4.64 from 280 votes

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks (5 Ingredients!)

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Savory, juicy slow cooker drumsticks only have five ingredients. It’s a delicious tender chicken dinner that is so kid-friendly and is super easy to make.

Chicken drumsticks cooked in a brown sauce in a slowcooker from the side.


 

This is the best way (and my favorite way!) to cook chicken drumsticks, and the entire family will love this recipe.

Why We Love Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks

  • Quick And Easy Dinner– Low prep, and dinner is ready for you when you want it. This is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes for its quick prep time.
  • Juicy Chicken– Cooking dark meat like these chicken drumsticks in the crockpot always makes a super juicy chicken dinner!
  • Five Ingredients– Only a few simple ingredients in this recipe, that you likely already have! This recipe has a sauce similar to a savory bbq sauce and is an easy chicken dinner recipe for all home chefs or (kid chefs!)

Love easy chicken recipes? Try these easy slow cooker boneless bbq chicken thighs that are great as is or shredded for sandwiches. This buffalo chicken dip can also be served as a sandwich for dinner. Sweet and savory honey garlic chicken thighs or crispy chicken thighs in the oven are also low prep and delicious!

Ingredients For Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients for chicken drumsticks on a cutting board from overhead with labels.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.

  • chicken drumsticks 
  • honey – you can use a little less or a little more to your own taste
  • ½ cup soy sauce – I always prefer low sodium but you can use what you have
  • ketchup – you can also swap in your favorite bbq sauce
  • garlic – you can use fresh garlic, minced garlic or garlic powder

How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, ketchup and garlic.
Mixing together sauce ingredients in a bowl from above with a whisk in the bowl.
  1. Spray the slow cooker with a spray cooking oil I like to use spray olive oil or avacado oil) . Place the chicken drumsticks inside the bottom of the slow cooker, stacking the chicken if necessary.
Drumsticks lined up in a slowcooker from overhead.
  1. Pour the sauce over the chicken drumsticks.
A slowcoooker full of raw chicken legs from the side with a hand pouring a sauce over the chicken from a bowl above.
  1. Cook the chicken drumsticks slow cooking on high heat for 4 hours (or low for 6 hours). Serve and enjoy!
Two chicken drumsticks on a plate with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable from the side. A slowcooker sits behind the plate.

Can You Make This Chicken A Freezer Meal?

You can prepare these chicken drumsticks and freeze them into sauce to prepare your dinner ahead of time. To use this recipe as meal prep, you must defrost the chicken and sauce before adding it to the slow cooker.

Can I Make This Drumstick Recipe Spicy?

I like to add just a few red pepper flakes at the table, but you could also add them to the sauce if the whole family likes it spicy. I’d start with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon if adding to the sauce unless you like a lot of spice.

A few dashes of hot sauce can also be added to the whole slow cooker.

What’s The Difference Between Chicken Drumsticks and Chicken Legs?

Chicken legs include the chicken thigh attached to the chicken drumstick. Chicken drumsticks are just the bottom calf part of the chicken leg. Sometimes people mistakenly call chicken drumsticks “chicken legs.”

How Can I Thicken The Sauce?

Here’s how to thicken the sauce over the chicken drumsticks. I don’t always thicken the sauce though because sometimes I want it to be a super simple recipe and it’s delicious as written in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  1. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker.
  2. Add two teaspoons of cornstarch to four teaspoons of water and mix well with a fork or a whisk to make a cornstarch slurry.
  3. Place the sauce in a small saucepan on the stove on medium-high heat.
  4. Add the cornstarch and stir the sauce, cooking for 2-3 minutes or just begins to simmer. Then toss the juicy chicken drumsticks again in the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

How Long Do These Chicken Drumsticks Last?

These slow cooker chicken drumsticks will last for about three days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container.

Leftover chicken from this recipe doesn’t freeze well unfortunately, but you could cook a few less drumsticks and the recipe will still work.

Other Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes You’ll Love

Cooked chicken drumsticks in the slow cooker from the side in a brown sauce.
Recipe

Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks


Course Dinners
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 12 Legs
Saucy slow cooker chicken drumsticks are such a juicy chicken dinner and only needs five ingredients. This family meal is easy and delicious.

Ingredients  

  • 3 pounds chicken drumsticks about 12 drumsticks
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 clove garlic minced finely or 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, ketchup and garlic.
  • Spray the slow cooker with a spray cooking oil. Place the chicken drumsticks inside the bottom of the slow cooker, stacking the chicken if necessary.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken drumsticks.
  • Cook the chicken drumsticks on high for 4 hours (or low for 6 hours). Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. 
To make sure the chicken has cooked all the way through, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. The meat will be fully cooked at 160 degrees, but will taste the most tender when it registers at least at 170-175 degrees.
It’s better to place the chicken in a single layer as it’s the easiest way to ensure the chicken is equally saucy, but they could be stacked as well. If stacking the chicken drumsticks make sure to toss the chicken in the sauce again well before serving.
Chicken thighs or chicken legs can also be substituted easily into this recipe. Chicken wings can be used in this recipe, but may cook quicker.
The chicken can be frozen in the sauce to make a freezer meal, but the chicken and sauce must be defrosted before cooking in the slow cooker.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 685mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword chicken, chicken recipe, crock pot, slow cooker

Did You Make This?

I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!

4.64 from 280 votes (263 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




49 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Very good did it on low for 6 hours and was falling off the bone.
    Definitely will make again. Great recipe

  2. Jill Carolyn Epperson says:

    Skin on or skin off ?

    1. However you prefer ๐Ÿ™‚ the skin doesn’t get crispy in this recipe unless you broil them after.

  3. Delores Merkey says:

    5 stars
    This was the easiest, most tasty chicken drumsticks recipe I’ve ever made. I will definitely make this again.

  4. Ann Bianchi says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic! Will definitely be making this again!

  5. Kathi Greenberg says:

    4 stars
    My son doesn’t like chicken with bone. I accidentally received this chicken drumsticks from Walmart. So I’m stuck. I’m going to try your easy recipe. I only have Jack Daniels bbq sauce so I hope that it works.

  6. Betty Rodgers WA says:

    5 stars
    I can’t wait till I try this recipe. It sounds very good.

  7. Haven’t tried this one yet, but it sounds really good! Maybe this weekend! peace to all!

  8. 5 stars
    Made this last night. I served it with spinach and mashed potatoes. Chicken got to about a hundred and seventy degrees after about five hours cooking on low, And the meat just fell off the bone. I’m wondering if I should take the rest of the Chicken and put it under the broiler for about 5 or 10 minutes. Comments?

  9. Lorena Najera says:

    Can I leave it on slow for 8 hours or will that be too long. Going to work.

    1. Hi Lorena! 8 hours will be pushing it, the meat will be falling off all the bones but it will taste good. If your slow cooker has a setting where it can be programmed to flip to warm after cooking I highly recommend using that over cooking it for 8 hours.

  10. Wanda Jewett says:

    5 stars
    Yes!!!!!!!!!๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ

  11. marilyn wilson wilson says:

    sound yummy

  12. 5 stars
    My husband loved them. I cut the recipe in half and turned out great! I made some rice and put the sauce over the rice. That was good too

  13. Sid Smart says:

    4 stars
    Very good chicken but needed more sauce.

  14. Can I remove the the skin prior to cooking? I prefer crispy skin

    1. I have not removed the skin before cooking this recipe in the slow cooker. It should be fine to do so, but I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know how it goes.

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