BBQ pulled chicken slow cooker recipe! It's a foolproof shredded chicken meal that's great to serve a large crowd. The flavorful BBQ juices are full of savory spices that keep you coming back for seconds!
Try my Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce, Cauliflower Crust Pizza with BBQ Chicken, and this BBQ Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash next.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 6 to 8 hours on low
- ⏳ Total Time: about 6 hours 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8
- ⚡ Calories: 414kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: chicken breasts, ketchup, water, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, celery, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar, black pepper, dry mustard and cayenne
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Tangy, savory homemade BBQ sauce soaked into tender shredded chicken
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, everything goes in the slow cooker
Quick Answer
Add 6 large chicken breasts to the slow cooker and top with 2 cups ketchup, 1 cup water, 5 ounces gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup diced celery, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup each lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon each black pepper and dry mustard, and a dash of cayenne. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the thickest part reaches 165 degrees F, then shred with two forks and stir it into the juices.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why Low and Slow Works for Pulled Chicken
- Why You'll Love This Pulled Chicken
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Swaps: Chicken Thighs or Bottled BBQ Sauce
- How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken
- Expert Tips
- What to Serve With BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Pulled Chicken FAQs
- More Slow Cooker Dinners
- Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe
I highly recommend serving this slow cooker pulled chicken with extra helpings of the pot juices. The flavor soaks into every fiber of the chicken breasts leaving you with hearty flavorful meat that serves beautifully on a plate with Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts or in a bun as a pulled chicken sandwich.
For the best organic meat we suggest Butcher Box. Check out my Butcher Box Review to see if it's right for you.
Why Low and Slow Works for Pulled Chicken
Click to see why it works
- Low heat keeps it juicy. Always cook chicken in the slow cooker on low to prevent it from drying out.
- Water keeps it moist. We add water to help keep this pulled BBQ chicken moist.
- The sauce soaks in to every fiber of the chicken breasts as it cooks.
- 165 degrees F in the thickest part means it is done and ready to pull.
- Less chicken takes less time and more chicken may take longer.
Why You'll Love This Pulled Chicken
- Made from scratch with healthy natural ingredients and a homemade barbeque sauce that's amazing! No preservatives here!
- Great for a crowd. This recipe makes a lot of chicken, so it's wonderful for a party since it serves a lot in sandwiches.
- Great for multiple weeknight dinners and meal prep! For another homemade sauce dinner, try my sweet and sour chicken. This is also a great meal prep idea, like this Crockpot Chicken, as you can enjoy it multiple nights for dinner. It heats up wonderfully. Grab my free printable meal planner to plan the week.
- Leftovers go further. Add extras to this Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash!
- So easy anyone can make this recipe!
Ingredients You'll Need
You just need about 6 large chicken breasts and the rest of the ingredients are for the homemade BBQ sauce, so don't be overwhelmed by all these items.
- Chicken breasts - 6 large (see below for substitutions using dark meat chicken thighs instead of white meat).
- Worcestershire sauce - make sure it is gluten-free for gluten sensitive and celiac as most contain gluten.
- Celery stalks - diced, not the leaves.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Ketchup - I suggest organic or one without high fructose corn syrup.
- Water, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar - check out how to make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Coconut sugar or dark brown sugar.
- Dry mustard, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
See recipe card for quantities.
Swaps: Chicken Thighs or Bottled BBQ Sauce
Can I substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts? Yes! The difference though is chicken thighs are a darker meat and have bones. If using chicken thighs, add 8-10 of them to the crock pot and top with the BBQ sauce ingredients. After 6 hours remove the chicken thighs and cut away or pull off the bones then shred the meat and transfer it back to the slow cooker.
Short on time? In place of the homemade sauce you can use a bottled one like Stubbs 36 ounce bottles, and use 1.5 bottles for this recipe or up to two bottles. Or make a batch of my smoky gluten-free barbecue sauce ahead.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken
1Add ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
2Shred the chicken. Using two forks shred the chicken and stir everything together.
3Serve and enjoy! Serve in hamburger buns with juice drained, as an open-faced sandwich, into tacos, over salads, or as-is!
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Keep it on low. Low and slow is the key to cooking in a crock pot or slow cooker. Only cook for the time the recipe calls for so the chicken doesn't dry out.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Small Instant Pot? If using a small instant pot on the slow cooker setting, reduce this recipe to half so the chicken fits.
- Tongs make it easy to lift pulled chicken out of the slow cooker. A cutting board is optional to shred chicken on.
- Check the Worcestershire. Most contain gluten, so buy a gluten-free one.
What to Serve With BBQ Pulled Chicken
Sides: Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Air Fryer Potato Wedges and Roasted Beet Salad. Or spoon it into tacos or onto a sandwich.
More chicken recipes: 3 Fast + Delicious Chicken Meal Prep Ideas, Stuffed Chicken Breast with Spinach and Goat Cheese, Easy Chicken Breast in Pan Sauce, Cauliflower Crust BBQ Chicken Pizza and Crockpot Chicken.
More recipes you may enjoy: Jackfruit Pulled Pork Vegan BBQ Sandwiches, Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Quinoa, Slow Cooker Pork Tacos and Vegan Hot Chocolate.
Pulled Chicken FAQs
Always cook chicken in the slow cooker on low to prevent it from drying out. Cook it until the internal temperature reaches 165 F in the thickest part of the chicken breast or thigh. This shredded chicken takes about 6 hours until tender.
Yes. We add water to help keep it moist, but chicken can dry out quickly. Keep the slow cooker on low and only cook for the time the recipe calls for. Less chicken takes less time and more chicken may take longer.
Not really. Pulled chicken is usually slowly cooked or grilled in a juicy sauce or rub such as BBQ sauce and then shredded. Shredded chicken is made using any method such as boiled, baked, or stewed then shredded and is typically lightly seasoned.
Yes. Add 8 to 10 chicken thighs and top with the sauce ingredients. After 6 hours remove them, pull off the bones, shred the meat and return it to the slow cooker.
Yes. Use a bottled sauce like Stubbs, 1.5 of the 36 ounce bottles or up to two bottles, in place of the homemade sauce ingredients.
Yes, on the slow cooker setting. If your Instant Pot is small, cut the recipe in half so the chicken fits.
More Slow Cooker Dinners
Make Crockpot Chicken, Slow Cooker Pork Tacos or Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Quinoa next. I hope you enjoy this Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe
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Equipment
- Crock pot or slow cooker
- tongs
- cutting board optional for shredding chicken
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts large
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 5 ounces gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (make sure it is gluten-free as most contain gluten)
- ½ cup celery stalks diced and not the leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker or Instant Pot (on the slow cooker setting). Top with all of the remaining ingredients (or simply use a store-bought BBQ sauce like Stubbs 36 ounces- see recipe notes on this, but you can use 1 ½ bottles). Cook on low for 6-8 hours and when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken breast reaches 165 F.
- With two forks, twist to pull the chicken into shreds and mix it together.
- Serve in sandwiches, top on salad, as tacos in tortillas topped with fresh cabbage and salsa, or by itself with a side of roasted vegetables.
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