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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..
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
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.
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
↑↑↑ Wishing I had leftovers…
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken breasts, (boneless, skinless)
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ
- 1/2 medium onion, grated (with juice)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
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
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!!
How can I double this recipe. Do I need two crockpots
Hi Barbara, that should work fine to double it as long as your slow cooker is large enough to fit everything. It will probably require a longer cook time though – I would aim for the higher end of the cook times (i.e. 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low) to check for doneness.
came out amazing, paired it with some homemade brioche buns and it was a party hit. Everyone had at least two!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Jacob!
I love your recipes
Thank you so much for sharing that lovely comment with me, Chris! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes!
Thank you for another great recipe! My family loved it.
You’re welcome, Anna! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
I’ll be making this soon so am going to freeze all the ingredients together in a bag before semi-thawing in the fridge the night before. I’ve used frozen meats in the crock pot a number of times with no difficulties (referring to an earlier question from a reader). My question is, since I’m only using two pounds of chicken, should I reduce the amount of BBQ sauce to one cup?
Hi Lucie, I recommend using the serving size slider on the printable recipe card to help you adjust all ingredients to the 2 lbs of chicken.
I made this few times and wifey and kids loved it. How long can this stay in the fridge? Can I keep this (from safety perspective) 2-3 days in the fridge and reheat parts of it?
Hi Daniel, For max freshness, I would probably refrigerate up to 3 days.
This is by far the greatest recipe ever! Natasha, keep the recipes coming! Almost everything I make is from your page!
I’m so happy you love the pulled chicken recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha! If I wanted to half the recipe, should I adjust the cook time in the slow cooker as well?
Thank you!
Hi Natalie, halving it will work but the time won’t change by much. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
How will it taste if I just use the BBQ sauce in the bottle? I don’t use Worcestershire sauce at all, so i don’t want to waste the bottle.
Thank you!
Hi Tina, we believe we found the perfect balance for this BBQ sauce and chicken recipe. But, if you find a bbq bottle that you like and it works well, I’d love to know how you like it.
What kind of buns did you use ? I’m making this tonight !
Hi Mya, we have photos of the buns we used in the recipe, but this is versatile; you can use brioche buns, and some of our readers also use the little Hawaiian buns for those who wanted a slider.
This was delicious!!
Our family is headed to the northshore of Minnesota to gorgeous resort this summer. I will be making this for our first family vacation since the pandemic. And yes, I will pack my slow cooker. Thank you for your awesome recipes! Everyone LOVES this BBQ chicken!
You’re welcome, Jane! This will be perfect during the summer!
My chicken is rubbery and is not shredding easily. It appears fully cooked and has been cooking for the prescribed about of time on high heat. Would more vinegar break it down? What did I do wrong? They are large thick chicken breasts.
Hi Pat, if they are very large chicken breasts, they may need a little more time, or especially if you started with frozen chicken they would need a little longer.
Hi, firstly just want to say I love all of your recipes I have tried so far. We just made chicken pot pie and I want to use the remaining chi Ken. Can I use cooked rotisserie chicken for this? If so, how do I adjust cooking time?
Hi Priya, I haven’t tested this with rotisserie to advise. We also took a look at our reader comments and haven’t found anyone trying it to advise on a time or process. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha! My husband LOVES this meal. Silly question – do you use any buns? Do you toast them? And do you put any condiments on the bun?
Hi Jessica, yes, as we mentioned in the recipe, we “Serve as is or in buns with the best coconut coleslaw (find the recipe on natashaskitchen.com) and dill pickle chips.” You can definitely toast the buns; it’s such a treat! I hope you love it!
Can I use frozen chicken?
Hi Tiff, I have not tested that, but I recently read that adding frozen meats to a slow cooker can be unsafe, so it’s best to do a quick-thaw in cold, cold water at least before adding them.
Hi Natasha! I used bone-in chicken thighs and it was fabulous! I added cayenne because we like spicy and a little apple cider vinegar for tartness. Even my husband who only eats white meat chicken loved it and asked me to make it again. Also, your coconut cole slaw was delicious. That’s how I’ll be making cole slaw from now on. I have a question, though, my sister wants to make this, but she doesn’t have a slow cooker. If she makes it in the oven using chicken thighs, how long and what temp should she do? Thanks for your recipes. So far, all the ones I’ve tried are winners!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Susan! I’m so glad you’re all enjoying our recipes! You can actually do it on the stovetop or in the oven. I think it’s a little easier (hands-off) and less time-consuming in the oven. You can follow the baking instructions outlined in my sweet and spicy baked chicken.
Can this recipe be made with chicken thighs? I have a bunch! Looks delicious.
Hi Caitie, I suggest boneless skinless thighs, and they should work.
Made this for my mom’s birthday and she loved it!! (she’s very picky, and at restaurants normally describes her meal as “ok”). She even put some of it in a container for leftovers the next day. Recipe was very simple too, which I appreciated. Would definitely recommend to someone who wants an easy meal that will please a crowd.
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your recommendation and awesome review. I appreciate it!
Juicy and delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, I think I am hooked on your recipes! I’m anxious to try this one but my kids are picky eaters. Can I sub the onions for lemon juice instead? If so how much would I use? Thank-you looking forward to your reply.
Hi Marisa, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. I saw someone else commented that they added a little bit of lemon and liked it!
Has anyone tried freezing this? How did it go?
Hi Julia, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I do think it would work well. The ingredients are freezer friendly.
I routinely freeze half of it for an easy meal later. No complaints from my picky family. Great recipe!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Alli!