Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Skinny Pulled Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Pulled barbecue chicken gets a sweet, tangy sauce here with balsamic behind the tomato. Soft onion and garlic settle among the shreds, ready for a whole-wheat bun or a lettuce cup. Give the chicken a good toss in its juices and enjoy it warm.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 360 min
- Total
- 370 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Slow cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: over 60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Rub the dry spices into chicken
Place breasts in the greased cooker, sprinkle on dry seasonings and rub them in before adding onion and garlic.
2. Stir the sauce separately
Combine tomato sauce, balsamic and brown sugar in a bowl before pouring over chicken and tossing gently.
3. Return shreds to their juices
Pull cooked chicken apart outside the cooker, then return and toss it through the sauce before serving.
Get to know the ingredients
Trimmed chicken breasts
Trim excess fat from the boneless skinless breasts before adding them to the greased slow cooker.
Thin onion slices
Thinly slice the yellow onion before placing it over the dry-seasoned chicken with the garlic cloves.
Smashed garlic
Smash garlic cloves for the layer over the chicken rather than mincing them into the separate sauce bowl.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Skinny Pulled Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Choose a bun, leaf or plain plate
Toss shredded chicken through its sauce and serve on a whole-wheat bun, in a lettuce cup or by itself.
A little more help as you go
Use two forks for pulling
Move the cooked chicken to a board or large bowl and use two forks to make the shreds.
Both cooker settings are supplied
The covered cooking stage gives separate low and high options before the chicken is removed for shredding.
A few questions you might have
Does this need bottled barbecue sauce?
The sauce here mixes tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar before pouring it into the slow cooker.
Is the brown sugar packed?
The ingredient note specifies packed light brown sugar for mixing into the tomato-balsamic sauce.
Can I eat the chicken without bread?
Yes, the directions allow serving it by itself, with a lettuce cup or whole-wheat bun also suggested.
Does the onion cook separately first?
Layer thinly sliced onion directly over the seasoned chicken with smashed garlic before adding the mixed sauce.
Should I discard the cooking sauce after shredding?
Keep it in the cooker and toss the chicken shreds through those juices before serving.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: thechunkychef.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
