4.98 from 316 votes

Pulled Chicken (Crock Pot BBQ Chicken)

Name: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 3.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast¹; 2 cups BBQ sauce ((I use Sweet Baby Ray's)); ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar (packed); 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

By Sam MerrittPublished Jul 06, 2018

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621 Comments

Servings: 8 servings

3 hrs 10 mins

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A simple recipe that shows you how to make Crock Pot BBQ chicken (also known as BBQ Pulled Chicken!) at home in your slow cooker! This is a quick, easy, and so flavorful recipe that’s perfect for any party, potluck, or picnic!

Pulled chicken in the basin of a slow cooker

My oven broke earlier this week and as I type this it is currently in pieces across the kitchen while Zach works on repairing it. If all goes as planned, we’ll be back in the baking business by the end of the day, but just in case it doesn’t I have a batch of Crock Pot BBQ Chicken simmering in my slow cooker and ready to go for dinner tonight.

This Crock Pot BBQ Chicken has come in handy a lot this week while I’ve been oven-less, but it’s actually been my go-to dinner option for the past few summers. It’s a great and simple dinner option any time of the year, but especially during the summer when the weather’s too hot and humid for me to feel like turning on the oven.

Preparation involves the following:

Pour BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s) and spices in crockpot.
Add Chicken and cover with sauce.
Cook. Shred. Enjoy.

A BBQ Chicken sandwich with extra bbq sauce over the meat

Boom, done. Delicious.

And yes, I do use a pre-made BBQ sauce as the base for this recipe, though I also add other seasonings and spices to really develop the flavor. This is how I’ve made this Crock Pot BBQ Chicken for years and it keeps it simple, something you can toss together in the morning before you go to work without a second thought and it’ll be ready to serve when you walk back through the door in the evening.

That said I may also be working on developing my own BBQ sauce, which I’ll definitely link to whenever I get that down 100%… stay tuned.

Until then I’m sharing this well-tested and well-loved pulled chicken recipe, It tastes great on a fresh roll but I also enjoy eating it by the forkful out of a bowl, no roll required.

Chicken breast in a barbecue marinade in the slow cooker

This recipe is so simple that I don’t have many tips to include today — it’s essentially foolproof, there are just a few FAQ’s I’d like to cover.

Can you overcook chicken in a slow cooker?

Yes, overcooking your chicken will result in meat that is tougher and drier than desired. For best results, monitor your chicken for it to reach a temperature of 160F and it should be easy to shred. For this recipe that means cooking it around 3-4 hours on high, or 6-7 hours on low.

What goes well with pulled chicken?

Most salads and side dishes go well with pulled chicken. These are my personal favorites:

BBQ Pulled Chicken sandwich on a wooden platter beside a ketchup dish

Alright, wish me luck with my oven because this is a pretty nerve-wracking ordeal for me, seeing it in 20 pieces across my kitchen!

Enjoy!

How do you make pulled chicken in a crock pot?

4.98 from 316 votes

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

A simple recipe for how to make BBQ pulled chicken (also known as Crock Pot BBQ Chicken!) at home in your slow cooker! This is a quick and easy recipe that's perfect for any party, potluck, or picnic!

Prep: 10

Cook: 3

Total: 3 10

Servings: servings

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Ingredients

▢ 3.5 lbs (1.5 kg) boneless skinless chicken breast¹
▢ 2 cups BBQ sauce, (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
▢ ¼ cup (60 g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
▢ 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
▢ ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Instructions

Combine BBQ sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper in the basin of a slow cooker
2 cups BBQ sauce, ¼ cup (60 g) light or dark brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Place chicken breast in sauce and use a spoon to cover with sauce.
3.5 lbs (1.5 kg) boneless skinless chicken breast¹
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when it is easily shredded with a pair of forks.
Shred chicken and stir well to coat with BBQ sauce. Serve.

Notes

¹As per food safety guidelines, frozen chicken breast should be thawed before being cooked in a slow cooker and you should not cook chicken breast from frozen.