My tried-and-true Crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe is a quick, easy, and flavorful way to make pulled chicken–perfect for any party, potluck, or picnic! Succulent chicken breasts are covered in an addictive BBQ sauce, slow-cooked, then pulled and shredded to make sandwiches, sliders, burritos, tacos, rice bowls, and more. I love this 6-ingredient slow cooker BBQ chicken, and so many of you have rated it highly too–making it one of my most popular and beloved recipes!
This Crock Pot BBQ pulled chicken is one of my favorite (and most popular) recipes for a reason! All I have to do is toss a few ingredients into the slow cooker, then let it do all the work for me. A true set it and forget it recipe. It creates the juiciest, richest, most delicious shredded barbecue chicken that can be used in so many different ways.
What’s in this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe?
It only takes 6 basic ingredients to make this amazing BBQ pulled chicken in the Crock Pot!
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work best for shredding, but you can also make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs.
- BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite barbecue sauce to create the perfect flavor. You can choose mild, spicy, smokey, or whatever you please!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This helps perfect the balance of tanginess in the sauce, and tenderizes the chicken even more as it cooks.
- Brown Sugar: This adds a deeper, richer flavor to the sauce.
- Spices: All you need is garlic powder and onion powder.
Variations To Try
There are so many ways to change up this Crockpot BBQ pulled chicken to suit your needs. I personally like to add fresh onions and garlic to the slow cooker if I have them on hand. Try some of these other variations!
- Spicy Chipotle Chicken: Add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce along with the BBQ sauce, plus sliced jalapeños and a touch of honey.
- Hawaiian Chicken: Add crushed pineapple (with juice), soy sauce, and a touch of ginger. You can also add some red bell pepper and onion slices for extra flavor.
- Mustard BBQ Chicken: Use a mustard-based BBQ sauce, a bit of honey or brown sugar, and some spices like paprika and cayenne pepper.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Crockpot BBQ chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat cooked chicken in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through. You can also reheat it in the slow cooker on LOW until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken batched, or divided into individual portions, in airtight containers or Ziplock bags for up to 4 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Notes and Tips
- Since the chicken breasts are slow-cooking directly in the barbecue sauce mixture, it will be a thinner saucy consistency. If you want to thicken it, stir in some cornstarch. Or cook-down remaining sauce on the stovetop to serve.
- I use a 2.5 quart Crock Pot for a serving of 4–perfect size for a small family!
5 Star Reader Reviews
“This was deeeeelicious!! My husband and I loved it! Probably the best I’ve had and ever made! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!” – Elise
“I loved this recipe! The chicken came out so moist and delicious!” — Alesha
“This recipe is AWESOME!!!!! First time making chicken bbq and OMG tastes better than the beef or pork bbq. Thanks so much for sharing!” — Davina
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Equipment
- Crockpot 2.5 quart
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk the BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, and garlic powder together.1½ cups BBQ sauce, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, covering them fully.
- Cook the chicken on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 4-6 hours.
- Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker, or remove to shred and return to the sauce.
- Give the chicken a good stir to coat it in the sauce.
- Serve BBQ pulled chicken as sandwiches, tacos, or bowls.
Notes
- Know your slow cooker. When cooking 4 chicken breasts like this recipe calls for, I love using my 2.5 quart crockpot — it’s the perfect size and heats up quickly. If you’re cooking more chicken, you’ll likely want to use a 4-6 quart crockpot. Note that if your crockpot is too full, it will take longer to heat and cook.
- Don’t overcook. I know it can be tempting to leave the chicken in for a longer time, but longer isn’t always better. You really want to be sure you hit the sweet spot between “just enough” and “dry and unappetizing”.
- BBQ pulled chicken is great as a sandwich with a homemade slaw and pickles! You can also eat pulled chicken in a meal prep bowl, in a wrap, or as a taco.
How to make Crockpot BBQ Chicken Step by Step
Make the BBQ Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of your preferred BBQ sauce, ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Cook the Chicken: Place 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts) in a single layer at the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce directly over the chicken, making sure it’s fully covered. Cover the pot and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-6 hours. Check it on the early side to make sure it doesn’t overcook.
Shred the BBQ Chicken: Once the chicken is fully cooked, shred it. Use two forks and pull them through the meat in opposite directions. You can do this directly in the cooker, but I find it easier to shred it on a plate or board. Then place it back in the sauce and toss to coat.
Serve: Serve this Crockpot BBQ pulled chicken on Hawaiian rolls to make sliders, buns to make sandwiches, or plate it up with coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. It’s also a great filling for tacos and burritos!
I loved this recipe! The chicken came out so moist and delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe, Alesha!
Can you make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs too? If so would you change the cook time?
Yes, you can! They may take a bit longer to cook; just check on them and cook a bit longer if needed!
We followed this recipe to the letter even using Stubbs BBQ sauce. Is the sauce supposed to be so watery vs thick? Just wondering what we may have done wrong. We have the 2.4 qt crock pot. Everything was done at the 4 1/2 mark cooked on low. Thanks
Yes, the sauce will not be as thick as right out of the bottle since it is mixing with the chicken juices in the crockpot! If you find it’s too watery, you can pour the sauce into a pot on the stove and cook it down a bit!
I used the pulled chicken crock pot.used thighs and added some fresh scallions. Moist and delicious. Had to make a another 4 lbs for neighbors
I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe, Barry!
This was deeeeelicious!! My husband and I loved it! Probably the best I’ve had and ever made! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Elise! Thanks so much for stopping by!
What do you recommend I use in place of the brown sugar? I realized I didn’t have any on hand..
You can use regular white sugar or try omitting it if the BBQ sauce you used is already sweet!
This sounds so delicious I am going to try this recipe this weekend. Which bbq sauce would you recommend??
I personally like Stubbs!
Really flavorful and really easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
I found it not to have a lot of flavour and watery. What went wrong?
Hi Cheryl, the flavor of this dish really depends on the BBQ sauce used. We recommend trying a different brand next time. We like Blues Hog!
I used no sugar added barbecue sauce and only added 1 tbsp of brown sugar and it was plenty sweet and still delish if you’re on a diet