Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Just 2 ingredients go in to making this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken. It is simply made from chicken breasts and an easy homemade BBQ sauce and then slow cooked until the chicken falls apart. So simple to make and well worth the wait for the slow cooker. Serve in tacos, in a bun with slaw or on rice.

We love a simple slow cooker meal and this is super easy. We put chicken breasts in the slow cooker with our healthier BBQ sauce and slow cook it until the chicken pulls apart. You could make this even easier and make it with store bought BBQ sauce, but the homemade sauce is really worth the effort.

There is no prep involved here – everything just goes in to the slow cooker, is stirred and then you just have to patiently wait until it is ready. That’s the hard part. It’s a little bit sweet, but super juicy and tender.

This chicken practically melts in your mouth. It might just be the easiest slow cooker chicken you will ever make and perfect all year round.

Jump to:

• Why should you try it?
• What you will need
• Step by step
• Is this healthy?
• Serving suggestions
• Storing and reheating
• Uses for leftovers
• Extra tips
• More slow cooker chicken recipes
• Recipe

Why should you try it?

What you will need

Step by step

One: Put the chicken breasts in the slow cooker dish.
Two: Pour the BBQ sauce on top of the chicken breasts and mix. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
Three: Using two forks, shred the chicken and mix it all together.

Is this healthy?

This is a pretty healthy and balanced meal. It is low in fat and high in protein and making your own BBQ sauce means it is lower in sugar and salt too. This is also protein packed too.

We haven’t used any salt in this healthy BBQ sauce recipe, so it’s a good sauce alternative to give kids. We went through a stage with our toddler when she wanted sauce on all her meals and this made me feel much less guilty about it.

What makes this recipe so special is the homemade BBQ sauce, which is a little bit healthy than the kind you can buy. If you want to make this a really easy meal, then feel free to use store bought BBQ sauce, but you can really taste the difference in a homemade batch.

It’s actually far easier than you probably think to make your own BBQ sauce. You just mix together passata, paprika, garlic, maple syrup and vinegar and season and then let it bubble away in the slow cooker.

If you fancy just making a batch of sauce by itself to serve at a BBQ, why not try our Homemade Healthy BBQ Sauce.

Serving suggestions

This is perfect served in tacos with all the usual fixings. Some crispy shredded lettuce and cheese is a must and then we like to add some Guacamole and Mexican Coleslaw on the side too. What some homemade salsa and tortilla chips on the side? Why not try our Restaurant Style Salsa.

You can also serve it on rice or a baked potato, or in a bun with slaw.

Storing and reheating

This is a great batch cook meal and it freezes really well too. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days and then you can add it to salads and wraps throughout the week, or you can portion it out and freeze leftovers and they will keep for up to 2 months. Make sure it is thoroughly defrosted and then heat in a pan with a little oil until hot. 

Uses for leftovers

There are lots of leftovers when we make this, as there are so many ways to use it. We like to put some in a big soft roll with some coleslaw, put it on a salad, use it as a nacho topping, put it on a pizza or baked potato or turn it in to quesadillas. We also like it cold with a potato salad for an easy lunch

Extra tips

• Add some extra flavour and texture to the slow cooker pulled chicken by putting some diced onion at the bottom of the slow cooker before you put the chicken breasts in.
• We have shredded the chicken, but you could always take the chicken breasts out and chop them and then add them back in to the bowl with the BBQ sauce.
• Serve the shredded chicken on rice, or use it as the filling for burritos and tacos. You could even put it on a pizza or salad.
• This BBQ chicken freezes well if you have some leftovers. Just pop it in a container and it will keep in the freezer for up to a month.
• You can save yourself time by using store bought BBQ sauce. If you use ready made sauce a little paprika, garlic and onion powder to it to jazz it up a little.
• You don’t have to shred the chicken, you could chop it in to chunks or serve the breasts whole if not using in tacos. But being cooked on high for 4 hours will mean that the chicken starts to fall apart.
• We like to make this a little bit spicy and add some chipotle paste to the BBQ sauce.

More slow cooker chicken recipes

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