Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Tender shredded chicken soaks up a thick barbecue sauce in this simple slow cooked dish. Paprika and garlic add a savory note beneath the sweet tang, giving each forkful plenty of flavor as the sauce settles between the shreds.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 360 min
- Total
- 370 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 5 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. Start in one layer
Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer before seasoning and covering them with the barbecue sauce.
2. Keep sauce in the pot
Remove the cooked chicken to a board for shredding and leave its sauce behind in the slow cooker.
3. Thicken while shredding
Turn the uncovered slow cooker to high while shredding the chicken so the remaining sauce thickens a little.
Get to know the ingredients
Chicken
Use large chicken breasts arranged flat in the slow cooker before adding paprika, garlic powder and salt.
Barbecue sauce
Pour enough of the listed barbecue sauce over the chicken to cover all pieces before slow cooking.
Paprika
Sprinkle paprika directly over the chicken with garlic powder and salt before the sauce is poured over.
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 Slow Cooker 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
Coat the shreds
Return the shredded chicken to the slightly thickened barbecue sauce and stir until every piece is coated.
A little more help as you go
Choose the cooking setting
The directions give six hours on low or three hours on high for the slow cooking stage.
Balance a sweet sauce
If the finished chicken tastes too sweet, stir in cider vinegar half a teaspoon at a time.
A few questions you might have
How long does the chicken slow cook?
Cook for six hours on low or three hours on high before removing it from the sauce for shredding.
Do I shred it in the slow cooker?
Remove it to a cutting board and shred with two forks while the sauce stays in the pot.
Why leave the sauce uncovered?
Turning it to high uncovered while shredding lets the sauce thicken slightly before the chicken is returned.
What if the barbecue sauce tastes too sweet?
Try stirring in apple cider vinegar half a teaspoon at a time to balance the sweetness.
When should I return the chicken?
After shredding, stir it back into the slightly thickened sauce until the meat is well coated.
Any more cooking tips?
If your preferred brand of bbq sauce contains a load of sugar and your pulled chicken comes out slightly sweeter than you’d like you can balance it out by stirring in apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp at a time.
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: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.