You will love these BBQ chicken leg quarters in the slow cooker! They're super tender and dry rubbed with a smokey, tangy, flavorful spice rub, slow cooked until they are juicy, and then basted in BBQ sauce and crisped to perfection - no grill required! Ready to make them?
Jump to:
- You'll Love These Easy Crockpot Chicken Quarters
- Chicken Quarters Crockpot Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How To Cook This Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe in the Crockpot
- How Long To Cook Chicken Leg Quarters in the Crockpot
- How to Serve It
- Slow Cooker Chicken Leg Quarters Tips
- FAQ's
- 📖 The recipe.
- More Slow Cooker Recipes To Make
- 💬 What readers are saying.
You'll Love These Easy Crockpot Chicken Quarters
Super Tender & Juicy! Slow-cooking chicken allows the meat to tenderize and break down so you end up with a really juicy and tender piece of meat. The barbecue sauce helps add moisture while it's cooking and adds extra flavor-yum!
Delicious Spice Rub. This quick and easy dry rub uses spices that you probably already have in your spice cabinet. It's easy to make and will give you perfectly seasoned chicken.
Easy Weeknight Dinner. It's a great set-it-and-forget kind of recipe that you can make any day of the week. The chicken will be very tender from slow cooking, and then you'll crisp up the skin under a broiler or the air fryer for the best taste.
Chicken Quarters Crockpot Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make these slow cooker barbecue chicken leg quarters:
- Dried Oregano
- Smoked Paprika: this adds a good color and smokey flavor to your chicken; substitute with regular paprika if desired. This is one of my favorite spices and if you've never used it before I highly recommend adding it to your spice cabinet.
- Garlic Salt
- Onion Powder
- Yellow Mustard Powder
- Ground Black Pepper
- BBQ Sauce: use your favorite BBQ sauce in this recipe- choose a sugar free BBQ sauce to keep the recipe healthier.
- Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Quarters: I prefer to use bone-in chicken when slow cooking as it will hold up better being cooked longer. The skin will also give a nice crust to your chicken when broiled or put in the air fryer.
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
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Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of using the seasoning in this recipe, you can use any seasoned, salted herb blend or dry rub may be used.
- Use boneless, skinless chicken if desired. You can still broil your chicken to get the outside BBQ sauce browned and crispy.
- Omit the BBQ sauce if desired.
- Use chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks, if desired, over the chicken leg quarters.
How To Cook This Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe in the Crockpot
- Mix together the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle both sides of the chicken.
2. Spray the inside of your crockpot with nonstick spray. Place chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with BBQ sauce.
3. Cover and cook on low or high until the chicken is done.
4. Preheat the oven broiler and place rack 6 inches below the heat. Place chicken on a baking sheet and baste the chicken with BBQ sauce.
5. Broil until the skin begins to brown and crisp. Turn chicken over and baste with remaining BBQ sauce. Broil until the sauce and chicken brown and the skin is crisp.
Hint: Be sure to pull the chicken from the slow cooker once it reaches 160 degrees F. You want to prevent overcooking it when crisping the skin in the air fryer or broiler. It will continue to cook during this process and can lead to drying out and overcooking.
How Long To Cook Chicken Leg Quarters in the Crockpot
According to the USDA the safe internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees when measured with a meat thermometer in the center of the thickest part. If you are cooking it in the slow cooker on low heat, this will take approximately 4 to 6 hours. On cooking on high heat it will take about 3 to 5 hours.
How to Serve It
- Adjust any seasonings to taste.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley for color.
- Serve with extra BBQ sauce of your choice.
Meal idea! Serve these BBQ leg quarters with your favorite side dishes, such as a baked potato or baby potatoes, and fresh steamed broccoli or cauliflower. Start with a small side salad to keep it healthy and low-carb! Don't forget the extra BBQ sauce to dip your chicken into. : )
Slow Cooker Chicken Leg Quarters Tips
- Use an air fryer (450 degrees F) to crisp the skin instead of an oven. Preheat the fryer, add the chicken - then watch closely to prevent burning or overcooking.
- There is no need to add any extra liquid to the crockpot before cooking.
- Preheat the broiler in the oven before adding the chicken so you get the color and crispiness, without overcooking.
FAQ's
Allow to cool and transfer to an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them in an air-tight container for up to 4 months.
You can reheat your chicken in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate in 30-second increments on 50% power. You can also reheat in the air fryer (325 to 350 degrees) to warm the chicken and crisp up the skin.
I find that cooking chicken slower in the crockpot on low ends with a more tender and juicy end result. If you are in a hurry, you can cook it on high in less amount of time, but you risk overcooking the chicken and drying it out.
No, you do not have to pre-cook your chicken before you cook it in the slow cooker. You just have to make sure that the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165 degrees F before consuming it for safety.
📖 The recipe.
Slow Cooker Chicken Quarters (BBQ Style)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (regular paprika may be used)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, divided
- 3 bone-in skin-on chicken quarters (trimmed of any excess fat)
Instructions
- Mix the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.
- Spray the inside of a crockpot with nonstick spray. Place the chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with ½ cup of barbecue sauce.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low 4 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature of ths chicken reaches 160℉. (Note that the safe temperature of chicken is 165 degrees, but you are removing it from the crockpot and then broiling, which will bring it up to the proper temperature.)
- Preheat oven broiler and place oven rack about 6" below the heat. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and place on a baking sheet, skin side down. Baste the chicken with half of the remaining barbecue.
- Broil for 4 minutes or until sauce and skin begin to brown and crisp. Turn the chicken over skin side up, and baste with remaining BBQ sauce. Broil for 3 to 5 more minutes or until the sauce and chicken legs are browning and skin is crisping.
Video
Notes
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- TIP:
- An air fryer (450 degrees F) may be used to crisp the skin instead of an oven. Preheat the fryer, add chicken, and watch closely so it doesn't burn or overcook.
- You do not need to add any liquid to the crockpot before cooking.
- Preheat the broiler before adding chicken so you can get color, but not overcook the wings.
- You can broil the chicken before slow cooker which will add flavor, but you will not have crispy skin.
- The final cooking temperature of your chicken should be 165 degrees F.
- VARIATIONS: Instead of the seasoning called for in this recipe, any seasoned salted herb blend or dry rub may be used as a substitution. Chicken can be basted with BBQ Sauce instead of the pot juices.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Garnish with fresh parsley for color. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- STORAGE: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for 4 months.
Nutrition
© 2025 Slow Cooked Eats
Star says
Excellent recipe! Followed recipe exactly. Family loved it. I will make this often.
Thank you.
slowcookedeats says
Awwww. Thank you so much, I'm super happy you loved these! I have them on my menu for this week! 🙂