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These juicy Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Drumsticks satisfy your entire flavor palate. Made with a flavorful combination of soy sauce, BBQ sauce and pineapple, they’re an easy weeknight dinner idea everyone loves.
If you’re ready for a tasty chicken recipe, you absolutely must try these Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Drumsticks. This easy dinner idea is packed with flavor and also easy to prep as a freezer meal! Double it to keep an extra dinner ready to be dumped into the slow cooker any night of the week.
While there are many recipes for Hawaiian chicken out there, my secret is to include actual BBQ sauce in the glaze. This adds a savory, smoky aroma to the pineapple-soy sauce combination and easily sets this dinner one step ahead of the rest.
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are a family favorite of mine and I know it will quickly become one of yours too!
What You’ll Need
- Soy sauce – Opt for low sodium. You can add more salt later if necessary.
- Pineapple juice – Adds sweetness and flavor to the sauce.
- Brown sugar – Omit for a less sweet sauce or substitute maple syrup.
- Ketchup – A little sweetness, a little flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – Just a splash!
- Ground black pepper & salt – To taste.
- BBQ Sauce – Use any of your favorite bbq sauces.
- Cornstarch – You can substitute arrowroot powder.
- Water – It’s important to mix cornstarch with water before adding to the sauce, so it doesn’t clump together.
- Chicken drumsticks – You can also substitute chicken thighs or other cuts of chicken. I prefer bone-in, dark skin chicken for the juiciest, most flavorful pineapple chicken.
- Cilantro – The finishing touch!
How To Make Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Drumsticks
- Add soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, pepper, salt, and bbq sauce in a mixing bowl,. In a ramekin or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water, then add to the bowl with the bbq sauce. Whisk together well. Set aside ¼ cup.
- Place the chicken drumsticks into the slow cooker. Pour bbq mix over the drumsticks. Cover, and set the slow cooker to low for 6 hours, or high for 3.5 hours.
- Once finished cooking, set drumsticks onto a baking sheet and brush with remaining sauce. Place under the broiler in the oven for 5 minutes
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with pineapple slices. Enjoy!
Easy Variation Ideas
Although I love this chicken drumsticks recipe as it is, there are some yummy variation ideas you can try too. Here are a few of them:
- You can substitute chicken thighs, other cuts of chicken, or even swap chicken for pork, beef, or another protein.
- Add in some veggies, such as bell pepper or broccoli.
- Kick up the spice a notch by adding jalapenos or cayenne pepper flakes.
- For a less sweet sauce, you can omit the brown sugar.
- If you have time, you can marinate the chicken for up to 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Add in chunks of fresh pineapple for extra flavor.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these chicken drumsticks over rice with a side of broccoli or other vegetables. White rice, brown rice, fried rice and cauliflower rice are all good options.
How to Store and Reheat
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop in the microwave for a few minutes until the chicken is heated thoroughly.
Can I Freeze These?
Yes! This bbq chicken drumsticks recipe makes a great freezer meal. To freeze, just prepare the sauce according to the instructions and pour it into a ziplock freezer bag over the chicken legs. Squeeze the air out and seal.
When you are ready cook, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator overnight, then pop in the slow cooker and cook.
Other Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Fresh pineapple, for serving
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, worcestershire, pepper, salt, and bbq sauce. In a ramekin or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water, then add to the bowl with the bbq sauce. Whisk together well. Set aside ¼ cup.
- Place drumsticks into the slow cooker. Pour bbq mix over the drumsticks. Cover, and set the slow cooker to low for 6 hours, or high for 3.5 hours.
- Once finished cooking, set drumsticks onto a baking sheet and brush with remaining sauce. Place under the broiler in the oven for 5 minutes
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with pineapple slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brown Sugar: You can omit the brown sugar for less sweetness or substitute with maple syrup.
- Cornstarch: You can substitute with arrowroot powder.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is the best way to reheat next day
You can reheat the chicken wings in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes on a lined baking sheet, turning once halfway. Enjoy!
Now this is my kind of dinner! It was so delicious!
Delicious!!!! I have made these several times now… with drumsticks, wings but our favourite is with chicken breast and then doing pulled chicken chunks on mash. Great the next day on rolls too. Perfect mix of sweet and savoury. A staple in our home. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you love them. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback!
I enjoyed these drums SO much! They are so flavorful. They were great for lunch the next day also.