Oh baby. BBQ Crockpot Chicken. The most painless, delicious, and downright delicious creation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a maj Pulled Pork girl if I’m doing BBQ, and often times chicken gets too dry for me to want to try. With the intention of being healthier, I’ve been determined to do a Crockpot BBQ Chicken that not only holds ALL the flavors but that doesn’t come out rubbery and dry. The key to this success was DIY Basic BBQ Sauce. I get it, the idea of making your own sauce when you can just pick up a bottle at the store sounds tedious, but it’s beyond worth it. They pack so many unwanted, unwarranted, and unnecessary crap into processed foods and sauces that it’s much more satisfying and healthy to do your own. Plus you’ll feel even more fancy when you can tell your friends/lover/parents/co-workers….”Yeah, this is FROM SCRATCH. I’ll probably pass on the storebought Safeway cookies Susan, thanks though!” *Insert hair flip*.
This chicken tho…you can put it on errrrthang. Pizza, salad, tacos, burrito bowls, sandwiches…you name it. If I had my choice I would put this on a pizza but alas, trying to stay healthy, so I created my own Burrito Bowls and although my heart ached for pizza, the lil’ bowls filled the void. Spoiler alert: The boyfriend said this made TOP THREE best meals I’ve ever done so…yeah…it’s THAT good.
P R E P
Literally NADA. Put your chicken in the bottom of the Crockpot with DIY Basic BBQ Sauce and just let it cook all day. I’d recommend making the sauce the night before since it needs to simmer for about 20 minutes, but if you’d rather do it before you head to work, go for it!
What you’ll need
- Crockpot.
- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use chicken thighs or a mixture if you’d prefer.
- 2 cups of BBQ Sauce. Click here for the recipe! DIY Basic BBQ Sauce
- If you’re just doing store-bought, shame on you (kidding). I’d doctor up the flavor a bit by doing a little extra brown sugar or apple cider vinegar if you like it more tangy. Some recipes recommend doing a little Italian dressing…so if you’re not in the mood to do your own, you can get creative but the flavor and juicy-ness won’t be quite the same.
Serving Size: 8
Total Prep Time: 25 minutes (if you’re making your own sauce).
Total Cooking Time: Low setting for 6-8 hours (most recommended) or on high for 3-4 hours
Directions
- If you’re making your own sauce, click here before you begin DIY Basic BBQ Sauce.
- Sprinkle chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper.
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the Crockpot and pour BBQ sauce over until the chicken is completely covered.
- IF NOT USING HOMEMADE SAUCE: You can add in a couple things for extra flavor:
- Italian dressing (roughly 1/4 cup)
- Brown sugar (roughly 1/4 cup)
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce.
- IF NOT USING HOMEMADE SAUCE: You can add in a couple things for extra flavor:
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (the chicken should easily shred with a fork) or on high for 3-4 hours. I’d recommend doing the low setting for best results!
- Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Place back in the Crockpot and let it soak up all the flavors for 10-15 minutes.
- Use in a Burrito Bowl (see below), on pizza, in a sandwich, or on a salad!
POST COOKING NOTES
- I’m beyond happy that I was able to create a recipe that holds the same flavor and juiciness that Pulled Pork does. The key to this success was the delicious, homemade sauce AND cooking this on low. I tend to get lazy/impatient when I’m doing other Crockpot chicken recipes, and so I’ll just do the quick 3 hours and it’s just not the same. Never as tender, never as packed with flavor.
- If you’ve got leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Feedback? I’m dying to hear! Let me know what you think and how you used your Crockpot BBQ Chicken!
Basic Kneads 