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This slow cooker buffalo chicken recipe is ah-maze-ing! Chicken drumsticks are marinated in a spicy, tangy sauce for 3 hours before they are cooked low and slow in a crockpot to yield incredibly tender, flavorful results.
Whether you’re hosting a party or just preparing a fun meal, this buffalo chicken drumstick recipe is for you. Two-bite chicken drumsticks are marinated in an iconically spicy, tangy mixture of buffalo sauce, white wine, garlic, and herbs before being loaded into the crockpot. They are then cooked low and slow (with very little effort on your part) to produce perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken loaded with game-day flavor. Dip ’em in blue cheese sauce, and you’ll be hooked.
Why You’ll Love This Buffalo Chicken Recipe
- Flavor loaded. The heat from the buffalo sauce, the sweet acidity of the wine, and the savory garlic come together in a combo of eye-popping flavor that will have you licking your fingers.
- Minimal effort. All you have to do is marinate the chicken in a mixture of a few simple ingredients, throw everything into a crockpot, and cook for a few hours.
- Versatile pairing. There are many ways you can use this buffalo chicken! Enjoy it as a party app, shredded in pasta or tacos, or even on nachos.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken drumsticks – I like to remove the skins, but that’s up to you. You could also use chicken thighs or wings here if you’d like.
- Frank’s Red Hot – Or your favorite buffalo sauce. Any brand will do.
- Dry white wine – I usually go with a pinot grigio or chardonnay.
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Parsley – You’ll need dried parsley to season the chicken and fresh parsley to garnish at the end.
- Green onions – The green onions are used to garnish the finished dish.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Here’s a basic overview of how to make this super simple buffalo chicken. You’ll find more thorough instructions in the recipe card below.
- Marinate the chicken. Place the drumsticks in a large resealable plastic bag, add the remaining ingredients, and toss to coat the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Cook. Transfer the chicken with the sauce to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
- Serve. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, brush with sauce, garnish with fresh parsley and green onions, and serve with a side of bleu cheese dip.
Recipe Tips And Variations
Pay attention to these pro tips for the best slow cooker buffalo chicken you’ve ever tasted. Don’t be afraid to play with the recipe a bit to tailor it to your taste preferences.
- Don’t skimp on marinating. The buffalo marinade needs some time to sink into the chicken in order to impart significant flavor and also to tenderize the meat.
- Low and slow. While you can cook this chicken on high for a couple of hours, it really is best when you cook it on the lowest setting of your crockpot for a longer period of time. The meat will be more tender and flavorful.
- No sauce left behind. Don’t forget to brush the sauce left in the crockpot over the drumsticks when serving. It really drives the buffalo flavor home.
- Use a different cut of chicken. I used drumsticks but you could just as easily use wings or bone in chicken thighs if you’d like. Boneless thighs or breast tenders would also work but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Add ranch. Consider adding some ranch dip seasoning mix to your marinade for extra flavor.
- Make it richer. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the crockpot for extra richness.
How To Serve
I love enjoying these spicy chicken drumsticks as a party appetizer with ranch and/or blue cheese dip and some carrot sticks and celery to go alongside, but there are so many other things you can do with them as well. Remove the chicken from the bone, shred it, and stir it into my Buffalo Chicken Pasta or Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Use it as the filling for tacos, burritos, or sandwiches. You could even use shredded buffalo chicken as a pizza or nacho topping (ideally with ranch or blue cheese dressing as the sauce).
Proper Storage
- To store. Allow the chicken to cool completely before sealing it in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Thaw the leftovers in the fridge (if frozen) before transferring them to a baking dish. Bake at 350°F, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the drumsticks are heated through. Alternatively, microwave a few drumsticks at a time in 30-second intervals until warm.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
If you need more new and exciting ways to put your crockpot to work, here are some of my favorite low and slow recipes.
- Crock Pot Rump Roast
- Slow Cooker Salmon with Creamy Lemon Sauce
- Mojo Pork
- Country Style Pork Ribs
- Sweet Korean BBQ Beef Tacos
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 chicken drumsticks,, skin on or off*
- ½ cup Frank's Red Hot,, or your favorite buffalo sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine,, like chardonnay or pinot grigio
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 3 tablespoons dried parsley,, or use your preferred dried herbs
- chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
- green onions, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Place drumsticks in a large resealable plastic bag or inside the inner bowl of your crock pot.
- Add the hot sauce, wine, vegetable oil, garlic, and dried parsley to the bag; seal the bag and turn to coat, or cover the inner bowl with a lid.
- Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Then, transfer the chicken and sauce to a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is tender. You can also cook it on High for 2 to 2½ hours. Chicken is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 165˚F on a meat thermometer.
- Take the chicken out of the slow cooker, place it on a serving plate, and then brush it with the sauce from the slow cooker for added flavor.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and green onions.
- Serve with a side of bleu cheese dip.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I can relate to your chicken story as I had a similar situation with a bunch of baby rabbits which ended up … well, you can imagine. Tasty looking dish.
Oh my gosh! I’m not alone!!! hahaha That’s hilarious! ๐
My mother told me we were having fried chicken. It was my older brother who revealed the ‘awful truth’ to me. It took me years to eat rabbit again. (It’s SO good.)
Love this recipe. (Marinating chicken is always a winner with me. I don’t care how long it takes, as long as I can throw it int he bag and forget it.) How long do you have to cook the meat if it is wings instead of legs?
Hi Laura!! I have made this recipe with wings and it still took about 2 hours on HIGH, and 3.5 hours on LOW, but I used about 3 pounds of wings.
HI Laura, Do you prefer dry red wine in the recipe or white? I know I have used dry red in tomato sauce bases. I just wanted to make sure.
The recipe sounds good,
I used Sauvignon Blanc in this recipe, but when a recipe calls for wine, I just reach for the stuff that I like to drink. ๐ Chardonnay is my #1 choice.
Can you use a substitute for the wine?
Hi Dorene! Sure! I’d use maybe apple juice or white grape juice and add 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to it.
if you were going to substitute the Frank’s sauce for jusy BBQ sauce (it a sissy) would you still add wine or do you have another recipe for BBQ chicken
This recipe is over the top, I like hot & spicy so those of you are shy about too hot, this recipe isn’t hot, but unbelievably good. Hats off to this one.
wow. i was liking your recipes albeit it voiding the meat part altogether (I veganize them) until I read that story. *PEOPLE* r way meaner than any chicken or any non human animal I have encountered. I don’t think death or killing is funny at all and it sadness me that some humans do.
Be kind. U never know what your next lifetime will bring….but that’s not the only reason 2 think & b gentle & kind.
Thank you! For your story. It made me laugh and I needed that.
Oh good! Thank YOU! ๐ Those poor chickens… I had no idea! hehe
Sorry but I don’t know how to post a quest5ion. Can I use boneless, skinless thighs for this and, if so, should I brown them first. Also can I fill the crockpot with them?
Are the drumsticks skinless?
Hi Ilene! No, they are not skinless, but if you prefer skinless, that will work just as well.
I see in the images that the chicken is placed in the slow cooker raw. Do you brown the chicken first? The last time I made one of these slow cooker chicken recipes with raw chicken, the end result was awful. ๐
Hi Adria! I did not brown the chicken beforehand – I almost never do – but I think that’s a personal preference. I also remove the skin before cooking the chicken, but others wouldn’t dream of it! ๐
If you want, definitely go ahead and brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side before adding it to your slow cooker, and it will still take around the same time to finish cooking. I hope this helps! ๐
This looks yummy. The recipe can be done with chicken breasts? Right?
Hi Christina!
Yes, it absolutely can. Enjoy!
Wow. This looks good. But…can I adapt this for just boneless chicken breasts?
Hi Lisa!!
Yes, you can absolutely do that, but I would suggest browning the chicken breasts just for a couple of minutes on each side before placing them in the crockpot. Hope you have a chance to try it!
Question – these look yummy but I’m confused because every time I use my slow cooker for chicken there’s no “crispiness” to it. However, the chicken in this photo looks crispy with dark spots like it was grilled??? Help!!
HI! You can try by browning the chicken in a skillet right before putting it in the slow cooker. That should give the color and a bit of crispiness that you’re looking for.
Alternatively, AFTER the chicken is cooked in slow cooker, transfer to foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes. That will absolutely give you the crispiness you’re looking for!
Is this made with drumsticks or drummettes? It has drumsticks listed in ingredients but then says “wings” in instructions.
Hi Kelly!
Thanks so much for letting me know about that… I’ll fix it right away!!
However, you can use either/or without adjusting the cooking time. Hope that helps!
ok- so full size drumsticks is what you used for recipe?
Yes, I use the full size drumsticks, but I have also used wings following the same method. Also, because the wings are much smaller, I use about 15 to 18 wings.