These crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings are SO GOOD. This freezer recipe has steps to make these chicken wings on the grill and oven too – delicious!
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings – Perfect for ANY Occasion!
This recipe for crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings is so simple it's almost not a recipe (can I say that?)!
You only need 4 basic ingredients and can whip up some tasty dinner for the family that they all will love. You can also make this recipe ahead of time and freeze for those days when you are running in a million different directions and need an easy dinner or a quick game day treat!
🍴🍴MENU NOTE: This recipe is from week 3 of our freezer meal menu planning made easy set!
Ingredients needed:
- chicken wings
- bbq sauce
- honey
- orange juice
- gallon size zip top bag
How do you make crockpot BBQ chicken wings?
You'll start by putting the chicken wings into a gallon size zip-top bag and pour the barbecue sauce, orange juice and honey over the top of the chicken wings.
Stir to combine everything together (or just squish with your hands outside of the bag) so the barbecue sauce covers all the wings. Label and place in the bag in the freezer. When you're ready to cook, thaw these in the refrigerator overnight.
How long do you cook chicken wings in a crockpot?
If you don't want to freeze these chicken wings right away, just prepare the recipe and dump all the ingredients to make slow cooker chicken wings. Dinner will be ready in 3-5 hours (depending on the setting of your crockpot – usually around 4 hours on high should do it for these).
To add some extra crisp, remove your wings from the slow cooker and place in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.
Broil 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Serve with some extra barbecue dipping sauce and you've got crock pot chicken wings ready to go down!
How long should you marinate chicken wings?
Marinades are a great way to tenderize and add flavor to meat. Even though chicken wings aren’t particularly tough, it’s the perfect way to add flavor to this versatile food.
- If you're in a pinch, marinade 20+ minutes.
- For best results, marinate 2-12 hours.
- Less than 24 hours is ideal (or freezing in the marinade) so the marinade doesn't break down the meat.
How do you grill chicken wings?
This Chicken Wings recipe is perfect for the grill. Here's how!
- Grease grill racks and then prepare your grill for direct grilling over medium heat, about 350ºF.
- Place wings in a single layer on the grill. Close lid for about 5 minutes. Open lid and flip wings. Continue this process for 20-25 minutes until an instant read thermometer in the center of a few wings reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF – you'll probably want to plan for about 45 minutes to get these done.
- If some aren’t quite there, give them another 5 minutes. What you want are wings that are nicely charred on all sides and cooked through.
- Serve with some celery sticks and carrots and you've got dinner done.
You honestly don't have to marinate the chicken wings before grilling them up. Instead just season them with some salt and pepper and place on the grill following the instructions on how to grill below. Then at about the 18 minute mark of grilling go ahead and start brushing on the barbecue sauce as you're flipping the wings. Continue adding barbecue sauce until you get that caramelized goodness on the wings.
Can you freeze chicken wings in sauce?
You can absolutely freeze chicken wings in a sauce or marinade. In fact this BBQ Chicken Wings recipe is part of our freezer menu plans. Having the chicken wings already sauced and ready to put in the slow cooker is great for those super busy days. You could also do a buffalo sauce if your family prefers that and make buffalo wings – YUM!
Can you freeze leftover cooked chicken wings?
Yep! Sure can! You can freeze leftover wings in a large zip-top bag for up to 6 months.
In fact you can reheat from frozen too. Place the frozen wings on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes until crispy. They are FALL OFF THE BONE good 🙂
BBQ Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken wings, split at joints and tips removed
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 Tbsps honey
Instructions
Crockpot Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
- Remove wings from slow cooker and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil 3-4 minutes on each side, or until desired crispness. Serve with extra barbecue sauce, if desired.
Freezer Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a gallon size zip-top bag. Label and freeze.
- When ready to cook, thaw in refrigerator overnight.
Grilling Instructions
- Prepare ingredients as directed.
- Grease grilling racks and prepare grill for medium heat, about 350ºF.
- Place wings in a single layer on the grill. Close lid for about 5 minutes. Open lid and flip wings. Continue this process for 20-25 minutes until an instant read thermometer in the center of a few wings reaches 165ºF.
- Continue cooking until wings that are nicely charred on all sides and cooked through.
Nutrition
Looking for more yummy meals?
This recipe is from week three of our freezer menu plans (with 72 recipes)! Not only do you get all of these DELICIOUS recipes and easy grocery lists, but you'll get membership into our private Facebook group.
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What does it mean by “split at joints and tips removed”? I’ve never made chicken wings and just always ordered them. So I wanna make sure that I do this right? Sorry if it’s a really dumb question!
This might help Danilyn! 🙂 –> https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/cooking-tips/how-to-cut-up-chicken-wings
Do you think boneless chicken tenders would work?
Where is the recipe for the barbecue sauce???
Here’s the link Colette, or you can use store bought barbecue sauce! 🙂 –> https://passionatepennypincher.com/homemade-barbecue-sauce/