SLOW COOKER HONEY BUFFALO WINGS
When I think of great game day food, there’s one quintessential food that everyone loves and asks for… buffalo wings! There’s something so tempting about those little bites of crispy, sticky, juiciness… so deliciously spicy and just waiting to be dipped in some ranch or blue cheese dressing! Today I’ve partnered with Crock-Pot® brand to bring you this incredibly appetizer recipe!
I know there are a LOT of chicken wing flavor combos out there, but my all-time favorite is the honey buffalo flavor. I love buffalo sauce, but sometimes it can be overpowering, and a bit too spicy. The honey comes in and just mellows it out, not to mention it helps the sauce caramelize beautifully when you broil them!
SLOW COOKER HONEY BUFFALO WINGS
6 - 8 SERVINGS prep time 10 MINS cook time 2 HRS total time 2 HRS 10 MINS
Make buffalo wings the easy way, by cooking them in the slow cooker! Made stress-free and loaded with mouthwatering finger-licking flavors!
calories: 714 KCAL
INGREDIENTS
SPICE RUB:
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder or dried minced onion
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried parsley
HONEY BUFFALO SAUCE:
3/4 cup hot sauce (Frank's Original is what I always use)
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp molasses (optional but recommended)
WINGS:
4 lbs fresh chicken wings, patted dry
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small mixing bowl, add rub ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add chicken wings. Sprinkle rub over the top and use hands to massage the rub into all the chicken wings. I like to use nitrile gloves for this - easy clean up!
In the empty rub mixing bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk to combine well. Pour over spiced wings and toss gently to coat.
Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or on LOW for 3-4 hours.
FOR STICKY GLAZE:
Cook slow cooker recipe as directed above. Line a baking sheet with 2 sheets of aluminum foil, then place an oven safe wire cooling rack on top. Place cooked wings on cooling rack, then pour sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water to a small bowl and whisk to combine well, then pour into sauce and whisk. Cook over MED-HIGH heat until boiling, then reduce heat to MED-LOW and whisk as it cooks. Cook about 5 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency.
Brush wings with thickened sauce, then broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce caramelizes a little. Brush with more glaze and broil another 2 minutes. Repeat this one more time and you should have perfectly sticky wings!
RECIPE NOTES
Frozen wings can also be used, but the sauce in the slow cooker after cooking will be more watery, as most frozen chicken wings are ice glazed (each wing has a thin glaze of ice over it, so they don't stick together as much in the bag). For best results, thaw frozen wings before cooking.
If cooking from frozen, cook time is 3 hours on HIGH and 4-6 hours on LOW.