Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

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This crockpot pulled chicken is so easy to make – everything just goes into the slow cooker without any special prep. It’s fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious. We put it on rolls with our coconut coleslaw and crisp dill pickle chips.

It was sweet, salty, savory and so satisfying. I invited my family over for crockpot bbq chicken sliders and everyone loved them. My son even asked for refills on the chicken (which is a big deal). l’m pretty sure all of the adults had seconds. Great reviews all around on this one! If the picture above hasn’t convinced you yet, the next one will!

This is a great way to make meat for company or your family when you don’t have time to stand over the stove. You can throw everything in your slow cooker before church and it’s ready when you come home. Such a treat! PS. the coleslaw can be made when you start the chicken – just refrigerate it until ready to serve..

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken:

3 lbs (about 5-6 count) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce (Try Homemade BBQ Sauce or Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ)
1/2 medium onion, grated (with juice)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

How to Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken:

1. Stir together all sauce ingredients in a 5-6 qt slow cooker.

2. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and cook on high 2 to 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours. Check on it early since timing can depend on the thickness of your chicken and the size of your slow cooker. It will also cook faster if making a smaller batch. Chicken is done when cooked through to an internal temperature of 167˚F and easy to shred.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

3. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred each breast using two forks. Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot and stir to coat with the yummy sauce

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com
↑↑↑ Wishing I had leftovers…

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe

4.98 from 1265 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Crockpot pulled bbq chicken
This slow cooker chicken is so easy to make - everything just goes into the crock pot without any special prep. It's fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious. Serve as is or in buns with the best coconut coleslaw (find the recipe on natashaskitchen.com) and dill pickle chips.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 if used in sandwiches

Instructions

  • Stir together all sauce ingredients in a 5-6 qt slow cooker.
  • Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or for 6 to 7 hours on low. Check on the chicken earlier if using smaller chicken pieces, if making a smaller batch, or if you know your slow cooker runs hot. Chicken is done when cooked through to an internal temperature of 165˚F and is easy to shred.
  • Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred each breast using two forks. Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot and stir to coat with the yummy sauce.

Nutrition Per Serving

317kcal Calories26g Carbs37g Protein7g Fat1g Saturated Fat109mg Cholesterol770mg Sodium781mg Potassium1g Fiber21g Sugar171IU Vitamin A3mg Vitamin C33mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
317
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
7
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
 
109
mg
36
%
Sodium
 
770
mg
33
%
Potassium
 
781
mg
22
%
Carbohydrates
 
26
g
9
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
21
g
23
%
Protein
 
37
g
74
%
Vitamin A
 
171
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
 
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
 
33
mg
3
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 317
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

 

Serve in buns with the best coconut coleslaw and dill pickle chips. Yum!!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com

Crockpot BBQ Chicken - The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken! Fall-apart tender, juicy and delicious! | natashaskitchen.com
4.98 from 1265 votes (1,035 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Sara
    April 22, 2025

    This was fantastic and amazing! I used your homemade bbq recipe and it was simply delicious. Added a couple of jalapeños to the bottom of the crockpot— oh so good. I should have doubled the recipe, except that it’s just me :)! Thanks for posting, I can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 22, 2025

      You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sara!

      Reply

  • Melissa
    April 20, 2025

    Really confused by all of the high ratings. This doesn’t turn in to a a nice bbq sauce. It’s pure liquid due to the water I guess evaporating from the chicken? It also tastes terrible probably due the entire onion. Also, the cooking time on high was way too long (I even put it in for a half hour less than was suggested) and the chicken is so overcooked. Not sure what I’m doing wrong here.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 21, 2025

      Hi Melissa, I’m sorry it didn’t meet your expectations. Does your instant pot run hot normally? also if you used smaller chicken breasts, it can take less time to cook through.

      Reply

  • Kat
    April 15, 2025

    Love this, we’ve made it several times! It’s a Home Run!

    Reply

  • Cristy
    April 12, 2025

    Hi! Thinking of making this next weekend for a group of 20 for my son’s 1st bday bbq. If I move the scale to 20 servings do I just follow the recipe from there?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 12, 2025

      Hi Cristy! This recipe doubles well as long as your slow cooker is large enough to fit everything. I’m not sure if increasing it any further would work unless your slow cooker is larger. It will probably require a longer cook time. I would aim for the higher end of the cook times (i.e., 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low) and check for doneness.

      Reply

      • Cristy
        April 12, 2025

        Okay thanks so much I’ll double it and try that!

        Reply

  • Amira
    April 10, 2025

    Should the chicken be seasoning with anything like salt/pepper? If so, how much? I’ll be using the same bbq sauce noted in the recipe. Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 10, 2025

      Hello Amira! I didn’t add any seasoning as the chicken breasts are seasoned with a mixture of grated onion, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar, combined with BBQ sauce. But if you want a tastier chicken, you can add a bit of seasoning like salt and pepper.

      Reply

  • Alexis
    April 9, 2025

    It wasn’t terrible but I wouldn’t make it again. The taste is just not there for me

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 9, 2025

      Hi Alexis, this normally has a lot of flavor – did you change anything in the recipe? Also, I’m curious – what kind of BBQ sauce did you use?

      Reply

  • Lulu
    April 8, 2025

    What an easy and delicious recipe! I opted to use chicken thighs instead of breast and it was awesome. Definitely will make when I want hands off cooking! Thank you.

    Reply

  • Robbin
    March 31, 2025

    If I use your homemade barbecue sauce, do I still add the Worcestershire sauce and Brown Sugar?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 31, 2025

      If the homemade bbq sauce is already sweet for your taste, there’s no need to add brown sugar. If you’d like to enhance the flavor and make it sweeter, then feel free to add it in there.

      Reply

  • Steve G
    March 20, 2025

    I like to make meals and bring them to my 94-year-old father to eat for later. Would this freeze well if I portioned it out? Any other of your recipes that freeze well would be appreciated. This is my favorite recipe site and I cook a lot of the different things but I’m never sure what items feel free as well and which will not.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 21, 2025

      Yes, you can make this recipe ahead and freeze it. Make sure that it has been cooled completely, store the portions in airtight freezer-safe containers or resealable freezer bags. Don’t forget the add label (date) so you won’t forget it.

      Reply

  • Linda M.
    March 15, 2025

    On the amount of chicken needed depending upon the number of people you are serving, why does the lbs of chicken change, but where it reads about 5-6 count – that stays the same? I assume that means 5-6 pieces of chicken, and that should change as the lbs of chicken needed changes. Very confusing to me.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 15, 2025

      Hi Linda! Unfortunately the notes next to the ingredients and the instructions do not update with scaling the recipe up or down. It’s not a feature available at the moment. We’re working on getting the recipe cards updated to avoid confusion like this in the future. Thanks for pointing it out so we can update it.

      Reply

  • Nellie
    March 11, 2025

    I fell in love with this recipe! I served it with Hawaiian Cole slaw as suggested. My family loved it. I used slow cook mode on my instant pot for this recipe.
    I had Kinder’s bbq sauce/hickory brown sugar on hand and the dish turned out really good.

    Reply

  • Marla
    March 5, 2025

    BBQ chicken in slow cooker is great! Thank you for the recipe. I added 1/4 cup of white wine to enhance flavors even more.

    Reply

  • Linda
    February 28, 2025

    I don’t have a crock pot, can I make in a Dutch oven pot on stovetop? If so, how long should I cook?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 28, 2025

      Hi Linda! You can follow my instructions for the sweet and spicy baked chicken to bake it, but you can make it on the stovetop too. Just cook it covered until the internal temperature reaches 165, flipping it half way through. Likely it will take about 20-30mins depending on how thick your chicken breast are.

      Reply

  • Kim
    February 27, 2025

    Adding to my recipe collection! I’m not a big fan of crockpots, so I cooked in my dutch oven. I seared the chicken on both sides, added all of the ingredients (added more than 1.5 cups of bbq sauce), then cooked in the oven at 250 degrees for 4.5 hours. Super easy and very good.

    Reply

  • Melissa
    February 24, 2025

    Can I use boneless chicken thighs for this?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 24, 2025

      Hi Melissa! I haven’t tried that but it should be fine. We’ve had people try this recipe with thighs, pork etc. and loved the results.

      Reply

  • Katie
    February 12, 2025

    How much is a serving per your nutrition facts? Sorry if it’s stated somewhere but I couldn’t find it.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 12, 2025

      Hi Katie, The serving size can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving. The serving size for the whole recipe is 8 (if used in sandwiches) the nutrition facts is per serving. Just divide the whole recipe by 8 to get each of the serving size. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Adaline
    February 9, 2025

    Just an optional suggestion:
    Using a hand held mixer shreds the chicken right in the crockpot

    Reply

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