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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Bernadette
I’m looking for the recipe for the broccoli coleslaw. Normally on some of your recipe posts you have a link of what pairs well with it. I have made well over a dozen of your recipes and every single one of them is phenomenal
Beth Pierce
Sorry Bernadette. I have yet to put up a broccoli coleslaw that would be perfect with that because I simply wing it. Here is a good recipe however I would leave out the apple, cranberries, and sunflower seeds if you are going to top the pulled chicken with it. Thanks so much for your support and sorry about the delay in answering. If only I could clone myself.
Anne Jones
I halfed the recipe and used onion powder instead of fresh onion. It was delicious! I served it on slider buns which were a hit with my 21 month old!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Anne! So glad that you and your toddler liked it!
Jamie
This recipe was delicious!!! Used the leftover chicken to make bbq chicken pizza for lunch today and it was just as good. Don’t skip the coleslaw, it makes this recipe even better. Even put the slaw on my bbq pizza right before serving… amazing!
Beth Pierce
Now that sounds delicious! Great idea! So glad that you liked it!
Michelle
Mine came out salty, did I maybe not use enough chicken? Or was it just the BBQ sauce I chose? I’m a rookie cooker and I want to know what I did wrong lol TIA
Beth Pierce
Probably was the sauce. Watch your sodium count on the label.
Heather
Hi, what kind of onion do you use for this recipe?
Beth Pierce
Any kind of onion will work but sweet onion would be best.
Heather
Thanks! I made this for an engagement party and everyone LOVED it! I’m making it again today 🙂
Denay DeGuzman
Needed to come back to let you know how much our family loves this recipe! It’s easy to make during the busy work week.
Neha
Such an easy and amazing pulled chicken recipe! I can’t believe it’s made with just 6 ingredients. Totally trying it out.
Anjali
I love how easy this recipe was to make!! The perfect weeknight dinner!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
This is just what we need for weeknight dinner. With kids at home, this makes for a perfect lunch for them as well.
Rachna
Pulled chicken is just so perfect to have at hand. I love your recipe and I can’t wait to make some for my weekend burgers and wraps.