Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Legs Freezer Meal
BBQ chicken doesn’t have to be reserved for the summer if you have a slow cooker at home. With the help of this freezer-friendly crock pot BBQ chicken legs recipe, you can enjoy the delicious flavours of grilled chicken without the need for a grill at all. And since this simple recipe can be prepared in a matter of minutes, it’s a great option for a busy weeknight dinner at home.
One of our sons is a huge fan of drumsticks, so I was thrilled to figure out a way to cook them at home that allowed them to be that perfect blend of tender and crispy.
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¾ cups BBQ sauce, divided
Freezing instructions:
- Stir together the paprika, cumin, and salt in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken legs in a large freezer bag and add the spice mixture. Shake the bag to coat the chicken legs in the seasoning.
- Add the minced garlic and one cup of the BBQ sauce to the bag. Squeeze the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the drumsticks in sauce.
- Seal the bag leaving a small opening at the end. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal it completely.
- Pour the remaining BBQ sauce into a medium freezer bag. Staple the bag to the bag with the chicken legs in it above the seal. Place both bags in the freezer.
Serving instructions:
- Allow the chicken to thaw completely in the refrigerator.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker and set it to cook on low for four to six hours.
- When the chicken is cooked through, transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the chicken with half the reserved BBQ sauce.
- Place the chicken under the broiler for one to five minutes, until the sauce starts to brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and flip the drumsticks over. Brush with remaining sauce and return the pan to the oven to broil an additional one to five minutes.
How Long Do I Cook BBQ Chicken Legs in the Crock Pot?
Cooking chicken in your slow cooker is a great way to help speed up the prep time. But since the chicken cooks slowly, you’ll need reserve several hours for cooking your drumsticks. Depending on how large your chicken legs are, they will be done cooking between four and six hours when cooked on low.
Can You Freeze Chicken with BBQ sauce on it?
Adding sauce and spices to your chicken before freezing is a great way to add some flavour to your drumsticks. That’s because marinade allows the flavours of your sauce to soak into the chicken. To prevent the acid in your sauce from breaking down the meat too much, it’s usually not recommended to marinate chicken for more than 12 hours.
But since the marinating process stops when the sauce is frozen, there’s no reason to worry about the breakdown process occurring in the freezer. That means it’s completely safe to freeze your chicken legs in BBQ sauce.
When you’re ready to cook your BBQ chicken drumsticks, simply transfer the freezer bag to the refrigerator to thaw. After that, you can prepare them on the grill, in the slow cooker, or in the oven.
Can You Cook Frozen Drumsticks in the Crock Pot?
Frozen drumsticks can be prepared in the slow cooker, but the cook time will need to be increased to ensure your chicken is cooked through. If cooking the chicken legs from frozen, allow for 8 to 10 hours of cooking when using your crock pot.
But while it’s possible to cook chicken from frozen in your crock pot, for best results I recommend thawing the drumsticks before cooking them. On top of being a safer method of cooking, giving your drumsticks time to thaw is the best way to ensure that they’re not stringy or rubbery when you’re ready to eat them.
BBQ Chicken Legs Tips & Tricks
This freezer-friendly chicken recipe couldn’t be easier to prepare! And with these baking tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to prepping a delicious dinner for your family to enjoy in the future.
- Always label your freezer bag. These frozen chicken legs will stay good for up to 9 months. Before you add the ingredients to your freezer bag, make sure to label the bag with the name of the recipe, the date it was frozen, and the estimated expiration date.
- Try different cuts of chicken. These BBQ drumsticks are delicious in the slow cooker, but you can easily adjust this recipe for other chicken cuts. Chicken thighs or boneless breasts are also great options for freezing and cooking in the crock pot.
- Keep an eye on the broiler. As you’re browning the chicken legs in the oven, it’s important that you watch the drumsticks closely as they cook under the broiler. The heat from the broiler can quickly burn your chicken and sauce, so make sure to stay close to the oven during this step of the cooking process.
Drumstick side dish suggestions:
- coleslaw
- garlic mashed potatoes
- dill pickle pasta salad
- jalapeño corn casserole
- baby red potato salad
- 3 lbs. chicken drumsticks
- 1 Tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ¾ cups BBQ sauce divided
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Stir together the paprika, cumin, and salt in a small bowl.
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Place the chicken legs in a large freezer bag and add the spice mixture. Shake the bag to coat the chicken legs in the seasoning.
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Add the minced garlic and one cup of the BBQ sauce to the bag. Squeeze the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the drumsticks in sauce.
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Remove excess air and seal.
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Pour the remaining BBQ sauce into a medium freezer bag. Staple the bag to the large bag above the seal. Freeze.
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Thaw.
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Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
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When the chicken is cooked through, transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the chicken with half the reserved BBQ sauce.
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Place the chicken under the broiler for one to five minutes, until the sauce starts to brown.
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Remove the pan from the oven and flip the drumsticks over. Brush with remaining sauce and return the pan to the oven to broil an additional one to five minutes.
