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This easy Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken is juicy, saucy, and made with just a few simple ingredients. Perfect for sandwiches, sliders, or meal prep dinners.
Featured Comment
The absolute BEST BBQ pulled chicken breast recipe I ever had!!
Thanks so much for your great recipe. it is now my “go to”!!
Ingredients Notes
- Skinless chicken breasts
- Barbecue Sauce – your favorite store-bought or homemade BBQ Sauce. I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ sauce for a rich, sweet-smoky flavor.
- Light brown sugar – adds extra sweetness and depth
- Apple cider vinegar – balances the sweetness
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Chipotle chili powder: If you don’t have Chipotle chili powder on hand you can substitute with regular chili powder.
- Ground white pepper: Ground black pepper can be substituted in place of the ground white pepper if needed
- Slow cooker liner (optional) – these are the best, they make clean up a snap!
How to make BBQ Pulled Chicken in the Slow Cooker
- Add chicken to the Crock-Pot and set to low.
- Mix the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, and white pepper.
- Pour sauce over chicken and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 3–4 hours.
- Shred chicken with two forks directly in the Crock-Pot.
- Stir to coat in sauce, then serve on buttered, toasted buns.
Serving suggestions
Serve this pulled BBQ chicken on sandwich buns, slider rolls, or over baked potatoes. It’s also great in wraps, tacos, or stuffed in a sweet Hawaiian roll with coleslaw on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this Ahead of Time
Yes! This recipe is great for meal prep. Store in the fridge or freezer and reheat when ready.
How do I keep chicken from drying out in the crockpot?
If you can avoid cooking on high, this will help keep the chicken from drying out.
Can I put frozen chicken in the crockpot?
According to the USDA, you can cook frozen chicken in the crockpot, however I find it best if you thaw it first for even cooking.
Can you just put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, you absolutely can put raw chicken in a slow cooker.
Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in a crockpot?
If you have the time, I always recommend cooking chicken on low in the crockpot. It typically comes out better and is less likely to dry out.
STorage
- Let the chicken cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- For longer storage, freeze in a zip-top bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Shredded BBQ Chicken (Crock Pot Recipe)
Serves — 8
Great on its own or on a sandwich! This Pulled BBQ Chicken recipe is so simple– just throw all of the ingredients into your crockpot and let it cook. In no time you have a delicious meal – Fix it and forget it!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 18 oz Bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder see note
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the Crock-Pot. Turn heat to low.3 chicken breasts
- In a separate bowl combine Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, light brown sugar, apple cider1 18 oz Bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, and ground1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder, ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- white pepper. Use a whisk to stir and combine.
- Pour barbecue sauce mixture into the Crock-Pot with the chicken breasts. Use a spoon to stir and
- coat all chicken with barbecue sauce mixture.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 3-4.
- When chicken is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork it is ready to be shredded.
- Using two forks, shred chicken while still in the Crock-Pot. Mix chicken and barbecue sauce
- together until well coated.
- Serve on buttered and toasted hamburger buns.
Jenn’s Notes
RECIPE NOTES:
- If your chicken breasts are larger in size use 3. If they are on the smaller side use 4.
- Do not cook chicken from frozen. Make sure the chicken is fully thawed before adding to Crockpot.
- Ground black pepper can be substituted in place of the ground white pepper if needed.
- If you don’t have Chipotle chili powder on hand you can substitute with regular chili powder.
- Butter and toast your hamburger buns before serving. It adds great texture and flavor!
- Top your barbecue chicken with homemade coleslaw with serving. It adds a nice crunch to this already delicious sandwich.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 oz bottle BBQ sauce (We love Sweet Baby Rays)
- ½ cup Italian salad dressing (We always use Wish Bone)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mix BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl
-
Place chicken breasts in the crockpot.
- Add sauce mixture over the chicken in the crockpot.
-
Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
- Shred the chicken and mix with the sauce from the crockpot.
- Serve on buns.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Post Updated: Originally Posted March 2, 2016
Delicious! My husband loves this!
Perfect to double and make as sliders for a crowd. The taste is excellent and it is very easy to prepare, set it, forget it. (with the timer of course lol)
Absolutely amazing tasting.
It is a #1 in our household
Have made it twice so far and fixing to make another batch.
This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly. All of your tips and suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Served open face on a toasted brioche bun with homemade coleslaw on top. The toasted brioche bun made a huge difference from other BBQ chicken sandwiches I’ve made. Will definitely keep this one and make again.
I just realized my Crockpot is on the fritz!! I have an InstantPot also, would these ingredients have time to settle in an IP by chance? I’m sure the spices will, but curious about the vinegar. Any thoughts?
On the pulled chicken original recipe how many does it serve? Is it better than the updated version? Making it for the 4th serving a crowd!
Thanks!!
This is not the original recipe with BBQ sauce and italian dressing Please relink the original…it was sooooo good and sooooo easy!
Sorry about that!! I just added the old recipe to the bottom of the recipe card!!
I only see the instructions, not the amounts of the ingredients? I also miss the old recipe and can’t find it saved anywhere!
That was so strange – for some reason it deleted the ingredients! Take a look now – I updated it!
Thank you! 🙂
Parece que fica muito gostoso, vou experimentar fazer