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This Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken recipe will change your life! It’s easy to put together, practically hands free, and tastes AMAZING. It’s a crowd filling, kid-pleasing, make ahead meal that’s sure to make it into your favorites. 

 

 

I love a good barbecue sandwich, and this crockpot barbecue chicken takes the cake in terms of flavor and ease of preparation! Anything you can dump in a slow cooker and come back a few hours later to find a tasty and filling meal is a BIG win in my book. 

Perhaps the best thing about this recipe is you can make frozen bbq chicken in the crock pot! Being able to use frozen chicken makes this recipe even more convenient and simple. No defrosting, no remembering to move frozen chicken to the fridge — just combine the ingredients and let the slow cooker do the rest! 

 

 

What ingredients are in Barbecue Pulled Chicken?

It’s amazing how easy bbq pulled chicken in the crock pot can be! For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

• Frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – you can also use fresh! 
• Barbeque sauce – one bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce will do nicely. 
• Italian salad dressing – a little Italian dressing adds a lot of zest to your barbecue pulled chicken in the crockpot. 
• Brown sugar – the rich sweetness of brown sugar is a nice foil to the zest of the salad dressing. It also helps to tenderize the chicken as it’s cooking. 
• Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire sauce will enhance the other flavors while adding that extra special taste our taste buds love so much! 
• Hamburger buns – piling the shredded barbecue chicken from the crock pot on a toasty buttered bun … there’s nothing better!

 

 

How to make barbecue chicken in a crock pot?

1. Place chicken in the crock of the slow cooker
2. Pour sauce over top
3. Cook 
4. Measure temperature
5. Shred 
6. Serve!  

 

 

How do I know when my barbecue chicken is done?

I highly recommend using a meat thermometer — the kind with a probe and a cord that can be used in the oven or slow cooker. This way, you know FOR SURE when your chicken is thoroughly cooked and safe to eat … without overcooking and drying it out! 

Chicken should reach an internal temperature of at least 165 ℉ before it is safe to eat. 

 

 

Can I use frozen chicken?

Absolutely! Part of the appeal of this recipe for crockpot bbq chicken is that it actually CALLS for frozen chicken. But you can totally use fresh or thawed chicken as well. 

 

Can I freeze slow cooker barbecue chicken?

You CAN freeze prepared slow cooker BBQ chicken. I recommend placing leftovers in a freezer bag and allowing them to cool completely in the refrigerator before freezing. 

I like to freeze bagged leftovers flat so that once they’re frozen I can stack them vertically to save room! 

To reheat, thaw frozen BBQ chicken overnight in the fridge or place directly in a covered saucepan over medium heat, breaking apart and stirring occasionally until thoroughly reheated. 

 

 

How do I fix dry barbecue chicken?

It’s pretty hard to dry out the chicken in this pulled BBQ chicken crock pot recipe due to the large amount of sauce and the liquid in the chicken that releases as it’s cooked.

Using a digital thermometer will guarantee you have tender chicken.  However, If you DO find yourself with dry chicken, however, there are a couple easy ways to fix it! Some options include:

• Add more barbecue sauce
• Add a little extra chicken stock
• Melted butter can be added

Any one of the previously mentioned methods should replenish some of the moisture lost in a too-dry-chicken. But like I said, this recipe is pretty difficult to dry out, even if you cook the meat to a higher temperature. 

 

 

How do I serve my barbecue chicken?

There are so many different and delicious ways to serve your slow cooker BBQ chicken! Some of our favorites are: 

• On toasted and buttered buns
• Topped with fresh coleslaw
• With jarred and sliced jalapenos
• Garnished with onion slices
• Lettuce
• Pickles
• Tomatoes
• Cheese
• Or a combination of all of the above! 

My perfect pulled BBQ chicken sandwich looks something like this: toasted and buttered bun layered with shredded BBQ chicken, fresh homemade coleslaw, topped with sliced jalapenos. My kids usually skip the jalapenos and prefer the coleslaw on the side. 

One of the great things about this meal is you can please just about everyone with the chicken base, then let them customize their sandwiches using different toppings and sides! 

 

 

What goes with barbecue chicken?

To me, this pulled chicken crock pot recipe is the quintessential summer meal, so naturally it goes great with: 

• Creamy Coleslaw
• Broccoli Salad
• Cranberry Fluff
• Cranberry Jello Salad
• Strawberry Pecan Salad
• Grape Salad
• Classic Potato Salad
• Easy Pasta Salad
• Ramen Noodle Salad
• Fruit Salad with Cool Whip
• Esquites Recipe
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Watermelon Feta Mint Salad
• Winter Fruit Salad
• Roquefort Pear Salad

 

 

Is barbecue chicken healthy?

BBQ chicken is healthier than its red-meat counterparts. It’s high in protein and very filling. That being said, there is still quite a bit of added sugar between the barbecue sauce and brown sugar. It’s not a “health food,” but in moderation it is a filling, delicious, and relatively nutritious part of a meal. 

 

 

Can my dog eat slow cooker barbecue chicken?

BBQ sauce has a lot of added sugars and spices. There is also added brown sugar in this recipe. Dogs should not have added sugars. We want our pets to live long and healthy lives, so being conscientious about what we feed them from our own table is very important!

 

 

This Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken is a wonderful weeknight meal, a crowd-pleasing favorite for entertaining, and hands-free and easy for those busy weekends.

It’s filling and tasty and even my kids love it! It’s great for making ahead and sharing with others and the leftovers are freezable as well! What’s not to love?!

 

Originally Posted: October 6, 2014

Photos & Text Updated: May 25, 2021

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