A simple recipe for Pineapple Barbecue Glazed Chicken Drumsticks will get dinner on the table with minimal effort.
I created this Pineapple Barbecue Glazed Chicken Drumsticks recipe for the days I don’t get to the store early enough to make an all-day crock pot meal.
By the time I get home from the store on Sunday, it’s after lunch time, and I’m irritable. This drumstick recipe could be popped in the slow cooker and be ready for dinner in about 3 hours.
How to make:
Gather these ingredients:
- Chicken drumsticks (with the skin on)
- Barbecue sauce – I use BBQ Pete’s
- Pineapple slices
- Cooking oil
- Salt and Pepper
That’s all you need for this simple recipe.
Directions:
- Add the oil to a hot skillet on the stove-top. Sprinkle the drumsticks with the salt and pepper then add them to the hot pan. Brown on all sides, no need to cook through.
- Add the drumsticks to the slow cooker. Pour over the barbecue sauce and a half cup of the pineapple juices and lay over pineapple slices.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, or LOW for 5-6 hours.
What I love about this meal is that drumsticks usually come in giant 5-pound packages, I put half in the freezer for the next week. I seem to forget how cheap drumsticks are; they run about .99 cents a pound at my local grocery store.
What to serve this with:
- Rice – white or brown
- Corn on the cob
- Ceaser Salad
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Baked Beans
The chicken cooks up so lovely in the slow cooker, fall off the bone tender, and the barbecue sauce and pineapple make a perfectly tangy and sweet sauce for the chicken. I hope you try this recipe and have a great week!
Slow Cooker Pineapple Glazed Barbecue Drumsticks
Equipment
- Slow Cooker – 3 quart or larger
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs. chicken drumsticks about eight drumsticks
- 1/4 salt
- 1/4 pepper
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
- 20 oz. can pineapple slices (1/2 cup of juices reserved)
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, add the cooking oil. When the pan is hot, brown the chicken on all sides. Add the chicken to the 3-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Pour over the barbecue sauce evenly over the chicken. Next, pour over a ½ cup of juices from the pineapple can. Using a fork, add the pineapple slices over the chicken and sauce.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 5-6 hours. Do not open the lid during the cooking time. If you do not brown the chicken, or your chicken is frozen, cook for longer.
Christie says
November 2, 2015 at 12:54 pmDrumsticks are such an economical meal. I love the pineapple you put with them.
The Foodie Affair says
November 2, 2015 at 9:24 pmThat sauce looks delicious! Perfectly paired with dark meat and love that it’s ready in just 2 1/2 hours!
Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads says
November 3, 2015 at 3:45 pmI love drumsticks and this sounds so fabulous! Great idea adding the pineapple!
reneeskitchenadventures says
November 4, 2015 at 5:36 amI love to try new BBQ sauces too! This is such an easy way to get dinner on the table. Love it!
Grandma Kc says
November 4, 2015 at 7:57 amThat looks delicious! I love dark poultry meat but sadly husband doesn’t or I would be whipping this one up right away!
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says
November 4, 2015 at 8:53 amMan, I love this SO much! Love sweet & savory flavors! And drumsticks are always so budget friendly to buy too. 🙂
Sonya McNail says
November 29, 2015 at 5:38 pmBrowned chicken legs and thighs a pressure cooker then followed as above. Took only 25 minutes in pressure cooker. Was great. Husband loved it!!
Johanna says
December 1, 2015 at 5:10 amDo you need a slow cooker to cook this or can you put it on the stove or in the oven ?
Sarah Olson says
December 1, 2015 at 5:40 amI’m sure it would do fine in the oven or stove top. You will have to experiment with the time.
sue zander says
March 16, 2018 at 5:27 amI think since you’ve already browned it by frying, you can cook the rest of it in the oven.
stella says
January 1, 2016 at 12:56 pmcould you use another part of the chicken like the breasts? don’t care for dark meat
Sarah Olson says
January 1, 2016 at 2:50 pmBone in breasts would do great. I would cook them for an 1-2 hours longer though.
Cindy says
January 4, 2016 at 10:04 amDid you use skinless legs or do you keep the skin on ?
Sarah Olson says
January 4, 2016 at 10:18 amSkin on. I will add the to the recipe card. 🙂
Diane says
September 23, 2017 at 9:15 amYour recipe already says “skin on”.
Sounds yummy, I think I’ll try this for dinner tonight.
Gayle Addison says
August 28, 2016 at 12:07 pmIt doesn’t tell you if you do not use a frying pan how longer to cook it
Sarah Olson says
August 28, 2016 at 8:26 pmHi Gayle, I say 30 minutes more would work.
ANN says
June 27, 2017 at 8:47 amCan I use chicken breast instead. I’m not a fan of dark meat.
Sarah Olson says
June 27, 2017 at 10:59 amYes, I would cook longer. About 4 hours.
Ann says
June 27, 2017 at 11:21 amThanks for the info!
Sara says
July 3, 2017 at 7:06 pmIf I were to triple this recipe and do it covered in a sheet pan, how long should I could them?
Traci Davies says
July 23, 2017 at 12:45 pmIf using frozen legs and not browsing them first, how long would you leave them in the slow cooker?
Sarah Olson says
July 23, 2017 at 3:21 pmI’m thinking 4 1/2 hours on high, the extra time for them to thaw, takes a while.
Richard T Grossheider says
March 5, 2018 at 8:45 pmHey Sarah…love your recipes.
I’m a 91-year-old single guy, and your recipes are tool cool for words.
Only prob is that my freezer is overloaded with humongous batches of leftover slow-cook goodies.
What is a ball-park rule for changing the cooking time for half-, or less, quantities of your recipes?
Or do I have to learn that through trial and error?
Curtis says
September 15, 2018 at 6:45 amIf I doubled this recipe,how much more time would I cook it for?
Sarah Olson says
September 16, 2018 at 2:48 pmI would do 4 hours on high