This easy slow cooker pulled chicken is shredded chicken with BBQ sauce cooked up tender and juicy in the crockpot. Use this chicken in tacos, salads, burrito bowls, chicken enchiladas, and lettuce wraps.
I love to serve it with broccoli coleslaw and homemade mac and cheese. We love it piled high on soft brioche buns, but if you are watching your carbs, simply spoon some of the broccoli slaw on top of your pulled chicken and get at it.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work best for this recipe.
- Kansas City barbecue sauce: I love less sweet semi-spicy barbecue sauce with tons of flavor, but use what makes you happy.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can substitute rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
- Brown sugar: Dark or light brown sugar.
- Smoked paprika: This is not to be confused with sweet or hot paprika. Smoked paprika has a rich smoky flavor from smoking the peppers over a wood fire.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Simply add barbecue sauce, onion, tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to a small crock pot and stir to combine. Then, cook on high for 2-3 hours or until it shreds easily with two forks.
Preparation Tips
- If your barbecue sauce is really sweet, skip the brown sugar and add a little lemon juice or lime juice.
- Kick up the heat with a little cumin, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or minced jalapeno.
- Making coleslaw with this is a must. I find that the crunchy broccoli slaw holds up better to the warmth and hardiness of this chicken. For extra flavor, toss in a few red onions.
- I like to toast the buns right before I serve. Once I layer the chicken and the slaw on the buns, I serve them immediately, as no one likes a soggy bun.
- Use the pulled chicken for nachos, quesadillas, soups, and casseroles.
Make Pulled Chicken In An Instant Pot
Place all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Seal and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Then, turn the Instant Pot off and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. Use the quick release and open the pot. Shred the chicken using 2 forks.
Serving Suggestions
- Potatoes: air-fried potato wedges, roasted red potatoes, or pan-fried potatoes
- Pasta: parmesan pasta, angel hair pasta with garlic, or potato pancakes
- Salad: summer succotash salad, creamy coleslaw, or creamy pea salad
More Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 2 cups Kansas City style barbecue sauce
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add barbecue sauce, onion, tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to a small crock pot and stir to combine. I use a 3-quart crock pot.
- Add chicken and spoon a little of the sauce over the top.
- Cook on high for 3-3½ hours or until it shreds easily with a couple of forks.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave at reduced power.
- Double the recipe and freeze half of it for up to 2 months. Completely cool the dish and spoon it into a zipper freezer bag, removing as much of the air as possible. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
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Bryan
I love chicken sandwiches made this way! And I agree that sweet bbq sauce should be avoided- spicy is better. But like you said, use whatever tickles your fancy.
Catalina
This slow cooker pulled chicken is tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned for sandwiches, tacos, or easy meal prep. Effortless and versatile, it’s a weeknight staple you’ll want to make again and again!
Emman Damian
I want to replicate this slow cooker pulled chicken. It looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Emman! Enjoy!
Amy
Such a practical base recipe. Love that it’s easy to customize with different sauces or spice levels. Great tips on serving and storage too. Thanks for sharing this!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Amy!
Terri
This is going to be a permanent in my rotation from now on! I made this last night and topped it with yellow slaw. We loved it.
Beth Pierce
So happy that you liked it, Terri!
Kristin
We loved this so much. The BBQ flavor is great, and the chicken has the perfect texture. Fantastic.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Kristin! I am so glad that you liked it.
Maria
This is a HUGE winner for me. It was so easy to make, and it was so good. We loved it.
Sonya
I had been looking for a good pulled chicken recipe, and this one was just right. The ingredients were simple and the prep was quick and easy. Shredding it right in the crock pot was such a smart shortcut. Thanks for the recipe.