Sustainable and controllable drug transport is one of the most efficient ways of disease treatment. Due to high biocompatibility, good biodegradability and low costs, chitosan and its derivatives have been widely used in biomedical fields. Specifically, chitosan hydrogel enables drugs to pass through biological barriers because of their abundant amino and hydroxyl groups that could interact with human tissues. Moreover, the multi-responsive nature (pH, temperature, ions strength, and magnetic field, etc.) of chitosan hydrogels makes precise drug release a possibility. Here, we summarized the synthesis methods, modification strategies, stimuli-responsive mechanisms of chitosan-based hydrogels, and their recent progress in drug delivery. Chitosan hydrogels that carry and release drugs through subcutaneous (dealing with wound dressing), oral (dealing with gastrointestinal tract), and facial (dealing with ophthalmic, ear, and brain) are reviewed. Finally, challenges toward clinic application and the future prospects of stimuli-responsive chitosan-based hydrogels are indicated. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.