Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This Crockpot BBQ chicken recipe is incredibly easy but oh so tasty. Juicy shredded chicken thighs covered in your favorite BBQ sauce - yum! Only 2 ingredients and 5 minutes of work is required to make this fantastic dish.

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I love making BBQ chicken in my slow cooker. It might take a while for the meat to cook through, but it's so easy and effortless. This recipe is really versatile, and the result is the most tender fall-off-the-bone chicken you have ever tasted.

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe only requires 2 ingredients. All you need is a good BBQ sauce, and chicken thighs with bones and skins.

Although this recipe can be made using any cut of chicken, I highly recommend using chicken thighs. They have more fat than chicken breasts, and the slow cooking process makes the meat really juicy. The bones and skins help the chicken develop more flavor - but don't worry, we remove them before serving the shredded chicken.

If you like this recipe, you might want to check out my other shredded chicken recipes, or the slow cooker chicken collection.

🔪 Instructions

Add the raw chicken thighs to the slow cooker. Pour BBQ sauce over the top.

Slow cook the BBQ chicken on high for 4-6 hours, or on low for 7-9 hours. There is no need to open the lid or do anything to the chicken while it cooks. The chicken will simmer in its own juices and come out perfectly tender. Ensure that the middle of the chicken thighs reaches an internal temperature of 75°C or 165°F before removing them from the slow cooker.

Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker. Discard the bones and skins. Use two forks to pull apart the chicken meat.

Add more BBQ sauce or some of the liquid from the slow cooker to the shredded Crockpot BBQ chicken if you want it to be more juicy.

💭 Top tips

Here are my best advice to get this recipe perfect:

• Leave the lid on the slow cooker while it's cooking. You don't have to check it, the chicken will be fine on its own! Removing the lid will increase the cooking time significantly.
• Add other sauces or seasoning if you want. You can add some taco seasoning for spice, chili powder for heat or honey for sweetness.
• Bone in skin on chicken thighs are the best cut of meat to use. If you use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast fillets you will have to slightly reduce the cooking time.
• Ensure that the middle of the chicken thighs reaches an internal temperature of 75°C or 165°F before removing them from the slow cooker.

Prefer to use your pressure cooker? Try my Instant Pot BBQ chicken instead.

🥗 Serving suggestions

BBQ shredded chicken is incredibly versatile. You can serve this as a main dish with sides like roasted potatoes, rice and salad. You can also add it to sliders, sandwiches, nachos, pizza or on baked potatoes.

🍲 Leftovers

Pulled chicken stores really well. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

I like to prepare a big batch and freeze it down in portion sizes. Then, it can be thawed and reheated for quick and easy future dinners or lunches. BBQ chicken is such a great meal prep idea, and is amazing to have on hand.

📋 Frequently asked questions

Is this recipe allergy friendly? - Please consult the nutrition label on the BBQ sauce you use. In general, this recipe is egg free, dairy free, gluten free, nut free and soy free.

Do I have to add any liquid to the slow cooker? - No. There is no need to add any liquid or oil. As the chicken warms up, it will release moisture and create its own cooking liquids. This is very common when slow cooking meat.

Can I use any other sauces? - Yes! If BBQ sauce isn't your thing, you can actually make shredded chicken using any sauce. Try using soy sauce and honey, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, buffalo sauce or even salsa for a delish pulled chicken.

🍴 More slow cooker chicken recipes

• Soy and honey chicken
• Buffalo chicken
• Chicken taco soup
• Cooker lemon chicken

Recipe

Crockpot BBQ chicken

This Crockpot BBQ chicken recipe is incredibly easy but oh so tasty. Juicy shredded chicken thighs covered in your favorite BBQ sauce – yum! Only 2 ingredients and 5 minutes of work is required to make this fantastic dish.

5 from 5 votes

Created by: Tonje

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine International

Servings 4

Calories 731 kcal

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1.1 kg chicken thighs with bones and skins
• ▢ 300 ml BBQ sauce

Instructions

 

• Add the raw chicken thighs to the slow cooker. Pour BBQ sauce over the top.
• Slow cook the BBQ chicken on high for 3-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. There is no need to open the lid or do anything to the chicken while it cooks. The chicken will simmer in its own juices and come out perfectly tender. Ensure that the middle of the chicken thighs reaches an internal temperature of 75°C or 165°F before removing them from the slow cooker.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker. Discard the bones and skins. Use two forks to pull apart the chicken meat.
• Add more BBQ sauce or some of the liquid from the slow cooker to the shredded chicken if you want it to be more juicy.

Notes

Is this recipe allergy friendly? – Please consult the nutrition label on the BBQ sauce you use. In general, this recipe is egg free, dairy free, gluten free, nut free and soy free.

Do I have to add any liquid to the slow cooker? – No. There is no need to add any liquid or oil. As the chicken warms up, it will release moisture and create its own cooking liquids. This is very common when slow cooking meat.

Can I use any other sauces? – Yes! If BBQ sauce isn’t your thing, you can actually make shredded chicken using any sauce. Try using soy sauce and honey, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, buffalo sauce or even salsa for a delish pulled chicken.

Leftovers

Pulled chicken stores really well. Keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

I like to prepare a big batch and freeze it down in portion sizes. Then, it can be thawed and reheated for quick and easy future dinners or lunches. BBQ chicken is such a great meal prep idea, and is amazing to have on hand.

Top tips

Here are my best advice to get this recipe perfect:

• Leave the lid on the slow cooker while it’s cooking. You don’t have to check it, the chicken will be fine on its own! Removing the lid will increase the cooking time significantly.
• Add other sauces or seasoning if you want. You can add some taco seasoning for spice, chili powder for heat or honey for sweetness.
• Bone in skin on chicken thighs are the best cut of meat to use. If you use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast fillets you will have to slightly reduce the cooking time.
• Ensure that the middle of the chicken thighs reaches an internal temperature of 75°C or 165°F before removing them from the slow cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 731kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 45gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 270mgSodium: 982mgPotassium: 738mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 383IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg

Keyword bbq, chicken

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