Tender, saucy, and ready with minimal effort, this Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken is about as easy as dinner gets! Everything goes into the crockpot at once and shreds right in the sauce for the most flavorful BBQ pulled chicken you’ll ever make.
It’s endlessly versatile too. Pile it onto buns, tuck it into tacos, or spoon it over rice for a completely different meal every time.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Method: Slow cooker
- Main Ingredients: Chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, onion, garlic
- Flavor Profile: Smoky, sweet, tangy
- Ideal for: Slow cooker dinners, weekend cooking, family dinners
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Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breasts: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. About 3.5 pounds total or 4 large breasts.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite bottled barbecue sauce. Stubb’s is my go-to brand.
- Yellow onions and minced garlic: Sliced onions and minced garlic go on the bottom of the crockpot. They add flavor and help keep everything moist as it cooks.
- For the rub seasoning: Light brown sugar, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion flakes, and smoked paprika.
- Chicken broth and apple cider vinegar: These loosen up the sauce slightly and add a touch of acidity to balance the sweetness of the BBQ sauce.
As always, ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken: Instead of chicken breasts, you can use bone-in or boneless chicken thighs. They may cook faster.
- BBQ sauce: If you prefer, you can make your own sauce with my Apple Cider BBQ Sauce recipe or Sweet BBQ Sauce recipe.
- Heat: Add a pinch of cayenne or a splash of hot sauce if you like a little kick.
How to Make BBQ Pulled Chicken in the Crock Pot
- Add onions and garlic. Make a bed of sliced onion and garlic in a large 7-quart slow cooker.
- Add chicken and seasonings. Arrange the chicken breasts on top in a single layer. Sprinkle the brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, onion flakes, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper evenly.
- Add the liquids. Pour the BBQ sauce, chicken broth, and apple cider vinegar over everything. Use tongs to give it all a quick mix so the chicken is evenly coated before it cooks.
- Slow cook and shred. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or HIGH for 3.5-4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily. Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the slow cooker, then toss it with the sauce until well coated.
- Rest and serve. Let the crockpot pulled chicken sit in the sauce for 10 minutes so it can soak up even more flavor before serving. Serve over buns or any way you’d like! I included serving ideas below.
Tips for Success
- Texture and consistency: As the chicken cooks, it releases their own juices, which loosens up the sauce and keeps it flavorful without being heavy or drenched. But if you want a thicker consistency, add more BBQ sauce at the end.
- Arrange the chicken in a single layer. This helps everything cook evenly and lets the chicken absorb as much of the sauce as possible.
- 6 hours on LOW is the optimal cooking time for this slow cooker pulled chicken recipe. When cooked for too long, chicken can actually turn stringy and dry. Check with a fork once it’s done and stop there. I always check with a for around the 6-hour mark.
- If cooking on the HIGH setting, I’d recommend 3.5 or 4 hours.
- Shred the chicken while it’s still warm. It pulls apart much more effortlessly.
Make Ahead, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make ahead: This crock pot pulled chicken keeps well in the fridge, so the chicken and sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Freeze the shredded chicken in its sauce for up to 3 months. I like to use Souper Cubes to portion it out, or you can use freezer-friendly bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of chicken broth if it needs extra moisture.
Recipe FAQs
You likely won’t need to if it’s still warm, since it shreds very easily with two forks at that point. If you made it ahead and refrigerated it, a stand mixer with the paddle attachment can make shredding the next day quicker.
No. The chicken should be fully thawed before you start so that it cooks evenly and reaches a safe temperature in time.
There is no searing needed for this slow cooker pulled chicken recipe. This is a true dump-and-go recipe, and the slow cooker does all the work of building flavor.
What to Serve with Pulled Chicken
This pulled BBQ chicken is perfect for sliders or sandwich buns, piled high with a scoop of coleslaw for crunch!
Coleslaw: Try my easy coleslaw recipe, mango slaw, or Mexican coleslaw variations.
Classic barbecue sides like this Skillet Cornbread, Honey Butter Skillet Corn, or my easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese. Baked beans are great too, of course!
Potatoes: I LOVE serving pulled chicken with my Loaded Potato Skins!
Beyond the classic BBQ pulled chicken sandwich or pulled chicken sliders, this slow cooker pulled chicken is just as good spooned over rice bowls, stuffed into quesadillas, or piled into tacos for a completely different meal.
Meal Prep Ideas
- Rice bowls: Garlic butter rice, this BBQ pulled chicken, and a spoonful of pineapple salsa for an easy grab-and-go bowl.
- Potato bowls: Herb roasted potatoes or potato wedges, parmesan roasted broccoli, and this pulled chicken for a well-rounded dinner plate.
- Pulled chicken quesadillas with shredded cheese, ready to reheat any night of the week.
More Recipes to Try
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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3.5 pounds large boneless chicken breasts - about 4 chicken breasts
- 1 medium yellow onion - thinly sliced
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar - packed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup BBQ sauce - your favorite brand, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Layer in the slow cooker: In a large 7-quart slow cooker, make a bed of onions and garlic. Then arrange the chicken breasts on top in a single layer.
- Add the seasonings: Sprinkle the brown sugar, smoked paprika, oregano, onion flakes, salt and pepper evenly over the top.
- Add the liquids: Pour the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and BBQ sauce over the chicken. Using tongs, give everything a quick mix so the chicken is evenly coated.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or on the HIGH setting for 3.5 to 4 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred: Once ready, shred the chicken using two forks. Toss with the sauce in the crockpot until evenly coated. Let the chicken sit in the sauce for 10 minutes so it can absorb more of it for extra flavor.
- Serve: Serve on slider or brioche buns, in tacos, or any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have a smaller 6-quart slow cooker, that’s totally fine. You can overlap the chicken so it all fits.
- Use fully thawed chicken breasts, never place frozen chicken directly in the crockpot.
- Want a thicker sauce? The chicken releases natural juices during cooking. If you want a thicker sauce consistency, simply add more BBQ at the end and stir.
- Make ahead and storage: Make as directed and reheat the next day. Store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze in sauce for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of chicken broth and BBQ sauce. Or microwave until warm.
- Chicken thighs: Swap chicken breasts for boneless or bone-in thighs and cook on HIGH for 3.5 hours.
- Add heat: Stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce before cooking.
- Apple cider vinegar: White vinegar works too.
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