August 20, 2018

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

by Karly in Buns In My Oven Favorites, Chicken, Easy Breezy Chicken Squeezy, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Videos    
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This crockpot BBQ chicken recipe is so easy to toss together. Add everything to your slow cooker and let the magic happen. You’ll come home to juicy BBQ pulled chicken and a house that smells amazing.

crockpot bbq chicken

I’m having a wee bit of a love affair with my slow cooker lately.

Nobody tell my Instant Pot, okay?

I know the cool new appliance on the block is the pressure cooker, and I like mine. It’s great.

But, I’ll just always have a place in my heart for the slow cooker. Even if it did murder Jack. 😉

I like to turn this slow cooker BBQ chicken into sandwiches, topped with this easy coleslaw recipe, but it’s also good over rice or with a side of mashed potatoes.

crock pot bbq chicken on a bun

I have a lot of crockpot chicken breast recipes on this site, because it’s my favorite way to eat chicken. I’m honestly not a huge fan of chicken, but I like it just fine when it’s been slow cooked and shredded.

I do crockpot chicken breast with just salt and pepper and shred it up to use it in my chicken enchilada casserole and chicken stuffed peppers.

Chicken in the slow cooker is the best, if you ask me!

Anyway!

slow cooker barbecue chicken sandwich on a cutting board

How to make slow cooker BBQ chicken:

You guys, this is embarassingly easy!

You’re going to start with a pack of chicken breasts and then a cup of bottled barbecue sauce.

We’re not stopping there though! We’re going to doctor that bbq sauce up into something fabulous!

You’ll add some vinegar, brown sugar, and spices to the bottled sauce to really amp up the flavor and make this a little more special.

You can start with whatever your favorite bottled sauce is. The extra vinegar and sugar works well with every sauce I’ve tried!

I normally use Sweet Baby Ray’s in this recipe.

close up of BBQ pulled chicken in slow cooker

You might be tempted to add some extra liquid to your slow cooker, but please don’t. The chicken will release plenty of juices as it starts to cook and the slow cooker keeps all that steamy goodness right inside, so everything is perfectly moist. No extra liquid required.

It’s important to keep in mind that every slow cooker cooks a bit differently – some run hotter and cook faster than others.

Special Tools Needed To Make Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken:

Slow Cooker: Seems obvious, right? This is the only special tool you’ll need and I’m willing to bet most of you already have a slow cooker in your house. If you don’t, I highly recommend the Ninja slow cooker (affiliate link). I have 5 different slow cookers in my house, but the Ninja is the one I always grab first.

It cooks evenly and I really like the shape and size of it.

close up of crockpot bbq chicken on a bun

What to serve with crock pot BBQ chicken:

Anything that goes well with pulled pork is going to go great with this slow cooker barbecue chicken!

Macaroni Salad! We make this summer side dish for every cook out!

Our favorites are my classic macaroni salad recipe, cheesy ranch potatoes, and Instant Pot mac and cheese. For dessert, this banana pudding seems like a win.

This slow cooker barbecue chicken comes out tender, juicy, sweet, and tangy. The red pepper flakes add a bit of heat, but we don’t find it overwhelming at all. Feel free to reduce the amount of red pepper to suit your tastes.

Give this crockpot BBQ chicken recipe a try and let me know what you think! Snap a photo of your dinner and tag me at #bunsinmyoven on Instagram or join my Facebook group and share your photo there! I love seeing when you guys make my recipes!


close up of BBQ pulled chicken in slow cooker
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4.25 from 4 votes

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 5 mins
 
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: comfort food, party recipes, slow cooker recipes
Calories: 374 kcal

The crockpot BBQ chicken comes out tender, juicy, and full of barbecue flavor. I normally use Sweet Baby Ray's sauce in this recipe, but whatever you have on hand will work. Feel free to reduce the amount of red pepper to suit your own tastes. As is, this has a little kick, but isn't overly spicy.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 6 hamburger buns
  • 1 recipe coleslaw

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken breasts to a slow cooker.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder. 
  3. Pour the barbecue sauce mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
  4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is easily shred with a fork.
  5. Spoon the chicken onto the sandwich buns and top with coleslaw just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 374 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 878mg 37%
Potassium 638mg 18%
Total Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 27g
Protein 28g 56%
Vitamin A 6.8%
Vitamin C 3.1%
Calcium 10.9%
Iron 14.1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on bunsinmyoven.com should only be used as a general guideline.

originally posted on March 8, 2018, last updated on August 20, 2018
categories: Buns In My Oven Favorites, Chicken, Easy Breezy Chicken Squeezy, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Videos
14 Comments »