Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken
Boneless chicken thighs slow-cooked in a quick homemade barbecue sauce and shredded for sandwiches, sliders or loaded baked potatoes.
- Crockpot
- Slow cooker
- Chicken
- Dinner
- 260 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 2 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne, optional
- 6 burger buns
- 1 cup dill pickle chips, for topping
Steps
Step 1: Whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cayenne together right in the slow cooker.
Step 2: Add the chicken thighs and turn them to coat in the sauce.
Step 3: Cover and cook on Low 4 hours or High 2 to 2.5 hours, until the chicken shreds easily and reads at least 165°F.
Step 4: Shred the chicken in the pot with two forks and stir it into the sauce. If the sauce looks thin, leave the lid off on High for 15 to 20 minutes to cook it down.
Step 5: Serve on buns with pickle chips.
Swaps
- Chicken: Breasts work, but check them at 3 hours on Low.
- Sauce: 2 cups of bottled barbecue sauce in place of the homemade one.
- Spice: Add a chipotle pepper in adobo, minced, for smoky heat.
Tips
- Thighs have more fat and connective tissue, so they stay juicy in a slow cooker.
- This freezes well in its sauce for quick lunches later.
- Pile it on baked potatoes with cheddar for a no-bun night.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Pulled pork gets all the glory, but pulled chicken is the one that’s done in time for a weeknight. Four hours on Low and you’re shredding. That’s a lunch-to-dinner kind of plan, not an overnight one.
Thighs are the move here, and it’s not a close call. Breast meat is very lean, so after a few hours in a slow cooker it goes from tender to chalky in a hurry. Thighs have more fat and connective tissue to protect them, so they stay juicy even if you’re a little late getting home.
The sauce is simple pantry stuff, and every piece has a job. Ketchup and brown sugar bring the sweet. Vinegar and mustard bring the tang that keeps it from tasting like candy. Worcestershire adds that savory, meaty depth, and smoked paprika fakes a little time on the grill.
Leaving the lid off for the last 15 minutes lets some water steam away, and the sauce goes from soupy to sticky. Pickles on top. That’s not a suggestion.
HAM out.
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