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5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs

Published: Oct 30, 2018 · Modified: Dec 14, 2020 by Melissa · 149 Comments

This 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs recipe is flavor-packed and easy to prepare with a few simple ingredients. These chicken legs, made with soy sauce, require almost no effort - dinner is done in 10 minutes!

Easy 5 Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Legs Recipe

This meal is super simple and a major crowd pleaser, and it all comes together with 10 minutes of prep time, 5 ingredients, and a slow cooker. I’ve made this at least a million times, maybe more, and it’s a hit. Every. Single. Time. It’s basically a slow cooker version of my very favorite (and sort of internet famous) baked chicken legs recipe, but it takes jam instead of honey. (Both are delicious, by the way, and add a nice touch of sweetness to an otherwise savory dish!)

The best part about this recipe? You hardly have to do a thing. Seriously! The slow cooker does practically ALL the heavy lifting -- all you do is place the chicken legs in the slow cooker, mix up the other 4 ingredients, and pour it over the top. Turn on the ol’ slow cooker, and let it go to town! The sauce that the ingredients create is pure heaven, too… I recommend serving it over some rice with steamed vegetables.

The sauce created from the juices is delicious. Feel free to serve it over rice with your meal.

What Do You Need to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Legs?

This recipe to make chicken legs in the slow cooker is a joy because you only need FIVE ingredients: 3-or-so pounds of chicken legs or drumsticks, 1 cup of jam or jelly, ½ cup of ketchup, ⅓ cup of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic.

How Long Do the Chicken Legs Last?

If you have leftover chicken legs, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can cut the leftover chicken from the bone and use it in a stir fry and a salad to remix the meal. Store leftover sauce separately in an airtight container for up to 5 days, as well.

How Can You Customize Slow Cooker Chicken Legs?

There are PLENTY of ways to make this recipe your own! You can use all kinds of jams and jellies in the recipe, but I particularly like grape, apple, apricot, and peach. They add a really nice flavor without being too fruity or seedy (I usually avoid seedy ones, like blackberry or strawberry).

You can also add a couple tablespoons of Sriracha or another favorite hot sauce to amp up the spice levels, or throw in some smoky seasonings to make it even richer. It’s super versatile, so add whatever flavors you love!

You can pair this with just about any sides that you like! It’s pretty rich and so very delicious, so even a nice and simple side salad would go well, or some steamed rice to soak up that yummy sauce with steamed veggies.

Tips and Tricks for Making Slow Cooker Chicken Legs

You can use all kinds of jams and jellies for this recipe. My favorites are grape, apple, apricot, or peach. They have a nice flavor and sweetness without being too fruity. I normally avoid jams with seeds such as blackberry.
You can add so many things to these chicken legs! Add a tablespoon or three of Siracha or other favorite hot sauce for some spice, add a teaspoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning for a little bit of smokiness, or throw in some favorite spices like onion powder, cumin, or ginger. It's very flexible and very versatile.
The sauce that the cooking chicken creates is delicious. Feel free to serve it over rice. Add a side of steamed veggies and you have yourself a complete meal.
I normally plan on two chicken legs per person as a serving size. This is a great recipe for a crowd and scales up and down really nicely.
If you like your chicken legs a little crispy on the outside, you can remove them from the slow cooker after they're finished cooking and put them on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush them with additional sauce left in the slow cooker. Broil them in the oven for around 5 minutes until you reach your desired crispiness.