Crock Pot Chicken Legs

Dry-rubbed drumsticks in the slow cooker — no extra liquid. Juicy dark meat with about 5 minutes of prep.

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Crock Pot Chicken Legs
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5 min Prep Time
4 hrs Cook Time
4 hrs 5 min Total Time
5 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2½ pounds chicken legs (skin on)
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1¼ teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons oil (avocado, canola, or olive oil)

Instructions

  1. Pat each drumstick dry with a paper towel and put them in a 4–6 quart crock pot. Don’t add broth or water — dry slow cooking keeps the skin from going rubbery.
  2. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder in a small bowl.
  3. Drizzle the chicken with the oil and rub it on. Sprinkle the seasoning over the legs and rub it all over.
  4. Cover and cook on low 4–5 hours or on high 3–4 hours, until the thickest part of a leg hits 165°F.
  5. Serve as-is, or for BBQ: heat the oven to 375°F, move the legs to a baking sheet, brush with BBQ sauce, and bake uncovered 15 minutes.

Notes

  1. Thaw the chicken first. Don’t put frozen legs in the crock pot.
  2. Skin on is the default. You can pull the skin off and still rub with oil and spices — dark meat stays juicy.
  3. If the cooker makes a lot of juices, that’s normal. Broil a few minutes if you want the skin drier.
  4. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge. Freeze cooled legs wrapped individually up to 3 months.