chicken Wings
Sweet and spicy is one of the best flavor combos out there, and these slow cooker chicken wings with honey barbecue sauce are just the right thing to satisfy that craving.
Caramelized to perfection and so easy to make — you’ll only need 15 minutes of prep time!
Simply let the crock pot work its magic and you’ll have perfect honey BBQ chicken wings in almost no time at all.
Recipe Video
To see us make sweet and spicy crockpot chicken wings from start to finish, watch the video in this post!
For more easy slow cooker recipes, try my delicious Pork Chops and Gravy or these tasty Buffalo Wings.
Or, if you absolutely love the flavor of these sweet and spicy chicken wings, try my Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings next!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken Wings – Feel free to use a mix of drumettes and flat, or all drumettes, for this sweet and spicy chicken wings recipe.
- Brown Sugar – Add brown sugar to get the perfect level of sweetness.
I recommend using light brown sugar since its flavor is more mild and subtle than dark brown sugar. - Soy Sauce – Since this recipe calls for additional salt, opt for low-sodium soy sauce.
Only have regular soy sauce? No worries, simply omit the additional salt. - Chili Paste – I typically use the Garden Gourmet brand, which can be found in the produce section of the grocery store.
- Garlic – I prefer minced garlic for crock pot wings, but garlic powder will work just fine if that’s all you have on hand.
Tips for the Best Sweet and Spicy Wings
- Dry the chicken. Pat the chicken lightly with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will help the sauce stick to the surface.
- Check internal temp. Use a digital meat thermometer to make sure that the slow cooker BBQ chicken wings are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Thicken sauce. Once the wings are cooked, don’t forget to transfer the sauce to the stove!
Bring it to a boil and stir occasionally — you’ll know it’s ready once it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. - Use a basting brush. This will help you coat your crockpot chicken wings evenly and ensure that all areas are fully coated with the amazing sweet and spicy wings sauce.
- Broil carefully. Broiling will leave your wings crispy and caramelized.
But you’ll only need to broil for about 2-3 minutes — watch your sauce carefully so that it doesn’t suddenly burn!
Storing and Reheating Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings
Leftover crockpot chicken wings can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F and lay the wings on a baking sheet. Pop them in the oven until heated through, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Slow Cooker – Great for soups, roasts, shredded chicken, and more!
I love it in the cooler months, but it’s also great in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the whole house with the oven. - Medium Saucepan – Heats evenly and is easy to clean too.
- Basting Brush – I like this one over the silicone ones. This brush is useful for everything from greasing pans to basting food.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings FAQ
Yes! Frozen chicken will work just fine with this sweet and spicy chicken wings recipe. Simply adjust your crockpot cooking time to 2-3 hours on High, or 4-6 hours on Low.
These make a tasty meal on their own, but sweet and spicy wings can be paired with delicious sides to make the meal more complete.
Serve this recipe with my Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Air Fried Onion Rings, or this creamy Smoked Mac and Cheese.
Yes, but only is you boil it as directed in the recipe card. This will eliminate any harmful bacteria that may occur from being cooked with raw chicken.
Once boiled, allow sweet and spicy chicken wings sauce to cool and transfer to an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Sweet Spicy BBQ Crockpot Chicken Wings with Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili paste, I use Garden Gourmet
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 pounds fresh chicken wings, or drumettes *See Notes
Instructions
- To a 5-quart slow cooker, add the honey, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, chili paste, salt and garlic. Using a large spoon, stir to combine. Add chicken wings and stir well to fully coat them with sauce.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on High for 1 to 2 hours, or 2½ to 3 hours on Low, or until the wings are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Using tongs, transfer the wings from the crock pot to a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.
- Transfer the sauce from the slow cooker to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, use a basting brush to slather the wings with sauce.
- Set your oven to broil.
- Place the baking sheet of wings under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce starts to caramelize. *Watch closely – the sauce can very quickly go from perfect to burnt.
- Remove the pan of wings from the oven, brush with another layer of sauce, and broil again for 1 minute. Repeat one more time, coating wings with sauce and broiling until caramelized.
- Remove chicken wings from the oven, transfer to a large platter for servings. Enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2017, updated and republished January 2024
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for your support; it allows us to keep creating new recipes.
Tortilla Roll-ups
My favorite appetizer from your site is Parmesan Herb Bread Sticks!
waytoomanycat @ gmail . com
My favorite appetizers are anything with cream cheese as the base; dips are really my favorite. One that comes to mind is crab dip made with cream cheese as the bottom layer, cocktail sauce in the middle and dungenous crab layered on top served with some type of buttery cracker. My stomach just growled thinking about it!
My favorite appetizers are anything with cream cheese as the base; dips to be exact. One dip that comes to mind has a layer of cream cheese on the bottom, cocktail sauce in the middle and dungeonous crab layered over the top served on a crisp, buttery cracker! YUM! My stomach just growled thinking about it!
These chicken wings look to die for. Can't wait to try them. My favorite easiest Appetizer is bacon wrapped water chestnuts with barbecue dipping sauce
I really like the Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
I love your one-pot pasta dishes…yum!
Bruschetta is my favorite!
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Your wings look delicious! I like your recipe for Cheesy Monte Cristo Bombs
My favorite tsri appetizer recipe is Jalapeño Popper Cheesy Pretzel Bombs and one of my favorite recipes is cowboy caviar.
My favorite appetizer is wings. I like all flavors and cannot wait to try this recipe. Email is [email protected]
Hot sausage dip with tortilla chips. Cathy at the Schiffman’s dot com
yummy i am hungry.
how do I adapt the last part of broiling if I don't have an oven?
oh my goodness!! I fixed the slow cooker spicy chicken! Both my husband and future son in law both said “Wow !!!” They are delicious! My husband said it is a “perfect sauce!!” Doubles the sauce amounts for our larger crockpot. Cooked on low for 4 hours. Turning every hour. Broiled on rack over lined baking pan. Followed your directions of 3 minutes each time after glazing. My doubled sauce simmered about 20-30 minutes to get thick enough to apply! Thank you again for a great recipe!
These were great! However, I did have to add corn starch in the sauce at the end to thicken it up. Boiling alone will not do it.
I absolutely loved these wings! Wings are one of my favorite things to eat. These were delicious with a little spice. I only put 2 TBSP of the chili paste but I think I'll put 3 next time for a little more spicy. 5 out of 5 stars! Thanks so much!
YUM! These were so easy and so delicious!
Why is it that the videos are NEVER there?
Hi Marilyn,
The videos are always located in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. Hope this helps.
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
I really love the way that you have the new one through 10 recipes they’re awesome. However I really wish that you would have a jump to the recipe button, because I have a carpal tunnel and scrolling down and scrolling down hurts, and takes ALOT OF TIME. Sometimes I don’t want to read all the tips that you write for pages. and every website has a jump to the recipe button which makes it way quicker to get a recipe. Then if I decide that I want to look at your tips and Time Savers, which are AWESOME, I can always go back and look ÀT them However, a jump to the recipe button would be awesome and save people a lot of time. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! I make tons of them almost every day and weekend. God bless, and I hope you’ll consider adding the jump to the recipe button thanks so much you’re the best
I marinaded my wings & drummettes over night in the sauce. I added a tad more honey to level the heat. They were so moist and just the right bite of sweetness and heat. Took them to a dinner last night and they disappeared very quickly. I’m reusing the left over sauce plus a new batch tonight with regular drumsticks and breasts but didn’t have time today to marinade This was my first time EVER making wings and this recipe knocked it out of the ballpark.