Slow Cooker Korean Chicken Wings (Crockpot Recipe)
These sticky, spicy Slow Cooker Korean Chicken Wings combine the bold flavors of gochujang (Korean chili paste) with honey and soy sauce for an irresistible game day appetizer or weeknight dinner.
Servings: 4
Calories: 260kcal
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl Large
- Baking Sheet Rimmed
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken wings fresh or thawed
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 6 tablespoons gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
- ¾ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- Green onions for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Place your chicken wings in the slow cooker pot, then sprinkle with minced garlic and ginger.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the gochujang, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, salt, and white pepper until well combined.
- Reserve half of this sauce mixture in a separate container and refrigerate for later use. Pour the remaining half over the wings in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours until the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F and tender.
- When the wings are done cooking, preheat your oven broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter.
- Transfer the cooked wings to the prepared baking sheet and brush generously with your reserved sauce.
- Broil for 3-4 minutes, then flip the wings, baste again with more sauce, and broil for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce is caramelized and the wings are crispy on the outside.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
- Don't skip the broiling step: While the slow cooker makes the meat tender, broiling is essential for getting that sticky, caramelized exterior that makes these wings irresistible.
- Watch carefully when broiling: Broilers vary in intensity, so keep a close eye on your wings to prevent burning. The high sugar content in the sauce can go from perfectly caramelized to burnt very quickly.
- Pat wings dry before cooking: If your wings release a lot of liquid during thawing, pat them dry with paper towels before adding to the slow cooker for better sauce adhesion.
- Use a large enough slow cooker: Overcrowding can lead to uneven cooking, so make sure your slow cooker has enough space for all the wings in a relatively single layer.
- Reserve the sauce: Setting aside half the sauce before cooking ensures you'll have clean, uncontaminated sauce for basting later.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2251mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 568IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg