About Crock Pot Cranberry BBQ Drumsticks
I know that summer is gone and fall has just arrived, but, technically, we’re still less than five days into the official season. Crazy, right? I’m so really for all things fall, but since I live in Phoenix, for me it feels like I’ve been trapped in Westeros and we’ve just started a five-year summer.
Have I mentioned that I’m still obsessing over the last season of Game of Thrones? And that I tend to have the previous seasons on in the background while I work?
Because, nerd. I am and always will be a nerd.
But, I digress. I’m making small talk about the weather with you because I have a feeling you’re going to totally relate when I say that even though it’s fall, it’s still too hot out to cook. And what better way to get around cranking up that oven than with a delicious crock pot meal?
And if it isn’t already apparent, I can’t wait for the “true” fall weather to arrive. I usually never say this, since I am one of those crazies who likes her dry Phoenix heat, but for whatever reason, I’ve been “done” with summer, like, May. Totally over it. Finito.
Because I want fall leaves.
I want crisp winds.
And tacky Halloween decorations sitting right next to tacky Christmas decorations.
I want holiday candy.
And, yes, even pumpkin flavored everything (don’t hate me!)
All these strange, early-season yearnings are also what made me love the cranberry BBQ sauce in this recipe so much, because not only does it embrace the ease of summer but also the tastes of fall. And, yes, the flavor is as amazing as it sounds.
It’s like summer and winter decided to put aside their differences and worked together for an awesome dinner solution.
If only all of our problems could be solved so easily, amirite?
Now, I’ll fully admit that drumsticks (or wings or whole chickens or pretty much anything with bones) are more an old friend of mine’s idea of a great dinner than mine, but I can totally be swayed when the dish is flavorful and the meat is tender.
And by flavorful, I mean that I want to discover whole new levels of deliciousness with every bite.
And by tender, I mean that I want the meat to fall off the bone if I so much as look at it funny.
I totally had both of those with this dish.
Notes & tips for these drumsticks with cranberry bbq sauce
- If you’re in the market for a new crock pot, I recently discovered this one and I’m seriously impressed. It has three sizes in one!
- This recipe works best when you use a BBQ sauce that you already love. For best results, stick to classic or spicy variations without a lot of extra flavoring.
- For the cranberry sauce, you can choose between jellied cranberry sauce or whole berry cranberry sauce. I used jellied cranberry sauce in the above video, but I’ve also used whole berry and it turned out just as good!
- In the moon for more drumsticks? Be sure to check out Drumsticks in Creamy White Wine Sauce and Sticky Honey Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks.
More great crock pot recipes
This recipe was originally posted on July 11, 2016. It received a TLC update with new photos on September 25, 2017.
Recipe Details
Crock Pot Cranberry BBQ Drumsticks
Chicken drumsticks slow cooked in a cranberry bbq sauce make for an easy weeknight dinner or serving a crowd on game day. It's pure fall comfort food!
Ingredients
Instructions
Check your oven to make sure there's a rack positioned 4-5 inches from the top, then preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place drumsticks on prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper, then place baking sheet on top oven rack. Broil drumsticks for 12 minutes, turning half way through. Drumsticks will be a light golden color when ready.
- While drumsticks cook, whisk together BBQ sauce, cranberry sauce, orange marmalade, quick-cooking tapioca, and mustard in a medium bowl.
- Add drumsticks to a 6 qt crock pot and pour cranberry BBQ sauce on top. Gently toss drumsticks to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Serve immediately with sesame seeds as garnish (optional).
I totally get not wanting to cook some days! This looks like a great dinner!
I am so with you on wanting Fall weather!!! Living in Texas, the weather is brutal, and “Fall” isn’t the same. And I am all over the use of a crock pot to keep the heat in the kitchen right now. Yum!
Crock pot cooking is at the heart of cooking in South Texas. With temperatures in the hundreds outside there’s no way I want to crank up the oven or the stove. And anything with cranberry is a win!
I agree……there are other recipes for BBQ chicken in a crock pot without broiling first.
I can’t wait for summer to get to my side of the world. Isn’t it funny how we always want what we don’t have. Maybe we should swap houses for a month or two. You’ll love Australia I’m sure xx
your cranberry bbq drumstick absolutely looks a finger lickin … gorgeous idea for dinner!
I’m making this today but we won’t eat it for a couple days. How would suggest re-heating? I was just planning on 350 in the oven, maybe 325?
Hey Ab! You could do that or even put them back in the crock pot on warm setting for a bit. I think the sauce might caramelize a bit in the oven than in the crock pot, so keep that in mind. I would even suggest broiling the drumsticks and then chilling the chicken and sauce (in separate containers) until you’re ready to follow the instructions for the crock pot. Just depends on how much time you have the day you’re serving 😀
Well, while we are it…….why is broiling so important in this recipe? Can’t you just put the legs in the crock pot and let it cook them?
This is in the crockpot right now!! For some reason I don’t have mustard (that’s how much we don’t use it I guess) but figured it would probably be alright without it. I’m bringing it to a small broil Bible study tonight without any testing first, so hopefully it’s as good as it looks and smells!
Small group ** not Broil!!
Can you broil them after? Won’t broiling first make them not as crisp?
Hey Natalie! For this recipe, the broiling is to brown the skin and get the cooking process started. The drumsticks will be tender and soft once they’re done cooking, so as it’s written, this recipe wouldn’t make crispy drumsticks. You can try broiling them after and that *should* crisp them a little, but I haven’t tried doing that myself so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out.
Don’t have tapioca, will they turn out ok if I don’t add it?