Pulled BBQ Chicken Bowls
Easy and flavorful, these pulled BBQ chicken bowls make a flexible, build-your-own dinner that can please everyone, with tender, slow-cooked BBQ chicken, healthy homemade slaw, green onions, and crisp pickles .
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
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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
Calories: 416 kcal, Carbohydrates: 66 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0.02 g, Cholesterol: 56 mg, Sodium: 500 mg, Potassium: 509 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 18 g, Vitamin A: 157 IU, Vitamin C: 8 mg, Calcium: 48 mg, Iron: 1 mg