Chicken wings are always welcome party appetizers. They can be time-consuming to make though, and it can be tricky to keep them hot before serving if there are lots of other appetizers on the menu. This is where the handy crock pot comes in! Serve delicious chicken wings to guests right from the slow cooker, where they'll stay hot and tasty throughout the party.
The real beauty of fixing chicken wings in the slow cooker is that all of the ingredients can be tossed into the pot and left to slowly simmer all day. There's no last-minute reheating, and busy party hosts can move on to other concerns and dishes while the chicken wings are taken care of.
The sauce in this recipe is a dark, slightly sweet, and spicy barbecue sauce. It can be adjusted to taste quite easily, with more or less hot sauce, honey instead of molasses for a sweeter taste, or the addition of cumin or other spices to make the sauce more complex. Add the hot pepper sauce a bit at a time until the desired spiciness is reached.
Crock pots can vary widely in the amount of heat they produce. If it gets close to party time and the wings aren't cooked through yet, feel free to crank the heat up to high to finish them off. Just watch the sauce to make sure it doesn't burn or get too thick. Apple juice or water (or beer or pretty much any other liquid that will add flavour!) can be added to the sauce to thin it out.
Serve the wings straight from the crock pot, with lots of napkins for sticky fingers. Add some plates full of celery and carrot sticks, and blue cheese dressing for dipping.
Crock Pot Chicken Wings Recipe
Makes 8-10 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds fresh chicken wings, tips removed
- 1 1/2 cups bottled chili sauce (such as Heinz)
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste
Put it All Together:
- Rinse chicken wings under cold running water and pat dry. Place wings in the crock pot.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Taste the sauce to make sure it's spiced well and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Pour sauce mixture over chicken wings in the crock pot and stir to coat.
- Cook wings on low heat for about 8 hours, or until cooked through and tender. If sauce becomes too thick, add a bit of water or apple juice and mix well to thin it out a bit.
- Serve hot from the crock pot, or transfer to serving dishes.
Carrie Grosvenor - Carrie is a freelance writer from Ontario, Canada. Her writing is featured on numerous websites and print magazines. She currently pens a ...
