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Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes » chicken main dishes » Sticky and Sweet Chicken Drumstick Recipe In the Slow Cooker

Sticky and Sweet Chicken Drumstick Recipe In the Slow Cooker

By Lynette on October 4, 2017 · 27 Comments

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sticky drumsticks on a baking sheet

Sticky and sweet chicken drumsticks made in the slow cooker and then made crispy in the oven. Could. Not. Be. Easier. 👍

Drumsticks on dark sheet pan

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. ½ Cup honey ½ Cup light brown sugar ⅓ Cup balsamic vinegar ⅓ Cup low sodium soy sauce 3 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp ground ginger.

raw drumsticks in the crockpot slow cooker

2.  Add drumsticks/wings to slow cooker.

pouring sticky and sweet sauce on raw drumsticks

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.

drumsticks broiled on dark cookie sheet

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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Drumsticks on dark sheet pan

Sticky and Sweet Chicken Drumstick Recipe In the Slow Cooker

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lynette Rice
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Main
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Description

Sticky and sweet drumsticks made in the slow cooker using honey, brown sugar and other ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ Cup honey
  • ½ Cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓ Cup balsamic vinegar
  • ⅓ Cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 pounds of drumsticks and/or wings

Instructions

  1. Whisk together honey, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
  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.
  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. (Keep an eye on it!)

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @cleverlysimple on Instagram and hashtag it #cleverlysimple

Looking for another simple chicken recipe? You will love this Freezer Recipe Chicken Tetrazzini!

Originally shared January, 2014.

chicken drumsticks with sauce in crockpot and on baking sheet
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About Lynette

Lynette is the home cook, recipe tester and photographer for Cleverly Simple which she created in 2010.  Most of her recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from her great-grandma, grandmother, and mother.

Lynette’s recipes and projects have been featured in Country Living, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful and others.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy

    June 22, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lynette

      July 09, 2018 at 7:41 am

      HI Nancy, so glad you enjoyed the drumsticks! We love this recipe, too.

      Reply
  2. Kim

    October 14, 2017 at 10:39 am

    What if you don’t have balsamic vinegar?

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:17 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. Gina

    October 16, 2016 at 1:46 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. torrey

    July 22, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    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!

    Reply
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Lynette Rice head shotHi, I’m Lynette. My desire is to help women who feel uninspired weave time honored recipes into their routines to create a sense of simplicity. Most of my recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from my great-grandma, grandmother and mother. And I want to share them with you.  Learn more.

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