Nothing screams summertime louder than crock pot bbq chicken. It’s not summer yet here in Arkansas, but these Chicken Leg Quarters in the Crock Pot have me dreaming of warmer, sunnier days!
Lately, I’ve found myself craving grilled food, but we don’t own a grill. What a dilemma! My solution was to create this recipe. It turned out so tender and juicy that I may never lament the lack of a grill again!
This bbq chicken recipe was finger-licking good and is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters at your family dinner table.
Do you associate certain foods with childhood memories? I certainly do, and one of those memories revolves around barbecue, of all things.
When you grow up in the South, you can’t escape a love for chicken bbq
especially if you had a dad like mine who was a firm believer that it should be served at least twice per week.
Anytime we went on vacation, my dad always found the little smoke shacks, you know the type, the tiny house on wheels that has a smoker attached that can be pulled behind a truck and set up anywhere.
It’s a wonder we didn’t get food poisoning from all of the random food we consumed from those little pop-up restaurants!
I’m not sure how my dad always found these places since that was long before cell phones and GPS were accessible, but he seemed to sniff them out no matter where we went.
Growing up, when we got hungry for our favorite Southern staple, my dad would drive about 20 minutes away to a small family-owned restaurant and pick up some of the biggest, messiest, best-tasting barbecue sandwiches.
I always begged for my very own sandwich the size of a dinner plate, even though I could barely hold it with both hands!
When I go back home to visit family, I always stop by that same little restaurant and grab a huge sandwich.
They’re still the size of a dinner plate, and I’m happy to report they have continued to use that same bbq chicken recipe.
How to Cook Crockpot Chicken Leg Quarters
Although it is possibly one of the most overlooked cuts of meat, this leg and thigh combo makes the best bbq chicken recipe!
While the cooking time for this recipe can be a bit long at 6 hours on low, I can assure you; it’s worth the wait.
Low and slow is the way to go with this large cut of meat. The results will be tender, juicy, falling-off-the-bone sticky goodness!
I do not recommend placing frozen chicken quarters in the crockpot, only because it would take too long for such a large cut of meat to thaw and come to a safe internal temperature in a timely manner.
A Few Tips:
We love to make our barbecue sauce for this recipe because we follow a (mostly) Paleo way of eating. This Paleo BBQ Sauce by Danielle Walker at Against All Grain is a delicious, clean sauce that makes these crockpot chicken quarters even better.
The beauty and simplicity of cooking is the ability to customize a recipe to fit your needs and preferred tastes.
If you have a favorite store-bought brand of sauce, grab it and shave some time off your recipe preparation.
Another way I like to keep this meal healthy is by making my own homemade dry ranch seasoning. I love knowing what goes into my food, and being able to control the sodium is a bonus.
If you’re pressed for time, you can always use 1/2 a packet of prepared, store-bought dry ranch seasoning and dip mix.
Once these chicken leg quarters are fully cooked in the crockpot, remove the porcelain crockpot insert and place it in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes. Broiling the chicken will allow the skin to become crispy and add another layer of flavorful goodness.
Optional Side Dishes:
Side dishes are an essential part of any dinner meal, but chances are, you don’t have an infinite amount of time to spend making them.
Some of our favorite side dishes for this recipe include mashed potatoes, an easy salad, baked sweet potato (or a baked potato), roasted carrots, and coleslaw, to name a few.
Just as a little side note, the juice that will be in the crockpot after cooking this chicken makes a fantastic gravy for mashed potatoes!
When you make this recipe, I would love for you to rate it and comment below! Let me know why you like it and how you served it to your family. Pinning my recipes to Pinterest is another excellent way to share the love with me and save the recipe for yourself.
Other Great Recipes You’ll Love:
PALEO TERIYAKI CHICKEN MEATBALLS
SLOPPY JOE STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
Chicken Leg Quarters in the Crock Pot
Marvelously flavorful and incredibly easy, these Chicken Leg Quarters in the Crock Pot will be your new favorite bbq chicken recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken leg quarters
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp homemade dry ranch seasoning
Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Pour water into a 6 quart or larger crock pot and add in thawed chicken quarters.
In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dried parsley flakes to create the Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning.
Sprinkle the Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning evenly over the chicken leg quarters.
Pour bbq sauce over the chicken and spread evenly to cover chicken completely.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Please Note: The nutrition information for this recipe has been calculated without any bbq sauce added. Please modify calculations based on the bbq sauce you choose to use.
This recipe is Paleo, but it can be made Whole30 or Low Carb by using a compliant bbq sauce.
Amazing! This chicken is super flavorful, tender, juicy, it’s wonderful! Not soggy Like some crockpot chicken can be. The ranch seasoning/barbecue sauce combination is to die for. I will make this over and oVer. How could you not? It taste wonderful, and it’s so easy to make
Kelli, I am so delighted that you enjoyed this recipe so much! This is a big favorite around my house as well and I love how easy it is to make. I hope you continue to find easy, delicious recipes for your family here!
What bbq sauce do you use?
Hi Jill!
I used the Paleo bbq sauce recipe that’s linked in this blog post, but any kind of bbq sauce can be used!
I haven’t made this yet but my daughter made chicken legs in the crock pot yesterday and then broiled them with additional sauce for just a few minutes to crisp them up. So good! Just adding that little tip in case anyone wants to try it. i was amazed at how well the chicken was in the crock pot. I will try this recipe because the sauce sounds so good and Amy’s recipes are reliable.
i HAVE MADE THIS RECIPE TWICE, AND IT’S IN THE CROCK POT NOW FOR A THIRD TIME! i WAS SKEPTICAL AT FIRST, BECAUSE ANYTIME i HAD EVER PUT SKIN-ON CHICKEN IN A CROCK POT, THE SKIN CAME OUT SOGGY. nOT SO WITH THIS RECIPE, HOWEVER; I DID TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER’S ADVICE (ON THE SECOND TIME THAT I MADE THEM) AND BROILED THEM AFTER THEY WERE DONE FOR A FEW MINUTES TO CRISP UP THE SKIN A LITTLE MORE. tHEY WERE AMAZING! eITHER WAY, THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER!!! i ALSO USED SWEET bABY rAY’S BOTTLED bbq SAUCE AND PACKAGED RANCH DRESSING MIX. tHEY ARE DELICIOUS LIKE THAT! i CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MUCH BETTER THEY MAY TASTE USING THE HOMEMADE DRESSING MIX! WILL HAVE TO TRY THAT SOMETIME!
I’m so happy that you’re loving this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and leave a review. I hope to see you around here again soon!
Omgosh this is sooooo amazing 🥰 Definitely a keeper!Thank you!!!!
Judie,
Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know that you love this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoy it. 🙂
Can you MAKE THIS WITH frozen chicken leg quarters?
Yes, you can, I have many times! Just increase the cooking time by 2 hours.
excellEnt recipe! The dry raNch seasoning blend is deliciOUs aNd the chicken falls off the bone. I used buffalo sauce instead of bbq saUce because that is what I Had on haNd. I used 1/4 cup of chicken broth in the crock pot inStead of water. Outstanding flavor!
Hello Laura!
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and leave a review! I love the idea of adding buffalo sauce – I’m going to try that myself! I can imagine the buffalo sauce mixed with dry ranch seasoning gives the chicken a wonderful flavor.
Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope to see you around here again soon!
-Amy
Can you cook on high for 3 hours?
Hi Cheryl,
I would cook on high for 4 hours (if thawed) or high for 6 hours if frozen.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Amy
Hi Cheryl,
Yes, you can cook this recipe on high for 3 hours. Enjoy! 🙂
Do you think putting 4 chicken quarters IN THE crockpot will be ok? Perhaps if I layer the seasonings etc
Hi Jen,
Yes, absolutely you can put 4 chicken quarters in the crockpot. Layering the seasonings is a great idea if your crockpot is small enough that you’ll need to stack the chicken leg quarters.
this is tender, flavorful, fall apart chicken! I used Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce. I had 6 leg quarters so I doubled all the ingredients. The sauce is delicious but a bit thin, so next time i might use less water or just thicken it at the end of cooking with corn starch. A keeper for sure!
Hi Val!
Thanks so very much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a review. I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe!
I hope to see you around here again soon!
Have a wonderful week. 🙂
-Amy
Can you cook it on high… if you’re in a RUsh
Hi MaryAnn,
Yes, you can! Cook on high for 4 hours if your chicken leg quarters are thawed, or high for 6 hours if they’re frozen.
Thanks for stopping by!
Question. Could one double the recipe, 4 leg quarters? And would the cooking time be the Same?
Hi Bob,
Absolutely, the recipe can be doubled. I would add 2 hours to the cooking time as well. Enjoy!
Still wondering if the recipe can be doubled
Yes, it can be, just add 2 hours to the cooking time as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I worry about the texture of the skin. I’m thinking soaking and cooking is going to produces something not so APPETIZING. What do you think about skinning first? Or is the skin in this RECIPE one of the highlights?
Hi Tracy,
You can skin the chicken if you would like, but if you’ll follow the oven broiling instructions in the recipe after the chicken has cooked in the slow cooker, I can assure you that you won’t have soggy chicken skins. 🙂 Hope that helps! Have a great day and come back soon!
Excellent recipe, tasty, super TENDEr and juicy, chicken was falling apart taking it out of the slow cooker.
Rita, thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave some feedback! I hope to see you around here again. Have a blessed day! 🙂
WHat if i wanted to double the recipe? Do i double the ingredientS but keep the Cooking time the same? Sorry if It seems like a dumb quesTion.
I would double all ingredients (not just the chicken quarters) and also add 2 hours to the cooking time as well. I hope that answers your question. Thanks so much for stopping by!
If i double the recipe wOuld i double the INGREDIENTs? Also wOuld the cook time Be the same? Sorry if its a dumb QuQuestion, thanks!!
Hello Veronica,
No question is a dumb question! 🙂 I welcome your questions and look forward to helping out. So, if I was doubling the recipe I would double all of the ingredients and also add 2 hours to the cooking time. I hope that answers your question and helps you out!
aBSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! tHEY DON’T COME OUT WITH SOGGY SKINS, EITHER! mAKING THEM FOR THE THIRD TIME TODAY! dIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT SUCH A SIMPLE RECIPE CAN TASTE SO GOOD!
I’m so happy that you love this recipe so much! Really makes my day. 🙂
I am looking to be able to cook for 9-10 hours, would it be better to start with frozen quarters instead? Looking for ideas to start on my way out to work and be done when I get home.
Hi Gary,
You can cook this recipe on low for 9-10 hours, no problem. I do not suggest using frozen chicken leg quarters when cooking for such a long period of time. Since the slow cooker is designed to cook low and slow, this doesn’t allow the meat to reach a safe temperature within a safe time frame before bacteria can start to form on the uncooked meat. While some of my recipes I do suggest using either frozen or thawed meat, this is not one of them.
Really good and so very easy.
A bit different flavour for crockpot chicken which we love.
thanks for sharing the recipe.
when in a rush i do 2 hours on high and 1.5 hours or so on low.
🙂
Hi Sharon,
Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know what you think about this recipe! I’m so glad you all are enjoying it.
Making this now, ty
Hi Shelly,
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Enjoy! 🙂
Just chicken is absolutely to die FOR!!!! My go-to always and it’s a family favorite! Thank you so much for sharingthis RECIPE❤️