Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
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Our Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are sticky, sweet, and just a little spicy. Drumsticks made in the slow cooker are economical, kid-friendly, and tasty. The secret to making these crispy is giving them a few minutes under the broiler at the end.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Only requires a few simple ingredients.
- Can be doubled and a second batch frozen for later to save time. (See more chicken freezer meals)
- Everyone in the family enjoys them! I love a kid-friendly freezer meal!
- Results in fall-apart tender and moist chicken on the bone.
- With a few minutes under the broiler at the end, you can make them crispy.
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Rub
A big part of making drumsticks come to life is the rub you put on them before cooking them. Here is the magic combo you’ll need:
How to Make Drumsticks in the Crockpot
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the drumsticks and rub it in to coat all sides. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Place the seasoned drumsticks in the slow cooker and cover with 1 cup of the BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours or until cooked through.
- Position the top oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. (Note: You can also use the grill for this step instead of the broiler, placing the drumsticks directly on the grill.)
- Use tongs to place the drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet; discard any liquid. Brush the chicken with 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and broil until the chicken starts to brown and look crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, brush with another 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, and broil until the skin begins to brown and look crispy, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Serve warm with remaining BBQ sauce on the side.
Freezer Meal Instructions for Drumsticks
When you combine the magical powers of the Crockpot AND freezer cooking, you practically set yourself up for hands-free cooking. That’s because after you safely thaw your chicken, you can just dump it all into the Crockpot, push a button, and you’re done!
Freeze for Later: Make the seasoning mix and rub all over the drumsticks. Place the seasoned chicken and the BBQ Sauce in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Safely thaw your chicken. Then, follow the cooking instructions! Here is how long to cook chicken in the slow cooker by the way. Hint: You have probably been overcooking it!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! We wrote a whole full post about it: BBQ Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks. You can also make them in the oven with this Baked BBQ Drumsticks recipe.
You can broil at the end for a few minutes to caramelize the drumsticks even more.
Yes. You can use this rub and our BBQ sauce on chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours or in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes with a quick release. Shred and serve on buns for easy BBQ chicken sandwiches.
While we haven’t tested this exact recipe in the air fryer, we do have an Air Fryer Chicken Drumstick recipe that can act as a guideline for you.
What to Serve with Chicken Drumsticks
Next up is figuring out what to serve with these crispy drumsticks. We recommend going simple and kid-friendly. Try some of these favorites…
Bottom Line: Whether you want a healthy, kid-friendly dinner or a freezer meal on hand for later, we think you’ll love the simplicity of these Chicken Drumsticks!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Our Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are sticky, sweet, and just a little spicy. Drumsticks made in the slow cooker are economical, kid-friendly, and tasty. The secret to making these crispy is giving them a few minutes under the broiler at the end.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- About 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks (we get ours from ButcherBox)
- 2 cups BBQ Sauce, store-bought or our homemade version
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the drumsticks and rub it in to coat all sides. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Place the seasoned drumsticks in the slow cooker and cover with 1 cup of the BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours or until cooked through.
- Position the top oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. (Note: You can also use the grill for this step instead of the broiler, placing the drumsticks directly on the grill.)
- Use tongs to place the drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet; discard any liquid. Brush the chicken with 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and broil until the chicken starts to brown and look crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, brush with another 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, and broil until the skin begins to brown and look crispy, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Serve warm with remaining BBQ sauce on the side.
Freeze For Later: Follow Step 1. Place the seasoned chicken and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce in the bag. Try not to stack the drumsticks in the bag; instead, place them flat, side by side. Use parchment paper to divide layers, if needed. Seal, toss to coat, and freeze flat. Pour the remaining BBQ sauce into a small freezer bag or container, seal, and freeze alongside the chicken.
Prepare From Frozen: Completely thaw meal kit. Follow the cooking instructions above.
Notes/Tips
- We use this same rub and BBQ sauce in our Instant Pot and Baked BBQ Drumsticks.
- You can also use this rub and our BBQ sauce on chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours or in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes with a quick release. Shred and serve on buns for easy BBQ chicken sandwiches.
- We get our chicken from ButcherBox.
Recipe looks great! Only issue is I am away for 8+ hours during the week when I need a crockpot meal! Do you think they would be ok cooking on low for 4 hours, then staying on warm for an additional 4?
Yes, I think drumsticks would probably do ok like that. Bone-in chicken can handle longer in the crockpot without drying out as fast as boneless.
My toddler AND my husband love these. That alone gives the recipe 5 stars! (I use 1/2 the brown sugar in the sauce recipe… which makes it perfect as well!)
I love, love, love recipes that both kids and adults enjoy. It makes life so much easier. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for your tip!
Love having a recipe for when I don’t want to fire up the grill. The broiling at the end makes them delicious!