Slow Cooker Chicken in a Hurry
16 CommentsUpdated Feb 10, 2026
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The flavors in this Chicken in a Hurry are tangy and sweet! The onion soup mix, along with the brown sugar and ketchup marinate the chicken wonderfully.
Other recipes we love that are dump and go are Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef, and Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy.
Slow-cooker chicken in a Hurry is exactly what the name says! Even though the cooking time is slow, the prep work can be done when you are in a hurry! This is a vintage recipe that has stood the test of time.
All you need is chicken drumsticks and a few pantry staples. What is great about this recipe is that it is made in one pot with very little cleanup.
Recipe Ingredients
Here is all you need to make this chicken dinner in a hurry. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below the images.
- Chicken Drumsticks - These may be the cheapest cut of chicken you can buy! You can leave the skin on, or remove it. See this video on how to remove skin from chicken drumsticks.
- Onion Soup Mix - Lipton onion soup mix adds plenty of onion flavor! We always have this on hand.
- Seasonings - Dried parsley, cayenne pepper and my all time favorite seasoning, Worcestershire sauce.
- Ketchup - Sounds like a strange ingredient to add to chicken but makes for a great tangy base.
- Brown Sugar - This gives the dish a sweet flavor (don't skip this!)
- Cornstarch - This will help thicken the sauce.
Variations
Here are some great ways to change up the recipe.
- Other cuts of chicken can be used. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Or you can use bone-in chicken breasts, but you will need to cook about an hour longer.
- If you don't want to use ketchup, you can use apricot jam, or chili sauce.
- A diced onion can be added for even more flavor.
How to make Chicken in a Hurry in a Crockpot
- Step One - In a bowl add the sauce ingredients and stir until combined.
- Add the chicken drumsticks to the crockpot.
- Pour over the sauce over the drumsticks.
- Cook on LOW for 5 hours or until the chicken is tender and nearly falling off the bone.
How to Serve
If you have time to make sides, this chicken is great with these:
- This chicken is very versatile! Serve with a starch such as scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, slow cooker mac and cheese or rice pilaf.
- Also, this is great with easy sides such as store-bought potato salad and fruit salad! Make dinner easy with store bought side dishes as well.
Other Chicken Drumstick Recipes:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are a versatile option that can be seasoned any way you like.
- Try Buffalo Drumsticks or Orange Chicken Drumsticks for bold flavor with minimal prep.
- Slow Cooker BBQ Drumsticks and Ranch Potatoes make a complete, comforting meal.
Featured Comment
- Denise
"I made this tonight, with a couple changes; I used frozen chicken breasts and in place of the ketchup, I used BBQ sauce. OMG, this was absolutely delicious! The chicken was very tender and juicy and the “gravy” that was in the bottom was used to top mashed potatoes. Your recipes never disappoint!"
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks, about 3 pounds, skin removed
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 oz. onion soup mix packet
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- To a small bowl add the ketchup, brown sugar, soup mix, cayenne pepper, parsley, and worcestershire sauce; whisk together.
- Next add the water and the cornstarch to the bowl whisk until completely combined.
- Spray a crockpot with nonstick spray, then chicken legs to the crockpot.
- Pour the soup mixture over the chicken legs.
- Cook on Low for five hours or until chicken is done.
Sarah's Notes
- These tasted great with mashed potatoes.
- You can leave the skin on the legs for this recipe but I found that it made the sauce watery and did not allow the flavors to absorb into the meat as well.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Other cuts of chicken can be used. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Or you can use bone-in chicken breasts, but you will need to cook about an hour longer.
- If you don't want to use ketchup, you can use apricot jam, or chili sauce.
- A diced onion can be added for even more flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
You mentioned that leaving the skin on for this recipe made the sauce watery, and the flavors didn’t absorb into the meat as much as you would’ve liked. Would this also be the case for your other chicken leg recipes? Would I be better off just removing the skin for every recipe?
You can definitely remove the skin if you prefer.