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Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe

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 1250 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

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.98 from 1250 votes (1,035 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Jesse
    January 2, 2017

    I have three pounds of chicken breast but it is only in three pieces (so I assume much larger than the ones you used). They have been cooking for 3.5 hours but parts of it still look raw. I just set it for another hour but wondering if it will be done in that time?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 2, 2017

      Hi Jesse, have you been cooking them on high or low heat?

      Reply

      • Jesse
        January 2, 2017

        On high. I actually just pulled a piece out to cut them into smaller pieces and they are fully cooked and easily pulled apart with a fork. Not sure why they looked raw/pink on the outside, but I’m all set. Thanks!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          January 2, 2017

          I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for reporting back 🙂

          Reply

  • Jen
    December 29, 2016

    We have made this SO many times; all three of our kids love it, and so do all our guests that we have made it for!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 29, 2016

      I love to hear reviews like this! Thank you for sharing Jen 🙂

      Reply

  • DM
    December 20, 2016

    Definitely reduce the cooking time if using high setting; 2 hours or less if using boneless chicken breasts. I, too, was concerned about the amount of liquid but it did get absorbed after shredded meat was returned to the pot. I added some garlic and more onion.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 20, 2016

      Good tip! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply

  • Maudie
    December 19, 2016

    This looks so YUM, I am going to make it on the weekend with the coconut coleslaw. Thinking to make extra and then freeze the remaining cooked chicken. Have you tried freezing a portion…how did it or would it turn out once thawed?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 20, 2016

      Maudie, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but I imagine this would work fine. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

    • Nanda
      April 10, 2019

      I am out of onion could I use minced onion? Or something else?

      Reply

  • Jennifer
    December 14, 2016

    I would love to make this recipe for my office holiday party. How would it affect the cooking time, etc. if I doubled the recipe?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 14, 2016

      Hi Jennifer, if you have one of the larger oval slow cookers, it should not affect the cooking time by much. Try it at the recommended cooking time and add an extra hour if it doesn’t shred easily with forks yet.

      Reply

  • Heather Hewit
    December 11, 2016

    I love this recipe. My daughter is a picky eater and she loves it. Everyone on the family loves it. I have made it twice in three days, its that good. Now i want to try it with pork shoulder. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 12, 2016

      That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂

      Reply

  • Dana
    November 26, 2016

    Making this for dinner for my fiance tonight, it smells delicious already ♡♡

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 26, 2016

      I hope you both love it! 🙂

      Reply

  • Mary banthorpe
    November 3, 2016

    Hi I want to make this tomorrow but only have 3 chicken breast, I want to start it off when I go to work and have it when I get home which is 9 hours is that too long?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 4, 2016

      Hi Mary, I think that would still be ok if your slow cooker turns to the warm setting automatically (and most do) 🙂 I would suggest setting it to 6 hours on low and letting it stay on the warm setting until you get home.

      Reply

  • NikkiO
    October 30, 2016

    I have made this many times! So easy and delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 30, 2016

      Thank you for the wonderful review, I appreciate it 😁.

      Reply

  • Brandi
    October 26, 2016

    Would you use the same cook time if using chicken thighs?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 26, 2016

      Hi Brandi, I think chicken thighs could be done as much as 1 to 2 hours sooner. Test it at 2 hours on high or 5 hours on low and if it pulls apart easily, it’s done! 🙂 (I’m assuming you mean boneless, skinless thighs)

      Reply

  • Allison
    October 19, 2016

    After looking at all the positive comments I am trying this tomorrow.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 19, 2016

      Awesome! I hope you love it! 🙂

      Reply

  • Cassidy
    October 13, 2016

    This looks delicious! Very tempted to try it out, but we don’t have a slow-cooker. Could it be made in a covered Pyrex dish in the oven??

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 13, 2016

      Cassidy, yes you can make this in the Pyrex dish. Click here for the baking instructions when using Pyrex dish. Hope this helps, enjoy ?.

      Reply

  • Jooha
    October 12, 2016

    I love this recipe a lot! the amount was much for two people but my husband and I were never sick of eating this wonderful chicken BBQ.

    this chicken BBQ is the best and now I have craving for it again. lol

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 12, 2016

      I’m so happy you both love it! 🙂

      Reply

  • Whitney
    October 5, 2016

    Could you use frozen chicken breasts? Or do they need to be thawed?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 6, 2016

      Hi Whitney, I haven’t tested it that way but I think it could work with frozen as well. It might need slightly more cooking time. Cook until it is easy to pull apart with forks.

      Reply

  • Lynne
    October 4, 2016

    This recipe sounds wonderful! I need to make a bigger batch, can I double it? if so, should i increase the cook time?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 5, 2016

      Hi Lynne, if your slow cooker is large enough to accommodate it, the cook time should be about the same. It’s done when it’s fork tender and easy to pull apart.

      Reply

  • Madeline
    October 4, 2016

    I’m going to try this recipe, but I need to use bone in chicken thighs and drumsticks. I’m assuming I just need to cook a bit longer, correct?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 4, 2016

      Hi Madeline, yes I think that would work but I would cook it longer or until the meat is pull-apart tender.

      Reply

  • Jana
    October 3, 2016

    Just by reading all the great coments, i will be trying this tonight.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 3, 2016

      I hope you love it! 🙂

      Reply

  • Amanda
    September 28, 2016

    I tried this today because we had pulled chicken sandwiches at a fair recently which my daughter loved. This came out so much better than at the fair! I put it on toasted rolls and topped it with a thin slice of cheddar cheese and it was delicious. So easy to make! Now 2 hours after dinner I can’t stop going back and eating a few more bites of the chicken. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 28, 2016

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the wonderful review! 🙂

      Reply

  • Azalea
    September 18, 2016

    Made this and brought it to church for coffee hour today. Everyone loved it and NO leftovers! Yummylicious! Thanks for this wonderful and easy to follow recipe, Natasha!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 18, 2016

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

      Reply

  • The Culture Mag
    September 17, 2016

    LOVE this recipe. So simple, so delicious. It’s the best pulled chicken I’ve ever had and I make it probably once a month.

    I chop a red chilli and add that as well for a beautiful kick.

    Reply

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