Tried and True Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks

I am back this week with my Tried Again and True Series and like last week, I asked my newsletter subscribers which recipe I should revisit. If you remember, last week it was a close tie between Crock Pot Sloppy Joe Cheeseburgers and Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks.

So last week we revisited the Tried and True Crock Pot Sloppy Joe Cheeseburgers and even turned them into a freezer meal too!

And this week I am giving our classic Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks a try!

Tried and True Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks

This week we are revisiting one of my personal favorite recipes on Recipes That Crock.

What I changed this time around

I didn’t really change a whole lot this time.

• I was short on time, so I cooked it on high instead of low and shortened the cooking time to 2.5 hrs.
• I opted to wait until after cooking in the crock pot to add the barbecue sauce because different people in the family enjoy different sauces.

What I loved about this tried and true recipe

• I love how easy this recipe is and how flat out good it is.
• My family LOVES this meal.
• I love how tender the chicken turns out and how popping it under the broiler gives it a nice barbecue flavor.

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5 from 2 votes

Tried and True Crock Pot Drumsticks

Our Tried and True Crock Pot Chicken Drumsticks recipe is an easy chicken slow cooker recipe for family dinner. These chicken legs come out tender every time and are full of tangy barbecue flavor!

Author: Cris

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 4 lbs bone in skin on chicken drumsticks
• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
• vegetable oil spray

Instructions

• Combine your sugar, seasonings and spices.
• Pour seasonings into a gallon sized baggie and place your chicken in the bag a few pieces at a time. Close the bag and shake to coat.
• Place your coated chicken in your slow cooker (it is okay to overlap.)
• Cover and cook on high for 2.5 hrs or low for 4-6 hours, until your chicken is tender.
• Place your oven rack 10 inches from your broiler element and turn on your broiler.
• Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Arrange chicken on the prepared baking sheet..
• Brush 1/2 of barbecue sauce on chicken and broil 1-5 minutes, until chicken is crisp and slightly charred.
• Turn chicken legs to opposite side and brush with other 1/2 of barbecue sauce and broil for additional 1-5 minutes until second side is crisp and slightly charred.

Notes

• We are often asked if liquid is needed to slow cook this meal. The chicken will create its own juices. No need to add additional liquid.
• We make chicken legs in the crock pot a LOT. I love how flavorful and versatile they can be. I have been known to just throw them in with a little Lawry’s Seasoned Salt  and call it a day. Sometimes we go a step further to make them Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Legs. We have  also been known to make this One Pot Chicken Dinner with chicken drumsticks instead of the boneless thighs in the original recipe.
• This recipe is from America Test Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Revolution.
• Finally, all slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.