Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Tender, juicy, and packed with smoky, sweet flavors, Crock Pot BBQ Chicken is the perfect meal to satisfy your cravings without spending hours in the kitchen!
A DELICIOUS SLOW COOKER CHICKEN RECIPE
Are you looking for an easy and delicious dinner recipe that can be prepared with minimal effort? Look no further than Crock Pot BBQ Chicken! This recipe involves cooking chicken breasts in a slow cooker with seasonings and barbecue sauce until the meat is tender and can be easily shredded with a fork. The result is a mouthwatering dish that can be served in a variety of ways, from sandwiches and wraps to rice bowls and salads. Whether you’re cooking for a family dinner or a weekend party, Crock Pot BBQ Chicken is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We like serving this over some Texas toast or on brioche hamburger buns. You can also eat it all by itself with a fork or maybe top it with Southern Cole Slaw or Alabama White Sauce!
Absolutely! I like frozen chicken breasts because they are often cheaper than their fresh counterpart. So feel free to use frozen here!
Smoked paprika is just paprika that has a smokey flavor. Don’t skimp on the smoked paprika. This is really going to give it that authentic barbecue taste.
This can be served with more traditional sides like Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad or my favorite Baked Beans.
Generally I think the lower and slower the meat cooks, the better the flavor. It really has time to infuse in the chicken. However, with this recipe, if you are pushed for time, you can cook it on high. Or, if you have an Instant Pot, you can make it really fast using this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe.
Chicken isn’t like ground beef. Ground beef you want to cook and crumble first before adding to the crock pot. Mainly because it releases a lot of grease but also it would just cook up in one giant block. With chicken, it is perfectly acceptable and safe to cook in a crock pot.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – you can also use chicken thighs for this or even frozen chicken breasts.
- small onion – I like the additional flavor that the onion adds but If you aren’t an onion fan, you can leave it out or just add about 1/2 Tablespoon of onion powder (or perhaps try using a shallot!)
- garlic – I like to go with fresh garlic when possible but you could certainly use the jarred kind.
- smoked paprika – this gives it a wonderful smokey flavor without being too strong. You can use regular paprika but try to use the smoked paprika, it’s worth it and there are so many other things you can use it in!
- bottled BBQ sauce – my favorite is Sweet Baby Rays but use what you love here or make a Homemade BBQ Sauce.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BBQ CHICKEN:
Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place your chicken breasts into the bottom.
Season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
Then add in minced garlic and diced onion.
Pour BBQ sauce all over the top.
Cover and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
When ready, take the chicken out and shred with two forks. The chicken will be so tender that this will be an easy job.
Put shredded chicken back in crock pot and stir well to coat it with the BBQ sauce mixture.
Then serve! You can serve this in a lot of different ways. On a hamburger bun, on some Texas Toast, in a wrap or even in a salad!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: January 2011
Updated & Republished: March 2023
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 18 ounce bottle BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the bottom.
- Evenly season the chicken with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika.
- Top with 1 small onion, diced and 2 cloves garlic, minced.
- Pour 18 ounce bottle BBQ sauce all over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
- When ready, take the chicken out and shred with two forks.
- Put shredded chicken back in crock pot and stir well to coat it with the BBQ sauce mixture. Then serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Fresh or frozen chicken breasts can be used.
- Serve on hamburger buns, on Texas Toast as an open faced sandwich, in a wrap or in a salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This looks delicious! I'm planning to make this for a family party. How many sandwiches do you get from 2-3 lbs of chicken? Thanks!
I actually used three big pieces of chicken breast (two pounds) and cut them in half. That made six small pieces. Each small piece can easily be made into two sandwiches (on burger buns). I would definitely make this for a rather small family get together for sure!
Hey, great idea using Texas toast. I'll have to try.
Is this texas toast you are using under the chicken?
Thanks for sharing!
This is probably a stupid question:/ but do you thaw out the frozen chicken breasts before placing them into the crock pot?
Not a stupid question at all! I don't defrost them. The slow cooker will do all the work 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! Thanks for a great recipe the whole family enjoyed. :o)
I just had to tell you about this wonderful shredded bbq chicken sandwich recipe. I was down to cook the meal for this Wed.night fellowship dinner at my church. I multiplied your original recipe for 45 and it was a hit! Thank you so much. Regena in TN.
Stephanie – nope. You would just put the uncooked chicken breast into the crock pot along with the BBQ sauce. And cook on low for several hours. Hope that helps!
Just found your blog today through pinterest, and I already have a long list of things I'm dying to try!
Bella, I'm going to be sharing a post very soon with my BBQ sauce recipe – so stay tuned!! 🙂
Hello,
I don't know if I missed it….but would you be willing to share the recipe for making my own BBQ sauce? I'm a newbie but I'm guessing I would start with ketchup 😉
Oh, your disaster reminds me of one of ours… we had just driven home from VA to NJ… like 8+ hrs in traffic, thunderstorm, etc…
came into the kitchen before unpacking to get a soda. the soda USED to be kept above the stove top (over head cupboards), in cabinets that had doors on both sides. One side to the kitchen area, the other side was the eat in kitchen: table chairs. 2 windows, hutch, gossip bench, tea cart…
in reaching for the first bottle in an overly full cabinet, i knocked a 3 liter bottle of ROOT BEER out the other side. It exploded like a bomb. every inch of every surface had root beer, and the ceiling was dripping, and we had not unloaded our suitcases yet!
My mother and I got the giggles, and wouldn't let my dad see the mess (he was so mad at our laughing)… but man, we cleaned everything, the curtains. the ceiling. I never want to do that again!
These look delicious! You just can't go wrong using the crock pot.
Sorry you had such a bad day, but those bbq chicken sandwiches probably made it all better. They look delicious! I'm making them this week.
Mama J – that definitely would have been worse! So I guess I should be thankful it wasn't honey or syrup…lol.
My 4 year old dropped a glass bottle of homemade pancake syrup all of the kitchen floor. We all stood there in stunned silence. Sticky, gooey shards of glass is a nightmare I hope never to relive. 🙂
Not a fun day, but at least your dinner turned out great! My husband would be in heaven with this dinner. He loves BBQ anything.
Kristi
Paper towels are a must have in my household. This looks a rewarding sit at the TV meal after a disappointing day.
I am a huge fan of slow cooker recipes. Just a few weeks ago I made pulled pork but this sounds like such a nice alternative! Thanks for sharing!
YUM!
Sorry you had a bad day 🙁 Just so you know, I had to go check my stock of paper towels…the thought of running out about gave me a panic attack! Yes, I am sooooo non-green when it comes to paper towels, lol!
LOL on "Are you flippin' kiddin' me" ..I am sorry that you had such a bad day..I had few of those:D
And your BBQ Chicken turned out great!!!
Gosh, what a day! Glad the BBQ chicken was not another calamity 🙂
Palate – exactly!!
Siggy – I'm looking at this as a public service announcement. I don't even want to tell you how much fun it was to wash all those towels, my pants, and yes, even my shoes!