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A simple Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken that can be made with a homemade bbq sauce using pantry staples! Or take a shortcut and use a store-bought sauce for a super quick and easy, 2 ingredient bbq shredded chicken recipe. The chicken comes out tender, flavorful, and perfect for sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and more!
Simple Dinner Win
Busy days need easy dinners. Or maybe you need to have a portable dinner to go? Either way, this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken is it! While this recipe features a homemade sauce, all of the ingredients are quick and easy to toss into the slow cooker allowing for hands off cooking.
Reasons To Love This Recipe-
- Ease– The slow cooker gives us hands off cooking during the day and a hot meal waiting for us at the end of it.
- Pantry Ingredients– Our homemade sauce is made with ingredients that we typically have in our pantry or stored in our fridge.
- Portable– Need to pack a dinner to eat while out doing activities? This is a great option! Pack the slow cooker and some hamburger buns. Assemble and go! Grab some sweet potato chips for an easy side dish.
Key Ingredients Needed
This bbq chicken is made using a homemade bbq sauce. If you are needing to save some time you can use a store bought sauce that you enjoy instead!
- Chicken– Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe.
- Tomato Sauce– the base of the homemade bbq sauce.
- Brown Sugar– I love using dark brown sugar in this recipe since it has a deeper molasses flavor, but you can use light brown sugar also if that is what you have.
- Worcestershire– adds a savory, umami flavoring to the sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar– this is my favorite vinegar to use when cooking, it adds a nice bit of acid to balance the flavors in the sauce.
- Seasoning blend– we’re using a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika (I love using smoked paprika when working with BBQ flavorings) and salt and pepper.
Recipe Note: This homemade sauce has a bit more salt added to it than I like when just making the sauce on its own. The amount of salt in this recipe is for the sauce and the chicken.
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled chicken
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the tomato sauce, dijon, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and spices together. Whisk until it’s well combined. This step is easier to do before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker and pour the homemade sauce over the top. If you are using a store-bought sauce pour that over the top instead.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours. If you are short on time you can cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred the chicken and stir into the remaining sauce in the slow cooker. The chicken is best served warm.
Testing Notes
This recipe has been tested using both chicken thighs, chicken breasts, and a combination of the two. It’s also been tested cooking on high for 3-4 hours and low for 6-7 hours. The BBQ Sauce recipe has been tweaked countless times to find the balance that was most pleasing to our taste testers.
FAQs
As long as the chicken is properly cooked to an internal temperature of 165℉/74℃ it will easily shred with two forks. If you are working with a large batch of chicken you can use a stand or hand mixer to quickly shred the chicken.
Chicken can easily dry out if it is overcooked, cooking it to too high of a temperature. However, cooking the chicken slowly in a liquid, like the bbq sauce in this recipe, helps the chicken to retain its moisture.
Serving Ideas
There are so many dinner ideas that you can make with this bbq pulled chicken. Some of our favorite ideas include using it is in BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, in a wrap, over a baked potato or sweet potato, on top of pizza (like this BBQ pulled pork pizza!), in sliders, on nachos, or keep it low carb and serve in a bowl with some coleslaw.
Sides that go with BBQ Chicken
Corn is a wonderful complement to BBQ chicken. Try our Elotes, elotes corn salad, roasted corn salsa, creamed corn, or some corn fritters.
Salads such as our Mexican Salad, Southern potato salad, macaroni salad, or a classic Southern coleslaw with homemade dressing.
Or look through all of our BBQ Side Dishes.
Storage & Freezing
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or pack into a freezer safe container or bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop before serving. If the chicken seems dry after having been frozen, simply mix in a little extra bbq sauce.
Storing frozen shredded chicken is a great idea to help meal time during busy seasons. Thaw the chicken to use in any meal that needs it!
More Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 pounds chicken thighs or breast boneless, skinless
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup (53 g) dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (1.5 fl oz) apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the bbq sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl.1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, ¼ cup (53 g) dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons (1.5 fl oz) apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons (15 g) dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker and pour the bbq sauce over the top. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred the chicken and stir the shredded chicken into the sauce in the slow cooker. Serve the pulled chicken warm.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature, then store in freezer safe bags or containers. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop. If chicken seems dried out from freezing, stir in some more bbq sauce.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Slow Cooker | Whisk | Measuring Spoons | Large Measuring Cup
- BBQ Sauce: If using a store bought sauce you only need the sauce and the chicken. I would recommend tasting it at the end once the chicken is cooked to determine if additional salt is needed at all.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
