Pulled BBQ Chicken Bowls
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Easy and flavorful, these pulled BBQ chicken bowls make a flexible, build-your-own dinner that can please everyone. Tender, slow-cooked BBQ chicken, healthy homemade slaw, green onions, and crisp pickles are an irresistible combination!
BBQ Chicken, the Easy Way
Making BBQ chicken in the slow cooker is incredibly easy yet virtually guaranteed to deliver tender chicken with the rich flavors of your favorite sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. We enjoy it lots of different ways, but these bowls with a bed of rice or greens, healthy homemade coleslaw, and tangy pickles make truly mouth-watering bowls to devour.
In addition to being darn tasty, this meal works really well for a range of scenarios. I find myself craving the bowls for an easy family dinners, then enjoying the leftovers for a satisfying, low-effort lunch. Then, the components are flexible and crowd-pleasing for any casual gathering. It’s an all-around win!
Ingredient Notes
How To Make Pulled BBQ Chicken Bowls
This is an overview. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Plan ahead. This dinner requires some planning but relatively little active work. You’ll need to allow at least 2-3 hours for the chicken to cook in the slow cooker, though I personally prefer to cook the chicken for 4-6 hours on the low setting.
Start the chicken. Once you have the raw chicken in the slow cooker and well-coated with the BBQ sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt, and garlic powder, set it and forget it until the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
Shred the chicken. I find it easiest to do this directly inside the slow cooker by just using two dinner forks to gently pull the meat apart.
Gather your base and extras. If you have time, let the shredded chicken rest in the sauce for 20-30 minutes, during which the slow cooker can be either on its low or “keep warm” setting. This allows the chicken to absorb more flavor and thickens the sauce a bit.
That resting time is a great opportunity to gather your other ingredients: make the coleslaw if you haven’t already, prepare the rice, and set out toppings.
Alternative Cooking Methods
You certainly could make this chicken in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop as well. I have not tested it to be sure of the exact cooking times, but the same fundamentals would apply: coat the chicken in the BBQ sauce mixture, cook until it reaches 165°F, shred, let rest, and assemble into bowls.
Serving Suggestions
To be clear, I consider these bowls a fully complete family dinner as long as there is some type of vegetable slaw. No need to make more work!
However, if you are making this for a larger group meal or just want to excel, buttermilk cornbread is a great accompaniment, as is apple cabbage or another type of slaw option.
Furthermore, if your kids, like my kids, refuse any type of “slaw” — so many vegetables all mixed together!! — baby carrots and sliced cucumber have a nice crunch and mild taste that goes well with the BBQ chicken, too.
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Leftover BBQ chicken keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Store separately from the rice, coleslaw, and fixings.
Freezing: You also can freeze extra pulled chicken, tightly-sealed in any freezer-safe container, for 3-4 months. When ready to eat, defrost 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.
Make Leftovers New
If you have extra chicken and want to try something different, I really like it stuffed into baked sweet potatoes, especially for a healthy lunch. It also makes a delicious flatbread or nacho topping!
Pulled BBQ Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt see note
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the Coleslaw
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- pinch kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded coleslaw mix see note
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
For Assembling
- rice quinoa, or another grain
- sliced pickles, green onions, sesame seeds, extra BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. In the bottom of a slow cooker, combine barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, sea salt, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.1 cup barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 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.1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Shred chicken. You can do this either inside the crockpot, or by removing the chicken to a cutting board. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir well. Let rest for 20-30 minutes while you prep the other parts of the bowls.
- Make the coleslaw. Combine the mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, celery seed, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, pinch kosher or sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Add shredded coleslaw mix and green onion. Toss well to coat, then sample and add more salt as desired.2 cups shredded coleslaw mix, 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- Prep rice, thinly slice the green onions, drain pickles, and gather any other toppings you like.
- Assemble. When ready to serve, add a couple spoonfuls of rice, about 1 cup of chicken, and as much slaw as you like to each bowl. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce and garnish with toppings as desired. Enjoy!rice, sliced pickles, green onions, sesame seeds, extra BBQ sauce
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. You may use more or less coleslaw, to taste, etc.
- Salt: If using regular table salt, reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon in the sauce for the chicken.
- Coleslaw Mix: You can often buy this pre-shredded and packaged to save time, but it’s essentially a mix of shredded white cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots, so you can also buy those items separately and combine them according to your own preference.
- Prep ahead: The coleslaw keeps well in the fridge; I’d be comfortable prepping it up to 4 hours before serving for the first time, so if you want to do this at any point before shredding the chicken, go for it.
- Skip the rice: Take this totally grain-free by using a bed of leafy greens, or just skipping it entirely and enjoying the chicken with the slaw only. (I often do this for a quick lunch the next day.)
Nutrition Estimate
More Easy Crockpot Chicken Recipes
If you enjoy this, you may also like my slow cooker shredded Mexican chicken, this Indian-inspired take on Crockpot butter chicken, a slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup, or the meat with a teriyaki twist.
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more great recipes and ideas!
