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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!!
Hi Natasha, I’ve made your slow cooker BBQ chicken several times and love it. I’ve got it slow cooking just now.
What could be nicer on a cold snowy day in Glasgow Scotland.
We love this recipe on a cold snowy day! I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Marylin!
Hi Natasha ! I’ve made quite a few of your recipes this year
They are always soo good–and easy too ! I’m 77 years old, so I don’t cook every day anymore, but when I do I like it to be worth my while ( if you know what I mean…) I made Thanksgiving dinner !for my family this year (your pumpkin pie,turkey and dinner rolls) my family were pretty impressed !It all started because I love watching your videos .You make cooking look like so much fun !
I’m so glad your family was impressed with it, Susan! I love hearing stories like this! Thank you for your compliment and lovely feedback! Merry Christmas!
Delicious! I didn’t grate the onion, just chopped it very small. Also substituted Worcestershire Sauce with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp ketchup so that combo works well as well! Used Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon Bbq Sauce. Will def make again! Enjoyed it in wraps.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Thea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
what is a substitute for worchestershire sauce? – we have an allergy situation.
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried a specific substitute for this recipe, but I recommend a google search. There are so many options that come up.
can you freeze this? and for how long?
Hi Michele, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I do think it would work well. The ingredients are freezer-friendly.
I made this for company last night. Big hit and so easy to prepare. Will definitely make again.
Thanks for your great feedback, Karen!
Hi I am planning on trying your recipe today but I do not have a slow cooker. I was planning on slow cooking in the oven. What temp would you reccommend and for how long?
Hi Sigga, 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.
I just made this last night for my family of 3. Very easy and delicious. I used 1.5 pounds of chicken and i could have used about a half pound more as ours was a little to saucy. That is Ok. Otherwise delicious, super easy and a hit. I will be making this again. Nice basic recipe to expand on. I cooked this for 6 hours on low.
Hello Marcia, so nice to know that you liked and enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Made this last week and now making it again tonight. This recipe is sooo good. The chicken just falls apart. I made a tangy slaw with it and served it with spicy pickle chips. I used the new barbecue sauce from Trader Joe’s-The Carolina gold. We are obsessed!
Isn’t it so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Merissa!
Hi Natasha,
I would like to make this as sliders for our 2022 Super Bowl party. I’m assuming I can use thighs and/or a combination of chicken meat.
Can I make it the day before?
That should work, Sharron. It’s best made the morning of but you can make it a day ahead and refrigerate then reheat the next day adding a splash of water if needed. It will reheat well since it’s a moist chicken.
Hi,
Do you use light or dark brown sugar please
Hi Troy, we used golden brown sugar. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha.. thank you for your WONDERFUL- spot on recipes!
I was thinking about doing half thighs and half tenderloins.. I know they each cook differently… any suggestions 🤔??? Thanks
Hi Koch, I would cook to the doneness of the chicken thighs to be safe. I always make this with chicken breast so I would suggest cooking to your desired doneness.
Can I use a whole chicken to make this pulled chicken?
Hi Michele, that should work fine to debone and remove the skin. I have instructions on how to cut up a whole chicken on my blog here. 🙂
For those of you who like your BBQ chicken spicier or a bit more hot flavored. I have added diced mild to medium jalapenos about 1 pepper worth. I have also used diced green mild to hot chiles in the can (small) drained before adding to the pre-cooking. I hope this helps some of your readers.
Great ideas, Darrel! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha I need to make this to feed 10 adults and 9 kids. Would i be safe to just double the ingredients? Thanks
Hi Brooke, 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.
The slow-cooker, chicken BBQ recipe is now one of my “go to” recipes when I need to take meals to friends. I’ve done this three times over the last year or so and it’s received rave reviews each time. Thanks, Natasha!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Susan!
I would like to make this and take it to a Fourth of July picnic. I cant bring my crock pot but I can keep it warm in my pyrex warming bag. Will it still be good served semi-warm?
Hi Seema, we like it warm, and I bet that pyrex warming dish will help keep it warm! I hope you love this recipe! It’s perfect for the Fourth of July!
Seema, this recipe is wonderful just warm. By the time I have taken it to my friends’ home for their dinner, it is “just warm.” And they love it.
I see the nutrition information but don’t see how much a serving size is. Thank you!
Hi Donna, Servings: 8 if used in sandwiches
Hey Natasha! I had the same question. I know it makes 8 servings. But how much exactly is a serving? About how much prepared chicken?
Hi Megan, if you are serving as sandwiches, I would estimate roughly 1/2 cup of shredded chicken.
Instead of shredding with a fork, which takes forever, Try putting the chicken in the bowl of your stand mixer with paddle attachment and let it rip for a few seconds. Easy Peasy!
Thank you for sharing that wonderful tip with us, LK!
Would this also work in the instant pot? And if so, how long would you recommend?
Hi Bonnie, I think that would be a great experiment, but I really can’t provide specific instructions without testing it. I love my instant pot, but things don’t always translate how I hope they would go in the instant pot. I will add it to my list, but let me know how it goes if you experiment before I do.
Hey, can I still cook the sauce without onions? I recently found out that I’m allergic to them.
Hi Deja, are you okay to use onion powder just for added taste? If not, feel free to omit it from the recipe and just add more seasoning to taste.
Yes ma’am I’m okay to use onion powder, just can’t do an actual onion. Thanks for the reply! 😊