Easy slow cooker spicy chicken drumsticks, homemade with simple ingredients. Super tender, fall off the bone chicken legs are coated in a delicious hot sauce.
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This is a great dish for potlucks, summer parties, and holiday get-togethers. It has the hearty taste of chicken with the spicy thrill of hot sauce and cayenne pepper. I know my family enjoys eating this and hopefully yours will, too. If so, be sure to try these other options: Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks (Asian) and Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Drumsticks (Legs).
Key ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks- You will need about 3 pounds.
- Oil- Prevents the chicken from sticking to the bottom.
- Butter- Use unsalted and be sure it is melted.
- Greek yogurt- Be sure it is full fat for more creaminess.
- Onion powder- Get a touch of onion flavor without the chunks.
- Garlic powder- The dash of garlic flavor compliments the other flavors so well.
- Chili powder- Gives this dish an extra kick.
- Cayenne pepper- Brings an added bit of kick to the dish.
- Salt and Pepper- Classic option to add more flavor.
- Frank's hot sauce- The perfect sauce to give the perfect consistency and spicy factor.
Variations
- Add color and crispiness- Place cooked drumsticks on a lined baking tray and broil for about 5 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce- After chicken is cooked, transfer the sauce from the crockpot to a saucepan. Over medium heat, simmer sauce until thickened. Then drizzle on top of the chicken.
- Use other cuts of chicken- Such as wings or thighs.
- Adjust the spiciness- You can use a different, more milder hot sauce if the original Frank's hot sauce is too spicy for your tastebuds. You can also adjust the spices to your personal preference, whether more or less spicy. You can even add a little sugar to decrease the spiciness.
- Use other sauce- Such as Teriyaki or an Asian sauce, though this will change the entire flavor profile.
- Try adding fruit- Such as pineapple, mango, or peaches to balance the spice and add sweetness.
How to make easy slow cooker spicy chicken drumsticks recipe from scratch?
- Mix together in a crockpot- The oil, butter, Greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and Frank's hot sauce.
- Add in drumsticks- And toss until combined.
- Cover and cook- Until chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish- With freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.
What to serve with hot chicken?
- Potatoes- Meat and potatoes are always a great combo and I like these Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes and Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes (In Foil) to pair with this chicken.
- Rice- You can serve this with sticky rice, brown rice, or your favorite dirty rice mix.
- Salad- This always goes great with a nice green salad or your favorite fluff salad as well. Some sugar to even out the spice is always nice.
- Bread- Such as dinner rolls, breadsticks, and french bread.
- Pasta- Like this Slow Cooker Pasta or Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Pasta.
- Vegetables- Such as Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots, Slow Cooker Creamy Brussel Sprouts, or Slow Cooker Creamed Corn.
Tips and techniques
- How to add flavor to chicken?- You can add in more or different spices and you can also brown the chicken before adding to the pot.
- Homemade or store-bought- Hot sauces can be used. It's entirely your preference.
- At the end, if there is too much grease floating on top- Just lay paper towels on top of the oil and then quickly lift and discard them. You may have to do this a couple of times, depending on the amount of grease.
- Use unsalted butter- So that your dish doesn't become too salty.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freeze- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat before serving.
- Reheat- Warm in the microwave or make them crispy in an air fryer.
- Make ahead- These can easily be made up to 2 days before serving if kept in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze these for up to 1 month in a sealed container, then thaw in the fridge, reheat, and serve.
Recipe FAQs
No. However, this will bring added flavor and color.
Yes. Just allow enough time for the chicken to cook through to a temperature of 165 degrees F.
Either is fine. You can cook on low 4-5 hours or high for 3-4, but cooking it on low gives the chicken more time to tenderize and soak up the surrounding flavors.
Yes, covering with a lid allows the steam and juices to work inside the crockpot to create heat that cooks the chicken more evenly and thoroughly.
More crockpot chicken recipes
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Slow Cooker Spicy Curry (With Chicken)
- Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Wings
Recipe
Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Drumsticks
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Ingredients
- 5-6 Chicken drumsticks I used skinless, About 3 pounds
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 tablespoon Butter Unsalted, Melted
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt Plain, Full fat
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- 1 cup Frank's hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large crockpot (6 quart or larger), add oil, butter, Greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, Frank's hot sauce and mix until combined.
- Add drumsticks and toss until combined.
- Cover and cook on Low heat for about 4-5 hours or High heat for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
- Optional step 1: I didn't do this as I was short on time but this step will add a lovely color on top and make tops slightly crispy. Transfer cooked drumsticks to a baking tray, lined with foil paper and broil for about 5 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Optional step 2: You can also transfer remaining sauce in the crockpot to a nonstick saucepan and reduce it on stovetop over medium heat until it's thickened and drizzle it on top of the chicken.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.
Notes
- You can also brown the chicken first before adding it into the crockpot for additional flavor.
- Adjust the amount of spices and especially hot sauce, based on your preference. This is quite a spicy dish.
- Use full fat Greek yogurt because it's thick and creamy.
- Don't omit the yogurt because it helps to cut the spice factor slightly or else it feels like fire in your mouth.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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