Chicken · Slow cooker

5 Ingredients to Heavenly Crockpot Chicken!

Chicken drumsticks stacked like firewood in a slow cooker, dusted with cracked pepper and garlic, then drowned in honey, ketchup and soy sauce, five ingredients that somehow taste nothing like a budget meal. This is the kind of dish that makes you wonder why you ever bothered turning on the oven.

R By Richard · Adapted from Smokin' & Grillin with AB · Published 8 May 2026
👁 1.4M source views ❤️ 42.4k source likes
⏱Prep 10 min
🍲Slow cook 6 hr (Low) / 4 hr (High)
🍽Serves 4
✓Confidence 60% (review pending)
5 Ingredients to Heavenly Crockpot Chicken!

Source video by Smokin' & Grillin with AB on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is a no-fuss slow cooker chicken recipe built around five ingredients you probably already have in. Chicken drumsticks are arranged in the pot, dusted with black pepper and all-purpose seasoning, then coated in a simple honey, ketchup, soy and garlic sauce. It cooks low and slow until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. Garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds, and serve over rice with a side of broccoli. The leftover sauce can also be strained and thickened with a cornflour slurry to make a quick gravy.

Slow cooker notes: Source is already a slow cooker recipe, no adaptation required.

Ingredients

Chicken
  • 1.5 kgchicken drumsticks, washed and patted dry
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • all-purpose seasoning
Sauce
  • 120 mlrunny honey
  • 120 mltomato ketchup
  • 60 mlreduced-salt soy sauce
  • 4 clovesgarlic cloves, minced
To Serve
  • 2spring onion, thinly sliced (add late)
  • 1 tspsesame seeds (add late)
  • cooked rice (add late)

Method

  1. Spray the base and sides of the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Arrange the drumsticks in the pot, staggering them so they sit evenly without piling up.

    ~3 min

  2. Dust the chicken with freshly cracked black pepper and all-purpose seasoning. Don't worry about coating the undersides, the seasoning will work down into the sauce as it cooks.

    ~2 min

  3. In a bowl, whisk together the honey, ketchup and soy sauce until smooth. Stir through the minced garlic.

    ~3 min

  4. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken so every piece is coated.

    ~1 min

  5. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.

    ~240 min

  6. Lift the chicken out with tongs and serve over rice. Spoon over a little of the sauce, then garnish with sliced spring onion and sesame seeds.

    ~3 min

  7. Optional gravy: strain the leftover sauce into a small pan, bring to a boil, then whisk in a slurry of 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tsp cold water. Simmer until thickened.

    ~5 min

Frequently asked

Can I use chicken thighs instead of drumsticks?
Yes. Bone-in skin-on thighs work brilliantly here, and a mix of drumsticks and thighs is fine too. Boneless thighs will be a touch softer, so check at 3 hours on High.
Do I need to brown the chicken first?
No. This is a true dump-and-go recipe. The honey, soy and ketchup sauce gives the chicken plenty of colour and flavour without needing to sear it.
What should I serve with it?
Plain or jasmine rice is the classic match, with a side of steamed broccoli, green beans or pak choi to soak up the sauce.
Can I thicken the sauce?
Yes. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan, bring it to a boil, then whisk in a slurry of 1 tbsp cornflour and 1 tsp cold water. Simmer for a minute or two until it coats the back of a spoon.
Can I leave it on Warm after cooking?
Yes. Most slow cookers switch to Warm automatically once the timer ends, which keeps the chicken hot and ready to serve when you walk in the door.
Extraction notes (transparency): Transcript does not state any specific quantities for honey, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic or chicken. Quantities below are reasonable estimates for a standard slow cooker batch and must be reviewed before publishing. Black pepper and all-purpose seasoning are mentioned as optional dustings with no amounts.