Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Posted Jan 30, 2021, Updated Mar 12, 2024
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This easy Crock Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is made with 6 ingredients and only takes a few minutes to prepare. This slow cooker bbq chicken makes a delicious bbq chicken sandwich, salad or pizza!
Slow cooker BBQ chicken is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I love that it’s easy to make and can be used in so many ways – from BBQ chicken sandwiches, to barbecue chicken salad, to BBQ chicken pizza (with this homemade pizza dough of course).
This slow cooker barbecue chicken is made with only 6 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to prepare. It’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights, or to easily feed a crowd. Also try this grilled BBQ chicken!
Crockpot BBQ Chicken: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s discuss the ingredients in this slow cooker BBQ chicken recipe, as well as possible substitutions.
- Chicken breasts. I recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts for the best result. To shorten cook time, slice each breast in half lengthwise so it’s thinner.
- Water. You can use chicken broth, beer, apple juice, or just about any other liquid you think may taste delicious in this crockpot barbecue chicken recipe. I use water because it’s easy!
- BBQ Sauce. Choose your favorite BBQ sauce – the sky’s the limit.
- Sea salt. If you use regular table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Minced garlic. fresh garlic or roasted garlic also works well in this pulled bbq chicken recipe. Additionally 1 tsp garlic powder can be used in place of 1 TBS minced garlic.
- Red Onion. any onion variety works well – especially sweet onions.
How to Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken
This crockpot bbq chicken recipe is so, so easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process step-by-step and don’t forget to watch the video!
One of my favorite things about this slow cooker barbecue chicken is that everything is mixed in the crockpot, which means you use less dishes! Begin by adding water, 1 cup BBQ sauce, sea salt minced garlic and onion to the container of a slow cooker. Then whisk to combine.
Next, add the chicken breasts and turn them to coat with the BBQ sauce mixture. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is fork-tender and easily shredded, rotating the chicken breasts once halfway through cook time.
Once the chicken has finished cooking, shred it with two forks, either in the crockpot or on a cutting board. You can also transfer the chicken breasts to a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and shred by beating on medium speed for 30-60 seconds.
Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and cook for 1 hour on low, or 30 minutes on high.
Bake
This is the step that takes this pulled bbq chicken from good to great (in my opinion). Transfer the chicken and juices to a loaf pan and stir in the additional BBQ sauce.
Place the bbq chicken in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the chicken is crispy and slightly charred (the top is my favorite part).
Note: You don’t have to put the BBQ chicken in the oven to crisp it, I just love the final texture and taste when that step is part of the cooking and never skip it!
Serve
Remove from oven and serve warm! Here are some serving suggestions:
- Make BBQ Chicken sandwiches – use homemade burger buns, homemade dinner rolls or pretzel rolls to take them to the next level.
- Use the best homemade pizza dough or whole wheat pizza dough to make a BBQ chicken pizza.
- Serve on this barbecue chicken salad – it’s my favorite.
- Choose your favorite sides like this homemade mac and cheese, the best coleslaw, roasted broccoli, sweet potato fries, or a loaf of no-knead bread!
Store
Store any leftover pulled bbq chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze
Make the slow cooker bbq chicken as written, then let it cool to room temperature after baking. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. I recommend storing in individual portions – or in the amount you would want to reheat and use in one sitting.
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken FAQs
Yes. In this recipe all the ingredients are combined. The heat from cooking in the slow cooker makes it safe to eat.
I recommend cooking chicken breasts on low for the most tender texture, but in a pinch I have cooked them on high and they still taste great.
It’s safe to do but I don’t recommend it. When chicken undergoes drastic temperature changes too quickly it becomes rubbery. I recommend thawing frozen chicken breasts slowly in the refrigerator or at room temperature before cooking them in the crockpot.
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Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce (divided)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup red onion (finely diced)
Instructions
- Add water, 1 cup BBQ sauce, sea salt minced garlic and onion to the container of a slow cooker, whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat.
- Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is fork-tender and easily shredded, rotating the chicken breasts once halfway through cook time.
- Once chicken breasts are finished cooking, shred with two forks, either in the crockpot or on a cutting board. You can also transfer the chicken breasts to a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and shred by beating on medium speed for 30-60 seconds.
- Return shredded chicken to the crockpot and cook for 1 hour on low, or 30 minutes on high. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken from the crockpot and transfer it to a 9×5” loaf pan.
- Add ½ cup BBQ sauce to the shredded chicken and stir to combine.
- Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the chicken is crispy.
- Serve warm in sandwiches, over salads, etc.
Video
Notes
- Chicken breasts. I recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts for the best result. To shorten cook time, slice each breast in half lengthwise so it’s thinner.
- Water. You can use chicken broth, beer, apple juice, or just about any other liquid you think may taste delicious in this crockpot barbecue chicken recipe.
- BBQ Sauce. Choose your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Sea salt. If using regular table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Minced garlic. fresh garlic or roasted garlic also works well. Additionally 1 tsp garlic powder can be used in place of 1 TBS minced garlic.
- Red Onion. any onion variety works well – especially sweet onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks tasty! Can this recipe be doubled in the crockpot pot?
Yes, as long as you have one large enough to capacitate double the amount of ingredients.
If I wanted to cook this in the instant pot how long would you suggest I cook it for?
Hey Alison – I actually don’t have an insta pot and have never used one (gasp)! It takes 3 hours to cook on high and 6 on low in a slow cooker – so maybe there’s some kind of pressure cooker conversion for the times? I’m sorry I can’t help more!
2/01/21 – Made this yesterday and it was a home run with my family. Used toasted kaiser buns. Be sure not to skip the “put in the oven” step – you won’t regret it.
This sounds really tasty and I am intrigued by the final step of putting it in the oven. This will be on my menu soon!