Sticky and sweet chicken drumsticks made in the slow cooker and then made crispy in the oven. Could. Not. Be. Easier. 👍
Drumstick Recipe
Are you interested in the best baked chicken recipe? I was a bit intimidated by a drumstick recipe. I like to eat drumsticks. My eight year old LOVES drumstick (aka chicken bones to him). However, whenever there’s a bone in the chicken, I start to have panic attacks as to whether it will be cooked enough to enjoy. Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme…. but you catch my drift.
When I stumbled up on this drumstick recipe I knew I was onto something. The thought of being able to cook the chicken bones in the crockpot so that they were fully cooked, and then broiling them to crisp them up was genius. I love that I can fully cook them and they’ll still be nice and juicy, yet have the control of the crisp factor. Do you ever think about these things? Do I think too much? 😉 Here’s an easy way to make a great appetizer or dinner entree that’s tasty and sweet – and crisp!
Sweet and Sticky Drumstick Recipe
1. Combine the following in a mixing bowl. Whisk together. 1/2 Cup honey 1/2 Cup light brown sugar 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar 1/3 Cup low sodium soy sauce 3 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp ground ginger.
2. Add drumsticks/wings to slow cooker.
3. Pour the honey mix onto the drumsticks/wings and mix well. (I used my hands.) 4. Cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours. Toss the drumsticks/wings at the halfway point. (As best you can.)
5. Once fully cooked, remove drumstick/wings from the slow cooker and add to baking pan that is lined with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Broil for 3 minutes or until browned. (Don’t leave them unattended! You always need to watch when broiling as they can burn quickly.)
7. Remove the drumsticks/wings from the oven and turn them to the other side.
8. Broil the other side for 3 minutes or until browned. (Again, keep an eye on it!) Your drumsticks or wings are ready to be enjoyed! These keep well in the refrigerator and taste even better the second day! Enjoy!
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Sticky and Sweet Chicken Drumstick Recipe In the Slow Cooker
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Prep Time: 10 mins -
Cook Time: 4 hours
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Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
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Yield: 12 -
Category: Main
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Sticky and sweet drumsticks made in the slow cooker using honey, brown sugar and other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup honey
- 1/2 Cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 Cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 4 pounds of drumsticks and/or wings
Instructions
- Whisk together honey, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
- Add drumsticks/wings to slow cooker.
- Pour the honey mix onto the drumsticks/wings and mix well. (I used my hands.)
- Cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours. Toss the drumsticks/wings at the halfway point. (As best you can.)
- Once fully cooked, remove drumstick/wings from the slow cooker and add to baking pan that is lined with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Broil for 3 minutes or until browned.
- Remove the drumsticks/wings from the oven and turn them to the other side.
- Broil the other side for 3 minutes or until browned. (Keep an eye on it!)
Looking for another simple chicken recipe? You will love this Freezer Recipe Chicken Tetrazzini!
Originally shared January, 2014.
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I’ve used this recipe with a large group which included several good cooks, and I’ll use it again this weekend when I want something easy but tasty for just one other couple. It’s nice to have a guaranteed simple recipe when time or energy is at a premium. It’s quite simple to size down but it makes very good leftovers too.
★★★★★
HI Nancy, so glad you enjoyed the drumsticks! We love this recipe, too.
What if you don’t have balsamic vinegar?
Hi Kim, you can try it without. I’ve never done so, so I can’t attest to how they will turn out. However, a little regular vinegar should give you the same twist of taste that balsamic would. I wouldn’t use the same measurement though.
Excellent recipe, the chicken is delicious and very easy to make. Depending on the slow cooker, my slow cooker cooks the chicken in 3 hrs and not 4hrs.
This was SO good! I’m not a big fan of drumsticks or really any chicken that is sticky and eaten with your hands, but this was worth it. The sauce had awesome flavor. When I broiled the chicken, I put the sauce in a pan and boiled it to thicken and then basted the chicken…then I kept a little in the pan and sauteed some spinach in it. Will definitely make this again!
The recipe is awesome! I made it with a little over 4 lbs of drumsticks and it worked fine. I just double the garlic because in my house, we love garlic! I wouldn’t cook it longer than 4 hours, I did mine for 3.5 hours and the chicken was falling apart. Broiled in the oven for a few minutes each side, voila! It was fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Victor!
Do you think I could the leave the chicken in the crockpot on low for 8 hours instead of 4 on high? thanks
Hi Barbara, I’ve not tried it that way. My crockpot gets really hot on low, and my only fear is that the chicken will start to fall off the bone to the point that it would be hard to broil in the oven. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Made this tonight for my husband and I and my 4 year old. We ate every last piece! It was delicious! Any idea how I could figure out the sugar content or nutritional facts?
Hi Desiree, I believe you can google some nutrition calculators and type in the ingredients to find your exact nutrition facts. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Hive frozen wings. I assume you should start with thawed chicken?
We had these today, and they were absolutely delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
mine is in the crockpot now and it’s super watery. not sticky at all. I followed the recipe. i don’t get it
Hi. Did you follow the last steps? You remove them from the crockpot and place them on a greased pan and broil them. See the recipe above.
ok, i put it in the broiler but also reduced the sauce on the stove and it got sticky. Very good.
Glad it worked out for you! Thanks for coming back and letting me know. 🙂
Will try
YUM! This looks great. I am going to try it tonight with chicken tenders and see how that works.
Hi, what is that script font used in the photo that reads “sticky & sweet”?
It’s called Sacramento. I used PicMonkey to make that pic. 🙂
I don’t have Balsamic Vinegar, do you think Apple Cider Vinegar will work?
This is a wonderful recipe.This can also be made with chicken breasts cut in smaller pieces, cooking 2 hours and serve over rice with bean sprouts and bamboo shoots. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!