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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.
- 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
Jackie
1Can I use an air fryer to crisp these up?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Hi Jackie, Yes, you can! I actually have instructions for this in my tips section above. 🙂
Richard
1I 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.
Debra Shockley
1These 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!
Carolyn
0I don’t have a slow cooker. Can I cook them in the oven, if so, what temperature please.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carolyn, I have a recipe for baked chicken wings, but this garlic butter mixture is not ideal for long-term roasting because it will burn. You could toss the baked wings in a mix of butter and garlic powder at the end.
Pam
0Hey, Maya, this looks like another amazing recipe, and I can’t wait to try it! One question. I’m worried that when flipping the wings during broilng all the garlic will fall off. Will this be a problem?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Pam, Some of it does fall off but some stays on, and either way by this point the wings have taken on a garlic flavor. Hope you love these!
jess
0These are not crock pot wings if you have to also bake them in the oven. I was trying to find a recipe where I just use the crock pot and this recipe came up. Maybe tweak the title so people don’t start this thinking its only crock pot
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jess, It’s absolutely a Crock Pot wings recipe, as that’s what does the cooking. The oven just crisps them at the end. You’re welcome to skip that step, but the skin won’t be crispy.
Jeannette
0This is one of the best wings ever! We have another and now we can switch back and forth between recipes. Hubby wasn’t so sure while they were cooking (I thought they smelled delicious) but once they were done broiling and had the Parmasean on…. well, he was convinced it was delicious. He is a cheese nut. So it was a seller! Are there other meats that work well slow cooked with the butter, garlic, salt & pepper?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks Jeannette! Agree, I wasn’t sure about them after they were done in the slow cooker when I was developing this recipe, but the broiling step changes everything! I don’t have this specific combo in another slow cooker recipe, but you might like my garlic butter steak bites or garlic butter shrimp that use these flavors.
Jenna G
0Very delicious. Didn’t crisp up as much as I liked.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you liked the taste of these, Jenna! If they weren’t crispy yet, they needed to broil for longer at the end. The time can vary a bit depending on your oven, your pan, etc.
Rose
0I have a tough time making chicken wings because they never are fall off the bone good. But this recipe seemed promising and once I made it, we couldn’t get enough! They were so tender and so delicious. I was willing to eat the leftovers! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. 🩷 It’s the best I’ve made from home.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Rose! I’m so honored that my recipe helped you make the best wings you’ve had from home. 🙂
Ann
0Just made these wings and must say we were very disappointed! The wings were too close in taste to stewed chicken. Very disappointing!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ann, Sorry to hear that the recipe wasn’t what you were expecting. Did you do the oven broiling steps at the end? I agree they don’t taste right if you skip that part. If you did do this, I’m thinking you might have overcooked them. The time can vary a bit depending on the size of your slow cooker, so you can check on them sooner next time — but still definitely follow the oven steps at the end.
Dawnlyn
0Yummy awesome recipe
Elle
0Is the time for frozen or thawed wings ?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elle, Always thaw your wings first. As I explained above with info from the USDA, placing frozen chicken in the slow cooker can be risky.
Sandy Dyba
0Do you have to broil them? Or can you just keep them in slow cooker?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandy, Yes, I highly recommend broiling them. I have details about why in the post above.
Bernadette Kubal
0Can I use boneless wings?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bernadette, Boneless wings are really just pieces of chicken breast that are breaded. It’s not totally clear to me what you’re looking to use, do you mean pre-made breaded chicken? If so, I don’t recommend doing that because the breading will get very soggy in the slow cooker.
Linda
0Can I substitute chicken thighs bone in skinless?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, Yes, you can. Since they are skinless, broiling isn’t required. The slow cooker time would be different – check my Crock Pot chicken thighs recipe.
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?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Caylee, You can change the number of servings to 2 on my recipe card above, and it will give you the measurements for the other ingredients. Basically it’s 1/4 of all the ingredients in this case.
Rebekah
0Hi. If I make 6 lbs of wings do I need to cook longer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rebekah, No, probably not, but you can check on them after the times I have listed. They should be fall-apart tender and reach at least 165 degrees F (mine are usually higher, which is fine).
Candice
0I have large drum sticks. Would these work the same?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Candice, Yes, drumsticks will work, but the time in the slow cooker will be longer. Check my recipe for Crock Pot chicken legs for the time.
Donna
0I have made this many times and it is always a big hit! It is perfect in every way for me!!
Robyn Herring
0So easy and so yummy! A family fave!
Nancy Ayers
0OMG YUM!!! I messed up this recipe but it turned out so good I have to tell you.
I put a 3 or 4 pound bag of frozen wings, thawed, into my crock pot and drenched them in salt pepper butter and garlic. I meant to leave them on high for like a half hour then turn it down to low, but forgot and left it on high. Once I realized this, the wings were SO done, like almost falling off the bone done, I added about a half cup of Frank’s Red Hot sauce and left on warm til ready to eat. Put them out on foil in my air fryer to crisp them, they were too tender to even be picked up to eat, they were falling apart tender and super delicious!!! I will definitely make these again and pay closer attention to the temp settings so the wings stay intact. LOL.
Christina-Annn
0Hello! You mentioned we can cook the wings ahead of time and refrigerate on a sheet pan. Do we need to cover while refrigerating? And if so, with what (aluminum, Saran Wrap)?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Christina-Annn, Yes, I recommend covering them. You can use either, but I prefer plastic wrap because it’s more airtight than foil.
Holly Chrysler
0Juicy and yummy I suggest fresh wings over frozen either way great easy recipe.
Amy L Huntley
0Anything Garlic and Parmesan is a favorite. These wings are so juicy and tender!
Natalie
0You can’t beat 4 ingredients & great flavor!! I will be making these a lot more!! They are gone in minutes!!
Kristyn
0I have found a new favorite flavor of wing!! These are incredible, crispy, & addicting!!!
Danette
0How do I know how many marcos I should be consuming? I weigh 200 want to lose 50 lbs on the keto diet I have very little activity daily have a desk job.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Danette, Start here with my macro calculator to help you calculate your macros. Then check out my article about macros to help you learn what macros are and how to fit the right ones into your day. I hope this helps!
Susan
0I’m trying this today for the first time. What exactly is the serving size. I can’t seem to locate it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, A serving is 1/8 of the entire recipe. The number of wings can vary depending on their size, but usually it’s about 5. Hope this helps!
Julie Rezash
0It was amazing! simple and great flavor ! I use a flat type crock pot so I think that helped them cook evenly!
Kim
0My husband is a wing expert. If wings aren’t cooked to a crispy finish, he complains.
I’m happy to say that he LOVED this recipe. Moist, juicy, tender, and crispy. Winner all around. I had half-frozen wings in the fridge after thawing…cooked them 30 minutes longer to get to 160 degrees. Simply awesome. Thanks, Maya!
Donna Armstrong
0Can this be doubled or would 2 batches need to be cooked? I have made this a few times and love it!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Donna, Yes, you can double this recipe, but the cook time might need to go a little longer.
Silvia M Sharpe
0Hi. I’m Excited to try out this recipe. However, I have about a pound of wings. (Its 4am and I don’t necessarily want to go out to buy more before trying this recipe) How do you suggest that I adjust time with using such a smaller amount of chicken?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Silvia, Change the servings to 2 on the recipe card above, and the recipe will match the amount of wings you have. As for the cooking process, I’d recommend checking on them sooner since it’s a much smaller amount. Enjoy!
Cristy Baker
0AHHH-Mazing recipe!!
Thank you ☆☆☆☆☆
Stephanie Watson
0I have some chicken drumsticks in the freezer that I would like to use with this recipe instead. Any suggestions on how to tweak it??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Stephanie, This recipe will work well with drumsticks, but they’ll take longer. See my recipe for slow cooker chicken drumsticks for the time.
Brittany
0If I am doing less than 4lbs…probably about 3 lbs, do I need to reduce the amount of butter and garlic? Also what time would you recommend…would 2hrs be ok? Thank you!!! Can’t wait to try this!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brittany, Scale the recipe to 6 servings instead of 8. That will give you a more accurate amount of butter and garlic. The cook time will need to stay the same as written in the recipe.
Julie Rezash
0These were so AMAZING. We grilled them on low under the broiler and just watched them. They were so beautifully golden colored. We were so excited to eat them that we forgot the parmesan cheese. I am making them again tonight as a snack!
Teresa Jenkins
0My wings were overdone at 3 hours. I’m not sure if I did something wrong. I think the recipe is good. Please advise.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Teresa, Did you do less than 4 pounds of chicken wings? It is possible they cooked faster if you used less than the listed amount in the recipe.
Ashley Sauls
0This was one of the most flavorful recipes I’ve tried! I am typically horrible with making chicken wings, but this recipe made my life easier. I’m going to the store to get more because I know it will be a hit with the hubby(who won’t share). Instead of fresh garlic, I used the pre-diced garlic. I also used the finely grated Parmesan which made me feel extra sophisticated. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Lisa
0I was reading comments and someone mentioned using instant pot. I know it has the slow cook option, is there a faster option with the instant pot?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, The Instant Pot is both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, which is the faster method. The slow cooker setting on the Instant Pot should work without any changes to the recipe. Pressure cooking should also work, but I haven’t tested that yet to confirm what amount of time would work best. Let me know if you give it a try and find a time that works well!
SuziesCorner
0I was hoping for an Instant Pot version at the end. Hmmm… I’m new to the Instant Pot.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Suzie, You can make these in an Instant Pot. Use the slow cook function and follow the directions as written.
Kate
0DELICIOUS!! Crispy outside and they fall off the bone. I’m from Buffalo and these could compete with ANY fried chicken wings. Thank you!!!
Ellen
0Made this for dinner and it was awesome! My hubby who doesn’t really like chicken wings thought they were really good, and kept saying so throughout the meal. I’m definitely going to make these again! Thank you .
George
0When using drumsticks or thighs (bone in) how long should I cook them for and at what setting? I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks !!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi George, I would try on low for 5-6 hours. Test your chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F.
Laurel
0Just found your recipe and am going to try it this week. After cooking in the slow cooker, can you freeze the extra for later, then when needed broil them? Would you need to thaw then beforehand?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Laurel, that sounds like it would work. Let me know if you try it. I think you could cook them from frozen and then broil after they are warmed to the correct temp.
Ericka Mccoy
0Thank you!
Audrey
0Broil on hi or low?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Audrey, My oven doesn’t have multiple broil settings, just a temperature. I always set it to the highest, so I’d guess “high”.
Ann
0I’m making this for the first time using chicha thighs instead of wings and since I try to strictly follow keto, I redid the calculations and came up with Calories 394, Carbs 3.1, Fiber 0.6, Fat 30.5 and Protein 52.1. Would their be that much of a discrepancy between the wings and thighs?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ann, Unfortunately I can’t provide nutrition calculations for recipe ingredient swaps. Chicken wings and thighs would have different nutrition info, but carb count would be similar provided it was the same number of servings.
Lisa
0Some chicken parts are injected with liquid to enhance the juiciness. Sometimes that liquid contains sugars or other mixtures that can bump up the nutrient counts.
Rodney
0Thank you for this recipe! I have made these several times since finding this page. Today when I made them, I thought “wouldn’t it be nice to drink this wonderful sauce that’s left”. I didn’t. However, I did get steam in bag broccoli and cauliflower, heated in microwave, and dumped in the sauce. Had to add more seasoning, but it was a great side dish. All that buttery goodness did not go down the drain. This would be great with a variety of veggies. Thank you again for the recipe.
Beth
0I am ready to try this recipe and I’m sure it will be great. Question on the minced garlic, can I just use the minced garlic from a jar? and if so do I need to melt it together with the butter before putting over the chicken? thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beth, Yes, you can use minced garlic from a jar. Follow the same recipe instructions.