I resisted making wings in the slow cooker for a long time. In my head, wings need to be fried to be good. But I eventually caved because I hate the smell of frying oil lingering in my kitchen for days. I was surprised by how well these turned out, mostly because of the sauce. It uses balsamic vinegar, which sounds odd for a “teriyaki” style profile, but it adds a tanginess that cuts right through the sugar and soy.
The texture is definitely different from fried wings—the meat is much more tender and falls off the bone, rather than being chewy. I did learn the hard way that you absolutely have to broil them at the end. If you skip that step, you just have wet chicken. But with a few minutes under the broiler, the sauce gets sticky and caramelized, which saves the dish.
Ingredients
- 15 chicken wings (usually about 3 lbs), party style
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 tsp sriracha (add more if you like a kick)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Pinch of black pepper
- For the thickener: 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prep the Pot: Spray your slow cooker insert with non-stick spray. It makes cleaning up the caramelized sugar much easier later.
- Mix the Sauce: Whisk the honey, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, and dry spices in a bowl. It will smell quite vinegary at this stage; don’t worry, it mellows out as it cooks.
- Cook: Dump the wings in the pot and pour the sauce over them. Toss to coat. Cook on LOW for about 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
- Thicken: The sauce will look very watery when the time is up because the chicken releases liquid. Mix the cornstarch and water, stir it into the pot, and switch to HIGH for about 10 minutes to thicken it up.
- Crisp (Important): Preheat your oven broiler. Move the wings to a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 4–5 minutes until the glaze bubbles and darkens slightly. Keep an eye on them; sugar burns fast.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Set and Forget: Unlike frying, you don’t have to stand over the stove flipping batches.
- Sauce Depth: The balsamic vinegar gives it a complexity that standard bottled teriyaki sauce lacks.
- Party Friendly: You can keep them warm in the slow cooker after broiling if you’re serving a crowd.
Chef’s Tips for Perfection
- Don’t skip the foil: When you broil these, the dripping sauce will bake onto your pan like cement. Aluminum foil is your friend here.
- Frozen Wings: You can use frozen wings, but they release significantly more water. You might need to double the cornstarch at the end or let the sauce boil down longer to get a good glaze.
- Saltiness: Depending on your soy sauce brand, this can get salty. I usually stick to low-sodium soy sauce just to be safe.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 3 days. The best way to reheat them is in an air fryer or toaster oven at 350°F for about 5–6 minutes. Microwaving them makes the skin rubbery, so avoid that if you can.
Nutritional Notes
These are high in sugar due to the honey and brown sugar glaze. While they aren’t fried, the calorie count per wing is still significant because of the sauce.
A DailySimmer – Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe
