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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), about 5-6 count
- 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!!
This recipe is a hit with my two kids. They absolutely love it! And, so do the adults. I am SO glad I stumbled upon this recipe!
Thanks!!
Thank you Cassie for such a nice review, I’m happy to hear that your family loved it 😁.
I made your recipe for my daughters 1st birthday dinner and everybody LOVED it. Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it! Thank you for your great review and happy birthday to your daughter!! That is such a sweet age 🙂
I need to double this. Would you suggest using chicken breast and thighs? And how long would you cook it in a crockpot? Also how large of a crockpot do you suggest?
Hi Michelle, I usually just cook either chicken breasts or thighs for more even cooking and texture. If doubling the recipe, you could probably still fit everything in the same sized slow cooker but anything from 5 1/2 qt to 7 qt should work fine. Slow cook on the same settings and for the same amount of time. Cook until chicken can easily be pulled apart with forks.
Just made this with a bbq sauce I made from scratch. Quick and easy even the sauce is quick to do
Mmm homemade BBQ sauce sounds great! 🙂
We get together with several neighbors for dinner and tonight was our turn to provide the main dish. This pulled chicken sounded perfect. I used 10 lbs of boneless thighs and breasts. Took 6 hrs to slow cook.I followed the recipe exactly except I minced the onion. It was a huge hit. Thank you Natasha.
Karen, thank you for such a nice review, I’m so happy to hear that everyone liked it 😁.
Just made this tonight for my #NeverChicken husband and he loved it! (So did I.) Followed the recipe exactly + a dash of hot sauce. I freaked out a little halfway through because it looked sooo watery, but at the end I shredded the chicken, added it back to the sauce for a few minutes, and it was absolutely perfect.
Libby, thank you for such a nice review, I’m glad you liked it 😀.
I followed recipe exactly (although I didn’t grate the onion- minced it real fine). It was quick, easy, & super delish! We put them on martin’s potato rolls (our fav). Having leftovers was a bonus since I am 8 months pregnant & have a 15 month old. She ate it up too, btw. Great for the whole family!
I’m so happy your family enjoyed this! I haven’t tried those rolls but potato rolls sure sound amazing! Thanks for sharing your great review and congratulations on baby #2! Blessings to you and your little one 🙂
Natasha, would it work to double the recipe in the slow cooker?
Hi Carla, that should work fine to double it as long as your slow cooker is large enough. 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.
Thank you.
I am hosting a graduation party and making 15 pounds of chicken bbq. The recipe sounded easy and the reviews were great so I thought I would give it a try! It’s FABULOUS!! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!!
Wow that’s a lot of chicken! I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you so much for the awesome review!
Autumn, does it work to double the recipe in the slow cooker?
This looks great. Does this recipe freeze well? If so how far ahead can it be made? I am planning a birthday party and don’t want to make everything the day before. Thanks in advance.
Hi Christina, to be honest, I’ve never tried freezing the finished product. I think it would work but I just haven’t tried it to give you specifics. Sorry that’s not very helpful.
By far, one of the best crock pot recipes! So delicious and my family wants it all the time.
Paige, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Thank you so much! This tastes absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any onions but it came out great!
Rebecca, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
So good! I used bone in thighs and it turned out great. I also added spicy pickles to the sandwich.
Mmm spicy pickles sound nice!
Hi, i was wondering if you can use a 7 quart crock pot?
Hi Caroline, yes that would work fine 🙂
I made this for dinner last night and just wanted to let you know it turned out great! Thank you for posting such a delicious recipe : ) i look forward to trying another one very soon!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Having a Eurovision party today her in Wales and found your recipe.
Family together and hopefully some sun later too, I can taste it already!
Have a great time at your party! You’re the second person today to mention you are going to a Eurovision party today! How awesome!!
Is the cooking time the same if I use 1-2lbs of chicken?
Thank You,
Laura
Hi Laura, with less chicken it might get done an hour sooner. I would test it 1 hour earlier to see if it falls apart.
It says it serves 8 people if in sandwiches; is this regular sized sandwiches or sliders? Having a BBQ for a group of friends and want to know if I need to double the recipe. It looks amazing and I am excited to try it!
Regular sandwiches for this one 🙂
Just after shredding my chicken and placing it back in the pot to let it soak up that sauce. Had a sneaky bite and it tastes delicious!
I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe: I added some Tabasco sauce and a little paprika, as well as a splash of cider vinegar and some American-style mustard.
Gonna plate it up tonight on a bun with some coleslaw and sweet potato wedges. Can’t wait!
I’m so happy you liked it! I love your add-in ideas. Yum!
I wonderful if you would do a recipe with young jack fruit in water?
Hi Rosalyn, Forgive my ignorance but I’ve never even heard of Jack fruit. What do you use it for?
Hi! So it’s almost time for me to shred! It smells amazinggggggg. I have a question though! Have you ever made it the day before you needed it? I’m making it for a party tomorrow. Just wondering the best way to store it & warm it back up. Thanks!!
I would make it and shred it then let it cool and refrigerate overnight. You can warm it up the next day on the stove just until hot then serve.