Tender, glossy drumsticks cook in a sweet-tangy sauce with just five ingredients and almost no prep. You’ll love how the slow cooker does all the work while the sauce turns into a sticky, savory glaze. Serve it with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, or coleslaw for an easy, comforting dinner.
Why You’ll Love It
- Just 5 ingredients — chicken drumsticks and four pantry staples make the whole recipe.
- No browning needed — add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook.
- Sweet-savory glaze — ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and garlic powder create a barbecue-ish sauce.
- Feeds 4 to 6 — an easy option for mashed potatoes, corn, coleslaw, or baked beans.
- Tender drumsticks — the chicken cooks until juicy, saucy, and easy to serve.
Ingredient Notes
Raw chicken drumsticks are the whole point here. Use eight, usually skin-on, because that is what you generally find in the family pack at the store. A 5- to 6-quart slow cooker works best so they can sit in a reasonably even layer instead of being piled up like firewood.
For ketchup, use whatever you normally buy. There is no need to start a ketchup debate. We have enough going on.
The brown sugar should be packed. Light or dark will both work, though dark brown sugar gives a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
Worcestershire sauce is what keeps this from tasting like plain sweet ketchup. Don’t leave it out. And garlic powder—not garlic salt.
Ingredients
- 8 raw chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark is fine
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Pat the 8 chicken drumsticks dry with paper towels and arrange them in an even layer in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Don’t obsess over perfect spacing, but try not to stack them in a giant heap if you can help it. An even layer gives you better sauce coverage.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ketchup, packed brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved and the sauce looks smooth. It will smell a little sharp at first—that Worcestershire always does—but once it cooks with the chicken, it mellows into something awfully good.
- Pour the sauce over the drumsticks, turning them a little if needed so they’re well coated. Use tongs for this. If some sauce settles at the bottom, that is exactly where it belongs.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and cooked through. LOW gives the whole house that “dinner is cooking” smell. But HIGH is perfectly good when dinner is still theoretical.
- Carefully transfer the cooked drumsticks to a serving platter and spoon some of the sauce over the top. The chicken will be tender, so don’t go yanking at it like you’re unloading groceries. Serve it hot with plenty of napkins—and maybe a spoon nearby for extra sauce over potatoes.
Variations
If you want a smokier, more backyard-barbecue kind of flavor, you can add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika to the sauce. That does take it beyond the original five ingredients, obviously.
For a less sweet version, use 1/3 cup brown sugar instead of 1/2 cup. Serve it with a big crunchy salad for a more balanced plate, or keep mashed potatoes beside it.
If you want the skin a little stickier and more caramelized-looking, put the cooked drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil them for 2 to 4 minutes after slow cooking. Keep an eye on them; broilers are sneaky little beasts.
Extra spices can make the sauce taste busy. The simple version is better.
Storage & Reheating
Leftover drumsticks keep well in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days, with some of the sauce spooned over them so they don’t dry out. Store the chicken and sauce together because the sauce gets even better after a night in the fridge—thicker, a little more settled.
To reheat, place the drumsticks and sauce in a covered baking dish and warm them in a 350°F oven until hot. You can also microwave them, covered loosely, though the skin won’t be as nice.
The leftovers are good pulled off the bone and piled onto a baked potato or tucked into a sandwich. They are also good stirred into boxed macaroni and cheese.
Final Notes
This chicken is especially comforting on busy days, when dinner can quietly take care of itself while everything else is going on.
Make the chicken. Spoon on plenty of sauce.
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Freedom Festival Chicken
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Ingredients
- 8 raw chicken drumsticks Pat dry with paper towels
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar Light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder Do not substitute garlic salt
Instructions
- Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with paper towels and arrange them in an even layer in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved and the sauce looks smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the drumsticks, turning them gently with tongs if needed so they are well coated.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and cooked through.
- Carefully transfer the cooked drumsticks to a serving platter, spoon some sauce over the top, and serve hot.
