This Crockpot BBQ Chicken is so flavorful, with a sweet and tangy sauce, yet incredibly easy to make in your slow cooker with simple ingredients. Rely on this recipe for delicious pulled chicken that is perfect for family dinners or any party, potluck, or picnic.

White bowl full of BBQ pulled chicken made in a slow cooker, with green onions, pickles, and extra BBQ sauce nearby for garnish.

We’re always on the hunt for slow cooker recipes that actually taste good, and this easy BBQ chicken is a winner. Humble chicken becomes pull-apart tender thanks to the magic of low and slow cooking, while an everyday BBQ sauce gets a little extra sweetness and a little extra tang for an irresistible mix.

Slow cooker BBQ chicken checks all the boxes:

  • Full of flavor. Use your favorite BBQ sauce, then add a few pantry extras to take it from good to great.
  • Super easy to make. Toss everything in the slow cooker in the morning, shred the meat at your convenience, keep it warm, and eat when you like.
  • Versatile. There are so many ways to enjoy this. Great for batch cooking!

Once you realize how easy it is to make pulled chicken in your slow cooker, you might find yourself asking how often is too often to enjoy it. I say, personally, the limit does not exist. 🙂

Serve BBQ chicken with coleslaw on sandwiches, stuffed into sweet potatoes, in wraps, on pizza, or in bowls. It’s perfect for easy family dinners or feeding a crowd.

Related: BBQ Chicken Flatbread

Ingredients & Substitutions

Labeled photo of chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and sea salt in prep bowls.

Here are a few notes and shopping tips about what you’ll need, as well as possible substitutions. Full amounts are noted in the print-friendly recipe card below.

  • Chicken. I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You could use chicken thighs, as well, though the cooking time will be longer. Bone-in chicken should also work, but would be more work to shred at the end.
  • BBQ sauce. Our favorite lately is Trader Joe’s Kansas City-style sauce. We also like Sweet Baby Ray’s. Use any you like!
  • Apple cider vinegar. Thins out the sauce a bit for cooking, and adds a bit of extra tang.
  • Brown sugar. A little extra sweetness goes a long way, and the molasses in brown sugar adds that “little something” that keeps everyone coming back for more.
  • Sea salt and garlic powder. If you don’t have sea salt, you can use table salt, but cut the amount in half. You can also use fresh minced or grated garlic, though I find garlic powder to taste the same here and be more convenient.

If you love a little extra texture and tang, you can add roughly 1/2 cup of chopped onion or shallot. This can simply go in the Crock pot along with the sauce ingredients and cook with the chicken. This is totally optional: I usually skip it so there is literally zero chopping required.

What spices go well with BBQ chicken?

This chicken has a lot of flavor as it is, but if you want to spice it up even more, try adding a pinch of paprika, onion powder, or black pepper, or 1-2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce.

How To Make BBQ Chicken in the Slow Cooker

The simplicity of this recipe cannot be beat. It’s easy enough to get started even while you’re busy serving breakfast and packing lunches. Trust me! 🙂

Step One: Stir the BBQ sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt, and garlic powder together in your slow cooker, then nestle in the chicken breasts. Use tongs or a fork to turn each piece to coat in the sauce.

Chicken breasts nestled in BBQ sauce in the bowl of a slow cooker.

Step Two: Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Step Three: When the meat is cooked through, shred it into bite-sized pieces and leave in the sauce.

Crockpot full of pulled BBQ chicken.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

How long to cook chicken in a slow cooker?

Chicken breasts typically need to cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low in the Crockpot. For the most tender results, I recommend the longer cooking time on low if possible.

How to shred chicken?

Shredding chicken and other meats used to intimidate me, but now that I realize how easy it is, making things like pulled chicken or pork is very approachable. The simplest way to shred chicken is by using two forks: one to hold the chicken breast in place, while the other, in your dominant hand, literally pulls small pieces off one at a time.

If the meat is cooked properly, it should be very tender and this will be very easy to do. You might need to try pulling at the chicken in a couple of places to find the direction where it’s easiest to get those long shreds. Once you get it, you can probably shred a full chicken breast in less than a minute.

I find it easiest to remove the chicken from the crockpot and do this on a cutting board, but if you can get a good angle and do it inside the crockpot, go for it!

An alternative way to shred chicken is to place the cooked breast into the bowl of your stand mixer and run it on low speed. I find this creates slightly smaller pieces than I prefer for this BBQ chicken, but it is a very quick and easy method.

What size slow cooker is best?

I make this in my 6-quart Crockpot, which has a ton of room — enough that you could make a double batch with no problem. Keep in mind, though, that doubling the recipe may require a slightly longer cooking time — not twice as long, but perhaps an extra hour.

What is the benefit of slow cooking meat?

Slow cooking results in reliably tender chicken, beef, or pork, because the meat’s muscle fibers break down more when exposed to lower temperatures over a longer period of time. Pair this method with any type of sauce that will add flavor and prevent the meat from drying out. Food science wins!

Angled view of a serving bowl full of BBQ pulled chicken made in a slow cooker.

Ideas for Using BBQ Chicken

Our go-to way of enjoying this? Barbecue chicken sandwiches with some cabbage or coleslaw. Bonus points for homemade burger buns. Pour a little extra sauce on top if you are a sauce monster like me! Keep the side dishes simple. Chips, a bean salad, that type of thing.

My second favorite way to use pulled BBQ chicken? Stuff it into a sweet potato and top with sunset slaw. It’s a gorgeous, delicious, and super healthy dish! The chicken is also delicious in wraps, tacos, or bowls with rice. When you have just a little bit left, it makes a fun pizza topping with extra BBQ sauce and cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, or make BBQ chicken nachos!

How to keep pulled chicken warm?

For a picnic, potluck, or party, serve this chicken straight out of the crockpot. After you shred the meat, it keeps wonderfully inside the slow cooker for several hours on the “keep warm” function, so you can have it all ready to go, with sandwich fixings and sides set up nearby. Think corn-on-the-cob, pickles, chips, a simple salad. This is perfect for any kind of event when you want to have food ready, waiting, and kept warm for guests to eat at their leisure.

Storage & Freezing

  • Storage: Leftover BBQ chicken keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
  • Freezing: You also can freeze it, tightly-sealed in any freezer-safe container, for 3-4 months.
  • Defrosting: When ready to eat, defrost pulled chicken in the fridge overnight, then warm in the microwave or on the stove over medium-low heat. It will be just as juicy and delicious as when first made.
White bowl full of BBQ pulled chicken made in a slow cooker, with green onions, pickles, and extra BBQ sauce nearby for garnish.

Related Recipes

Busy day? Enlist the slow cooker! Teriyaki chicken in the Crockpot is our family favorite, slow cooker shredded chicken tacos or a Crockpot balsamic pork tenderloin are always big winners, and creamy slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup is perfect for cold evenings. Need something ultra easy? Crockpot BBQ meatballs require just 3 ingredients and 5 minutes prep.

Craving a different flavor profile? Slow cooker Indian butter chicken tastes amazing but is totally no fuss!

If you try this Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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4.95 from 19 votes

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

The easiest and most delicious pulled chicken you’ll ever make!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt see note
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

  • In the bottom of a slow cooker, combine barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
  • Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce, turning to be sure they are fully coated. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easy to pull apart with two forks.
  • Shred chicken. You can do this either inside the crockpot, or by removing the chicken to a cutting board. (I usually find it easier to remove it.) Return shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir well. Serve right away, or leave on the slow cooker’s keep warm setting for up to 2-3 hours.
  • Serve in sandwiches, wraps, bowls, salads, as you like.

Notes

  • Amounts: This recipe is flexible. I’d use the same amount of sauce for up to roughly 2 pounds of chicken, and increase the amount of sauce beyond that.
  • Salt: If using regular table salt, reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 172 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 18 g, Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 54 mg, Sodium: 759 mg, Potassium: 409 mg, Fiber: 0.3 g, Sugar: 15 g, Vitamin A: 106 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 19 mg, Iron: 1 mg
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